Hounds Dog Group - Swiss Hounds

The sccnthounds or laufhunde of Switzerland include the Swiss, the Bernese, and the Lucerncse Hound. The modern Swiss, Bernese, and Lucernese Hounds are very similar in abilities, character, and in appearance, except for color of coat. They have keen noses, great powers of endurance, and will work over any terrain.They make excellent tracking dogs and are used to hunt a variety of game, including hare, fox, and deer.

Coat: Swiss and Bernese Rough and wiry, with a thick undercoat. Lucernese Short and very dense.

Color: Swiss White with orange markings. Bernese Tricolor-white, black, strong tan markings. Lucernese White with gray or blue speckling and broad dark or black markings.

Features: Clean, refined head; long muzzle; mouth with scissor bite; eyes as dark as possible; very long cars; long, sloping shoulders; good-length back, tail not too long, carried horizontally. Short-legged varieties Medium-size head; mouth with scissor bite; fairly large eyes with tight lids; cars long enough to reach tip of nose; body of good hound type, proportionally built; medium-length tail, set neither too low nor too high.

Size: Minimum height: 17½in, generally 18-22 in. Short-legged varieties 12-15 in.

Care: Need a lot of exercise, and should be groomed with a hound glove, and a slicker for the rough-coated varieties.

Character: Calm companions with strong hunting instincts; not suitable as pets.