Hanoverian Scenthound

The Hanoverian Scenthound is the German specialist in following a wounded animal — a tracking hound rather than a hunting one.

History

It descends from the medieval leash hounds of the Hanoverian royal hunts and was refined in the nineteenth century for a single job: following the blood trail of a deer or boar that has been shot and not killed, sometimes many hours cold, to find and dispatch it. German law requires a trained tracking dog for exactly that, which is why the breed is still bred to strict working tests.

Temperament

The breed is known for being calm, serious and closely bonded to one handler, reserved with strangers, and utterly focused on a trail once given it.

Care and training

It needs real tracking work; exercise alone does not satisfy it, and it is not a household breed. Training is specialist and usually done through hunting associations. The short dense coat is easy.

Health

Generally sound, with hip dysplasia and ear infections among the known tendencies. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.