Bauer Bloodhound

1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59378-962-6
Verlag: CompanionHouse Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 155 Seiten

Reihe: Comprehensive Owner's Guide

This Comprehensive Owner's Guide to the most famous 'nose' in the dog world;the Bloodhound;serves as a complete introduction to this remarkable breed, whose 'nasal testimony' stands up in a court of law. The most famous search and rescue dog on the planet, the Bloodhound is revered as a noble and keenly determined working scenthound, whose abilities include tracking lost children, escaped criminals, poachers, large game, and thousand of gloves (at AKC tracking tests).The first chapter of the book is dedicated to the breed's beginnings in Europe, originally raised by clerics at the famed St. Hubert monastery in the Ardennes region of France and spreading in popularity to Switzerland, England, and the United States. The book continues with chapters on the breed's characteristics and breed standard, offering sound advice about which owners are best suited to this large and somewhat demanding dog. New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming are illustrated with handsome adults and puppies bursting with energy and personality!In all, there are over 135 photographs in this compact and reliable volume. The author's advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train his or her dog into the most socialized, well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive chapter on healthcare by Dr. Lowell Ackerman provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more.The final chapter on solving behavior problems discusses how dogs think and offers solutions to commonly encountered issues, such as separation anxiety, barking, digging, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

A 15-time Dog Writers Association of America nominee (and frequent winner), Nona Kilgore Bauer has authorized nearly two dozen books on canine subjects. She was the recipient of the Vern Bower Humanitarian Award from the Golden Retriever Club of America.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bauer, Nona Kilgore

Leseproben

Few breeds of dog can claim the rich and colorful history that distinguishes the scenthounds from other members of the canine clan. In fact, of the many breeds of dog existing in this modern world, the hound is the most ancient. Dating back to the pre-Christian era over 4,000 years ago, hound development intertwines with that of man into a most important human/canine evolution.

The very name hound—or Bloodhound—conjures up impressive, vivid images: a massive animal with its nose to the ground, relentlessly tracking man or beast; a large and threatening dog in determined pursuit of some unseen quarry, whether victim or villain; a ferocious canine beast frothing to attack its prey.

The Bloodhound indeed may be its own combination of these romantic images. The name Bloodhound does not mean “bloodthirsty beast,” as some believe the term implies. The name is derived from the term “blooded hound,” which means a dog of pure breeding whose genes, or “blood,” is untainted by other breeds of dog.

The Bloodhound as a specific breed was originally developed and bred centuries ago at the famed St. Hubert Monastery in the mountainous Ardennes region of France. The Bloodhound strain was then perpetuated by church clerics and those members of the nobility who fancied hunting and prized the hounds for their unique abilities.

From 1932, this photo shows Bloodhounds that were actual police dogs owned and used by the Chief Constable of Sussex (England).

Thanks to the monastic bent for keeping records through the ages, we have documentation of the hounds that are direct ancestors of the dog we know today as the Bloodhound. In fact, recorded history dating back to 4000 BC offers evidence of massive hound-type canines that were used as war dogs as well as hunting dogs.

The Greek historian Herodotus, born in the 5th century BC, in his account of the Graeco-Persian wars wrote of the dogs’ great value during times of both peace and war. Stone artwork from that era also substantiates historical data showing Bloodhound-type dogs with long tails curled over the back. Herodotus reported that the dogs were especially prized by the monarchs of Mesopotamia (known today as Iraq) and other regions of western Asia.

Another stone carving, dating back even further, to the 7th century BC, and found in the royal palace at Nineveh, the ancient capital of Assyria, depicts powerful hunting dogs who possessed the heavy heads and pendulous ears typical of the Bloodhound.

SCHWEISSHUNDEN

The black hounds of Ardennes were known as “schweisshunden”…slow, deliberate, heavy-skinned tracking dogs who trailed with great persistence and possessed exquisite noses and melodious voices. They originally cold-trailed game such as wolves, big cats or deer or trailed wounded game.

These dogs’ importance to their culture extended far beyond the battlefield. Their scenting prowess and trailing abilities were essential to the food chain, since hunting for food provisions was as vital to survival as was victory in war. So it is understandable that such dogs were highly prized by royalty as well as commoners.

The migration of the hounds into western Europe in later centuries continues to be a matter of speculation. Historians theorize that warriors and migrants took their dogs with them as they migrated into France and England. The Romans described finding magnificent hounds with superb scenting ability when they arrived in Britain in 55 BC. These hounds pursued their quarry with a perseverance unmatched by any others they had seen.

