Alpine Dachsbracke

Patronage: Austria
Group 6: Hounds, scent hounds and related breeds
Section 2: Bloodhounds
Alternative names:

• Alpine-Erzgebirge Dachsbracke
• Austrian Dachsbracke

• male 37-38cm
• bitch 36-37cm

In the 19th century there were numerous dogs of the Alpine Dachsbracke type in the area of ​​the Bavarian and Austrian Alps, partly also in the Swiss Grisons. However, these dogs varied greatly in appearance. In the Erzgebirge people are said to have tried to breed the Dachsbracke in the 1980s, but they were only systematically bred from 1871 onwards. The dogs used to be called "Alpenländische Erzgebirge Dachsbracke" because breeding was initially concentrated in the Ore Mountains. Around 1895 there were several calls for pure breeding of this breed, so that soon after the first "International Dachsbracken Club" was founded. The task of the club was to establish a constant form and appropriate breed characteristics. The club was dissolved in 1908, two years later the Austrian "Club Dachsbracke" took over the breeding of the Alpine Dachsbracke. The First World War led to a sharp decline in the number of members in the club, after a reorganization in 1923 there were soon more than 700 members again. In 1931 the breed was officially recognized by the Austrian Kennel Club. Breeding declined again during the Second World War, and it was not until 1945 that breeding lines were reestablished. The Alpine Dachsbracke was recognized by the FCI in 1975. By 1978, around 6,500 Dachsbracken were entered in the stud book.

The Alpine Dachsbracke is a short-legged dog (up to 38 cm) with a robust, strong-boned physique. Its fur is a dense coat of very dense stick hair with a dense undercoat that covers the entire body and lies flat. The ideal color of this breed is dark deer red with or without a light black streak, and black with clearly defined reddish-brown tan on the head (four eyes), chest, legs, paws and underside of the tail, with white breast stars permitted. The body of the dog is strong and well-muscled, elongated, with a robust, strong-boned physique, the ratio of the height at the withers to the length of the body is 2:3. The ears are set high, wide and smoothly drooping, without folds, of medium length (should reach the fangs ) and are well rounded at the bottom.

The Alpine Dachsbracke is a robust and weather-hardy utility dog ​​that, as a recognized scent dog breed, is also used for tracking (tracking down injured wild animals). This dog is also used for rummaging and brackier hunting. The Alpine Dachsbracke is the only scent hound that hunts by sight/sound. The dogs are only given to hunters in order to ensure that they are kept in a way that suits their needs while working in the hunting ground.