The is a Spanish

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

scenthound 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 ...

. It originates in the

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

Álava Álava ( in Spanish) or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Álava, former medieval Catholic bishopric and now Latin titular see. Its ca ...

and Bizkaia in the

Basque Autonomous Community The Basque Country (; eu, Euskadi ; es, País Vasco ), also called Basque Autonomous Community ( eu, Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoa, links=no, EAE; es, Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco, links=no, CAPV), is an autonomous community of Spain. It ...

in northern Spain. It is one of five Basque breeds of dog, the others being the

Basque Shepherd Dog The Basque Shepherd Dog, eu, Euskal Artzain Txakurra, italic=no, es, Perro de Pastor Vasco, italic=no, is a traditional Spanish breed of sheepdog originating in the historic Basque Country. It is believed that they originated from Central Europ ...

, the Pachón de Vitoria, the

Villano de Las Encartaciones The Villano de Las Encartaciones is a Spanish breed of large working dog from the region of Las Encartaciones in the province of Biscay, in the Basque country; it is found also in Álava, in eastern Cantabria and in northern Burgos. The traditio ...

and the Villanuco de Las Encartaciones, and is one of fourteen animal breeds native to the Basque Country. It was traditionally used for hunting

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...

, but since the hare became scarce in the Basque country it is more frequently used to hunt

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

or occasionally

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

es. It is critically endangered: in 2009 there were fewer than fifty examples.

Description

Erbi Txakur are muscular dogs with short fur. They are typically white with brown markings.

History

The Erbi Txakur originates in the

and Bizkaia in the

in northern Spain, and is the traditional hare-hunting dog of Basque hunters; the name of the breed means 'hare dog'. It is one of five Basque breeds of dog, the others being the

, the Pachón de Vitoria, the

and the Villanuco de Las Encartaciones. Of these, all but the Pachón de Vitoria are indigenous to the Basque Autonomous Community, and were recognised as traditional Basque breeds by government decree in 2001. It was among the fourteen indigenous animal breeds included in the rural development plan for the País Vasco for 2007–2013. With the Villanuco de Las Encartaciones it is one of the most seriously endangered breeds of the Basque Country: in 2009 there were fewer than fifty examples.

Use

The Erbi Txakur was traditionally used for hunting

, but since the hare became scarce in the Basque country it is mainly used to hunt

; it may also be used in hunting

or occasionally

es.

References

{{Hounds Dog breeds originating in the Basque Country (autonomous community) Dog breeds originating in Cantabria Rare dog breeds Dog breeds originating in Spain Basque domestic animal breeds