Rastreador-brasileiro

The Rastreador Brasileiro is a Brazilian tracking hound bred to hunt jaguar and peccary, declared extinct in the 1970s and rebuilt afterwards.

History

It was developed from the 1950s by the Brazilian breeder Oswaldo Aranha Filho from American and European hound stock, for tracking large game through Brazilian forest. In 1973 an outbreak of disease combined with an overdose of insecticide killed the breeding population, and the breed was formally declared extinct. Brazilian breeders reconstructed it from surviving related dogs and it was re-recognised decades later — a documented extinction and recovery, which very few breeds have.

Temperament

The breed is known for being persistent, even-tempered and sociable in a pack, friendly with people and single-minded on a trail.

Care and training

It needs a great deal of exercise and secure ground; the nose outranks recall. The short coat is easy and the drop ears want checking.

Health

A reconstructed population from a narrow base carries the inbreeding caution that implies; ear infections are the usual hound complaint. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.