The Barak or Bosnian Broken-haired Hound ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Bosanski oštrodlaki gonič, Босански оштродлаки гонич), is a hunting dog breed developed in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

. The breed is a scenthound, originally used to hunt large game. Other names include Bosnian Rough-haired Hound and Bosnian Rough-coated Hound. These names refer to the texture of the shaggy

coat A coat typically is an outer garment for the upper body as worn by either gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, a ...

, usually called ''broken-haired'' or ''hard'' in English dog fancier jargon.

History

Today's breed is descended from indigenous dog types, crossed with an Italian gun dog in the 1890s. "Local hunters, wanting to produce an efficient scent hound, developed this breed in the nineteenth century, using the available stock of dogs."Barak breed website, in Bosnian and English
/ref> The early type of today's smaller

Istrian Shorthaired Hound The Istrian Short-haired Hound (original name is ''Istarski Kratkodlaki Gonič'') is a breed of dog from Istria in Croatia, descended from a very old type of scenthound. This hound is the slightly smaller counterpart to the longer-coated Istri ...

may also have contributed to the Bosnian Coarse-haired Hound. The Bosnian Coarse-haired Hound was first recognised by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) (English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium. History The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspices ...

in 1965 under the name of "Illyrian Hound". The name was changed to more accurately describe its area of origin in Bosnia. The breed is in Group 6, Scenthounds, Section 1.1 Large-sized Hounds, and is breed number 155. It is also recognised by the United Kennel Club (US) as the "Barak", in the

Scenthound Group Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785 Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a Dog type, type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than ...

. The breed is not recognised by any other major kennel clubs in the English speaking world, although many minor kennel clubs, internet dog registry businesses, and

rare breed In modern agriculture, a rare breed is a breed of poultry or livestock that has a very small breeding population, usually from a few hundred to a few thousand. Because of their small numbers, rare breeds may have a threatened conservation statu ...

registries promote and register it as a unique pet.

Description

Appearance

The most striking feature of the Bosnian Coarse-haired Hound is its shaggy, hard coat of yellowish (wheaten or red) or greyish colours, often with a white blaze on its head along with other white marks. The standard calls for a body length ten percent greater than height; these proportions are given to differentiate the Bosnian Coarse-haired Hound from other hounds of the area which are "a bit low on leg" Height ranges from at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ar ...

, and weight is between . The dog normally carries its tail curved slightly upward, and its face has a bushy moustache and beard.

Temperament

The breed standard describes its behaviour as lively, as well as courageous and persistent.

References

{{Hounds Scent hounds FCI breeds Dog breeds originating in Bosnia and Herzegovina Rare dog breeds

History

Description

Appearance

Temperament

See also

References