Spanish Hound (Sabueso Español)

The Spanish Hound is a medium-sized hunting dog of elongated proportions with a beautiful head and long ears. It excels at tracking hare, large game, and blood. Other names for the breed include Sabueso Español and Spanish Bloodhound.

Content

1 History of origin
- 1.1 Purpose
2 Appearance
3 Character and behavior
4 Content Features
5 Health and life expectancy
6 Where to buy a Spanish Hound puppy
- 6.1 Price
7 Photos and videos
- 7.1 Video about the Spanish Hound breed

History of origin

Dogs similar to modern Spanish Sabueso hounds have been known since the late Middle Ages. They were clearly described in the books of King Alfonso II (14th century) and other classical authors.

For a long time, the Sabueso's ancestors were used to hunt brown bear and wild boar. With the advent of firearms, many hunters switched to smaller game and retrained their dogs for it. The breed standard for the Spanish Hound (Spanish: Sabueso espanol) was adopted in 1982.

Purpose

The Spanish Hound is primarily considered a hunting dog for small game (hare). However, it is also used for hunting larger animals (roe deer, deer, wild boar, wolf, and even bear). It is very effective at following a blood trail. Spanish Hounds are very vocal.

The Spanish Hound is a specialist in hare hunting and is not bothered by the fact that the scythe doubles its tracks.

Appearance

The Spanish Hound is a medium-sized dog, compact and well-balanced. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced.

The height of males is 52-57 cm.
The height of the bitches is 48-53 cm.

The head is proportional. The lines of the muzzle and cranial region diverge. The skull is convex, with the length equal to the width. The muzzle tapers slightly toward the tip. The eyes are medium-sized, almond-shaped, and brown. Slight sagging of the eyelids is acceptable. The ears are long, pendant, and set below eye level. When pulled forward, they extend significantly beyond the nose. The neck is truncated cone-shaped.

The body is rectangular and strong. The chest circumference is no more than 1/3 of the height at the withers. The topline is level, with a slight drop behind the withers and a slightly arched loin. The chest is well developed and capacious. The limbs are correctly formed. The croup is wide, almost horizontal. The groin is deep, with a noticeable fold. The tail is set low and thick at the base. The forelimbs are vertical, parallel, and straight. The hindquarters are powerful, muscular, and well angulated.

The skin is elastic, thick, and pink. It forms a dewlap around the neck. The coat is short, shiny, and lies flat. The coat is white and red, with one color predominating over the other. The red color ranges from lemon to reddish-brown.

Character and behavior

The Spanish Hound is an affectionate dog with a calm and distinctly independent temperament. It is intelligent, sensitive, and intelligent. With proper training, it grows up very sociable and responsive, focusing on its owner and eager to please. It is relatively easy to train. It requires good socialization, especially if it lives in the city. It can be a wonderful family dog and companion, but will only thrive with someone who can nurture its natural hunting potential.

The energetic Spanish Hound often enjoys playing with children. However, it will not tolerate cruelty or disrespect. It gets along well with animals it has grown up with. It is generally not aggressive with other dogs. It can work in a pair or a small pack of hounds. It has a strong guarding instinct, but no protective instinct. With strangers, the dog is cautious or friendly, not aggressive. When hunting, it can demonstrate courage and bravery.

Content Features

The ideal situation for a Sabueso is to live in a private home with a hunting family. Keeping them in an aviary is also possible.

The Spanish Hound is an active dog with a highly developed sense of smell, physical strength, and endurance. It requires adequate exercise to maintain its tone and prevent obesity, which is common in the breed. Its diet should be high-quality and nutritious. Many owners prefer to feed their dogs prepared meals. super-premium class feedsNatural supplements are supplemented with vitamins and minerals in accordance with the recommendations of the breeder or veterinarian.

The Spanish Hound doesn't require complex grooming. Grooming consists of standard procedures: brushing, occasional bathing, nail trimming, and maintaining healthy eyes, ears, and teeth.

Health and life expectancy

The Spanish Hound is a relatively healthy breed. Life expectancy is 10-13 years.The study showed a predisposition to diseases that are associated with morphology or genetics:

otitis;
eversion or inversion of the eyelids;
intervertebral disc disease;
hip dysplasia;
knee dysplasia;
epilepsy;
ophthalmological diseases;

Where to buy a Spanish Hound puppy

The Spanish Hound is bred for working performance testing. However, there are kennels with several generations of show dogs. This is something to consider when choosing a puppy. This is the most popular breed in northern Spain. In Russia, it is considered rare and expensive. One of the first kennels opened in Moscow over 10 years ago. Many of the dogs bred domestically are predominantly white.