Those same hounds were introduced to the French monastery by the crusaders returning from the east, crusaders who also brought other new kinds of animals, new ideas and philosophies. Named the St. Hubertus Branchen, after the monks at that monastery, these hounds were powerful, heavily built dogs, of medium height, who were somewhat long in body. They possessed excellent noses coupled with extraordinary hunting ability. Most were all black with red or fawn markings over their eyes and on their legs, and occasional white marks on the chest. The hounds had superior cold-trailing ability and are the progenitors of all scenthounds known in history or existing now.

CANIS LUPUS

“Grandma, what big teeth you have!” The gray wolf, a familiar figure in fairy tales and legends, has had its reputation tarnished and its population pummeled over the centuries. Yet it is the descendants of this much-feared creature to which we open our homes and hearts. Our beloved dog, Canis domesticus, derives directly from the gray wolf, a highly social canine that lives in elaborately structured packs. In the wild, the gray wolf can range from 60 to 175 pounds, standing between 25 and 40 inches in height.

A few centuries later, when the Normans from Gaul (France) conquered England in 1066 ad, they brought many of their dogs with them. The St. Hubert’s hound was among the conquerors’ dogs. There also existed at that time a few white hounds, called Talbot Hounds (or Southern Hounds), large dogs that were also known for their courage and endurance. Talbots were another strain of hound that allegedly accompanied William the Conqueror to English soil in 1066. William and later his son, Rufus, maintained an extensive breeding program, breeding hounds that were used primarily for hunting deer, the favored sport of wealthy noblemen. Some canine historians believe that Talbots were the result of cross-breedings between the St. Hubert’s hounds and other white hounds from France.

From a 1934 issue of Sport and General, two Bloodhounds, named Eldwick Meuver and Malvo, in pursuit tracing a scent.

ST. HUBERT

St. Hubert is a small town in Belgium in the Province of Luxembourg in the heart of the Ardennes mountain range. The Abbey church contains the shrine of St. Hubert. The church and monastery were founded in the 7th century by Plectrude, wife of Pippin of Herstal. The spot where St. Hubert is alleged to have encountered a stag with a crucifix between its antlers is about 5 miles from the town.

Never as popular as the black Branchen hound, the white Talbots were kept separate from the blacks, although it is known that in England some St. Hubert’s specimens were crossbred with the Talbot. Talbots continued in France throughout the 18th century while slowly dying out as a result of public rebellion against Charles IX, who had bestowed favored status on that breed.

The St. Hubert Hound was held in such high regard in Europe that the English and French royalty and clerics often filled their kennels with large numbers of the black and tans, often giving them as gifts to high-ranking nobility. One record states that the Earl of Essex maintained a kennel of 800 of these hounds.

The hounds’ impressive size and superb scenting ability pressed the breed into service in areas other than hunting for large game such as deer, elk and bear. Many were used as guard dogs to protect private and public property from criminals and violent crime. By the 16th century, Bloodhounds were used extensively to hunt man, particularly sheep thieves and poachers who stalked the Scottish borders. Their man-trailing ability was so valuable that the courts conferred legal status on the Bloodhound, allowing it to follow a trail anywhere, even directly into a private residence. Their testimony was so highly regarded that if a man refused a Bloodhound entrance to his home he was assumed to be guilty or associated with the crime.

A classic photograph by Fox depicting the high spirit and enthusiasm of the Bloodhound breed for the chase.

FRANÇOIS HUBERT

The St. Hubert Branchen hounds were named after the monk François Hubert, who was later elevated to bishop and canonized after his death. Born to the nobility, François was an ardent hunter who maintained a large group of hunting hounds. After François’s death, his breeding program was continued by the abbots who succeeded him.

As happened with other breeds of dog, civilization and cultural changes affected society’s need and uses for the Bloodhound, sending its popularity into a steep decline. The traditional large estates owned by the upper classes were broken up into smaller parcels of land and the surrounding forested areas became smaller, which caused a decrease in the deer and other large-game population. Accordingly, hunters and wealthy sportsmen shifted their interests from hunting deer to hunting smaller and more available game like the fox, producing a need for smaller, faster hound dogs. Bloodhounds were crossed with a variety of breeds, creating the Foxhound, Harrier, Beagle and other similar breeds that credit their keen noses to their Bloodhound ancestors.

Here is the Lucernese Hound, known in Switzerland as the Luzerner Laufhund. This breed bears a likeness to the American breed known as the Bluetick Coonhound, and is probably a progenitor of that hunting dog.

Breed population continued to decline through the mid-19th century. A few remaining Bloodhounds were still used in law enforcement, and a few others were kept in packs by gamekeepers. But the Bloodhound, along with several other breeds of dog, seemed almost destined for extinction. However, the introduction of the dog show in 1859 proved to be salvation of these beleaguered members of the canine community.

The scenthound breeds of Switzerland are close relations to the Bloodhound breed. This is the Bernese Hound, a tricolored hound known at home as the Berner Laufhund. The term “laufhund”means “walking...