The Serbian Tricolour Hound ( sr, српски тробојни гонич, srpski trobojni gonič) is a

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 ...

scent hound 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 ...

from

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

History

The Serbian Tricolour Hound, like the closely related Serbian Hound,

Montenegrin Mountain Hound The Montenegrin Mountain Hound ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", crnogorski planinski gonič, црногорски планински гонич) is a rare dog breed from the mountain regions across the Balkans. Black and tan, with a smooth co ...

, Posavac Hound,

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 ...

, Istrian Coarse-haired Hound and

Barak Hound 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. The breed is a scenthound, originally used to hun ...

, is believed to have descended from hounds traded by Mediterranean seafarers through ports on the

Adriatic coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...

. All

s, these breeds are believed to also have some early

sighthound Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are a Dog type, type of dog, hounds that hunt primarily by sight and speed, rather than by scent and endurance as scent hounds do. Appearance These dogs specialize in pursuing prey, keeping it in sight, an ...

blood in their ancestry. According to Serbia's national kennel club the Kinološki Savez Srbije, the Serbian Tricolour Hound was initially considered a variety of the Serbian Hound, but in 1946 a separate

breed standard In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include physical or morphological detail, genetic criteria, or criteria of athletic ...

was drawn up and it was granted separate recognition. The breed was 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 1961. Originally called the Yugoslavian Tricolour Hound, the breed's name was changed after the

breakup of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

. Rarely seen outside of its homeland, the Serbian Tricolour Hound is considered extremely rare and at possible risk of extinction.

Description

Appearance

The Serbian Tricolour Hound is a moderately sized

that is very similar to the black and tan coloured Montenegrin Mountain Hound, but typically is slightly lighter in build. According to the Kinološki Savez Srbije's

, dogs typically stand between with an ideal height of , whilst bitches are slightly shorter standing between with an ideal height of . Healthy adult Serbian Hounds typically weigh between . Their bodies are slightly longer than they are tall, they have long legs and good bone. The breed's coat is short, thick, glossy and course to touch, it provides the breed with good protection from the elements; in colour they are predominantly black and fawn with a white around the neck, on the chest on their extremities and a blaze on the face.

Character

The Serbian Tricolour Hound is usually affectionate and obedient, forming a particularly strong bonds with their masters. Tranquil and relaxed in the home environment, the breed is known to be particularly energetic when working.

Use

Serbian Tricolour Hounds are versatile hunters often hunted in small packs, predominantly they hunt by

scent An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sense ...

but they also utilising their very good vision. The breed is used to hunt

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 ...

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 ...

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

and

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 ...

, the terrain they are typically hunted over is known to be difficult and the hunts are known to continue for many hours at a time.

References

{{Hounds FCI breeds Rare dog breeds Scent hounds Dog breeds originating in Serbia

History

Description

Appearance

Character

Use

See also

References