Alpine Dachsbracke Dog Breed

Alpine Dachsbracke Dog Breed

The Alpine Dachsbracke, known in its native country of Austria as Alpenlandische Dachsbracke, is a small breed of dog of the scent hound family, bred to track wounded deer as well as boar, hare, and fox. It is highly efficient at following a trail even after it has gone cold. Its ancestry can be dated back to the middle of the 19th century. It contains the blood of very old strains of hounds including the Austrian black and tan hound as well as that of the Standard smooth haired Dachshund. It once was a favorite of German royalty. During the 1880s, Alpine Dachsbrackes accompanied Crown Prince Rudolf of Habsburg on hunting trips to Egypt and Turkey.

This small dog has a slight resemblance to a Dachshund, with short legs (although longer than a dachshunds) and a long body. The coat is dense, short but smooth except for the tail and neck. The round eyes have a lively expression.

Intelligent and friendly with a fearless personality. A robust, weather resistant working dog used by the mountain huntsman. The Alpine Dachsbracke is used as a tracking hound for wounded deer and as scenthound for hare and fox.
A short-legged hound for closer hunting and tracking was developed in Austria, as in other countries. But in the high altitude of the Alps, a larger dachsbracke was necessary, and the Austrian version is slightly bigger than his German cousin, the Westphalian. Like the other dachsbrackes and bassets, this breed has a normal hound body with short but not curved or twisted legs. He was created from the indigenous hounds of Austria.
The Alpine Dachsbracke is solid, robust, and heavily muscled, giving him an athletic and agile appearance. The coat, although not wiry, is harsh and dense. His stern, with a brush of hair, is extremely long, nearly reaching the ground. Unlike the Westphalian, this variety has no white markings. The standard lists solid black (without the tan markings), chocolate or gray-blue as disqualifications.
Mainly a coldtrailing hound on deer tracks, in full voice he is equally useful after rabbit and fox. The official standard of the breed calls him a "multiple utility dog of the Alpine hunter." A real professional at his craft, he has found little following outside of local gamekeepers and hunters.

Used effectively to hunt wounded deer, this breed could work even in harsh terrain and high altitude. It makes a good companion, although it is primarily a hunter and therefore is kept mostly by hunters. It has a fearless, friendly and intelligent personality. Most Alpine Dachsbrackes are excellent with children and good with dogs and other pets, though they may exhibit a strong prey drive typical of many scent dogs.