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Otterhound

 
Otterhound

 
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Otterhound
 
 
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The Otterhound is an old British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 dog breed
Dog breed

Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
, with Bloodhound
Bloodhound

A bloodhound is a large dog breed of dog bred for the specific purpose of tracking human beings. Consequently, it is often used by authorities to track escaped prisoners or missing persons....
 ancestors, and one of the ancestors of the Airedale Terrier
Airedale Terrier

The Airedale Terrier is a dog breed of the terrier dog type, originating in Airedale, a geographic area in Yorkshire, England. It traditionally was called the "King of Terriers" because before the creation of the Black Russian Terrier by the KGB in Russia, the Airedale was largest of the terrier breeds....
.

Otterhound is a large, rough-coated hound
Hound

A hound is a Dog type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the prey. It can be contrasted with the gun dog, which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry....
 with an imposing head. Originally bred for hunting
Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to law....
, it has great strength and a strong body with long striding steps. This makes it able to perform prolonged hard work. Otterhounds generally weigh between 80 and 120 pounds (36 to 54 kg). They have extremely sensitive noses which make them inquisitive and perseverant in investigating scents.






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The Otterhound is an old British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 dog breed
Dog breed

Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
, with Bloodhound
Bloodhound

A bloodhound is a large dog breed of dog bred for the specific purpose of tracking human beings. Consequently, it is often used by authorities to track escaped prisoners or missing persons....
 ancestors, and one of the ancestors of the Airedale Terrier
Airedale Terrier

The Airedale Terrier is a dog breed of the terrier dog type, originating in Airedale, a geographic area in Yorkshire, England. It traditionally was called the "King of Terriers" because before the creation of the Black Russian Terrier by the KGB in Russia, the Airedale was largest of the terrier breeds....
.

Appearance

The Otterhound is a large, rough-coated hound
Hound

A hound is a Dog type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the prey. It can be contrasted with the gun dog, which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry....
 with an imposing head. Originally bred for hunting
Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to law....
, it has great strength and a strong body with long striding steps. This makes it able to perform prolonged hard work. Otterhounds generally weigh between 80 and 120 pounds (36 to 54 kg). They have extremely sensitive noses which make them inquisitive and perseverant in investigating scents. Consequently, they need particular supervision. They are friendly dogs with a unique bass voice which they use frequently.

Hunting

The Otterhound hunts its quarry both on land and in water and it has a combination of characteristics unique among hounds; most notably an oily, rough, double coat
Coat (dog)

The coat of a dog is the pelage that covers its body. A dog coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarse topcoat, or a single coat, without an undercoat....
 and substantial webbed feet.

The use of otterhounds to hunt otters by scent ceased in the Britain in 1978 when it became illegal to kill otters, at which point otter hunts switched to hunting mink
Mink

There are two living species of mink: the American Mink and the European Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but is much larger....
 or coypu
Coypu

The coypu, or nutria is a large, herbivore, semiaquatic rodent and the only member of the family Myocastoridae. Originally native to temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily by fur ranchers....
.

Health

The breed lives to between 10 and 13 years old, although some have reportedly lived to be 15 or older.

The Otterhound requires considerable exercise. They can be good family dogs but need to be kept in a secure property since they can jump fences up to 5 feet high.

An endangered breed

There are only an estimated 1,000 or so Otterhounds in the world and somewhere between 350 and 400 in the US. Even in the early 20th century, when otter hunting was most popular as a sport, Otterhounds were not numerous. They are now considered the most endangered dog breed in Britain
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 since only 51 were born there in 2006. They are on the list of Vulnerable Native Breeds
Vulnerable Native Breeds

Vulnerable Native Breeds are a group of dog breeds originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and identified by The Kennel Club as having annual kennel club numbers of 300 puppies or less....
 as identified by the UK Kennel Club, and as much as possible is being done to save the breed. Indeed, experts now view otterhounds as more endangered than the Giant Panda
Giant Panda

The Giant Panda is a mammal classified in the bear family , native to central-western and southwestern China. The Giant Panda was previously thought to be a member of the Procyonidae family....
. However, while the domestic dog has many breeds which vary greatly in morphology it is important to remember these are all classified as the same sub-species Canis lupus familiaris. This sub-species is in no way endangered (unlike the Giant Panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca whose entire species has an estimated population of just 1600 in the wild).

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