Finnish Hound: This very popular breed in Finland has characteristics that make it unique all over the world. Its sense of direction, smell and resistance to low temperatures make it capable of facing the most complicated hunting expeditions.
According to the classification of the FCI, the Finnish Hound belongs to the 6 group of bloodhounds and dogs per blood trail. Having very ancient origins, for many experts it was very difficult to discover the roots of this breed, which still remain unknown today.
The breed was recognized by the International Cynological Federation only after the Second World War, despite the fact that the Finnish Hound had already existed for many centuries, as we see it today. It is a medium-sized dog, with a fairly light body shape and in the shape of an elongated rectangle. Despite being a breed that originates in the northernmost state of the entire planet, the Finnish Hound has medium-thick, dark-colored fur.
Some dog experts assert that this breed, very popular in Finland, but little known and valued outside the latter, is instead morphologically interesting for many aspects.
One of its main characteristics is the sense of orientation, which gives the Finnish Hound the primacy among all the breeds existing in the world. This hound has developed this ability to never lose the way back over the centuries of work in the Scandinavian hostile environment, where with the very abundant winter snows they determine a considerable scarcity or total absence of reference points. Many consider it suitable for both large and small game, and it works without any problem even in adverse weather conditions.
Its sense of smell is also very developed: this breed is able to follow a fresh track or a track with extreme constancy even for hours, giving its voice and without weakening. Used both in the past and now, for hunting wild boar and carnivores, its real specialty is fox and hare. It can also be trained as a guard and defense dog, with excellent results. His active and lively temperament is always proportionate to the circumstances, to the point that in the family he is calm and always friendly. It is not a breed that adapts to apartment living, as it prefers open spaces to this.
Hunting training turns out to be very simple, as long as its natural qualities are recognized to make the most of them. The height for males is between 45 and 50 cm, while for females between 40 and 45 cm. The ideal weight is not indicated in the breed standard, but work is being done to determine it exactly. The head and snout are typical of the hound, presenting a broad and slightly rounded skull. The jaws are strong with a scissor bite set of teeth. The nose is black in color, with well opened nostrils.
The neck is strong, sturdy and well set. The ears are set slightly below the eye line, have a medium length, are rolled up at their ends and droop flat against the head. The dark eyes are well set in the sockets and reflect vivacity, intelligence and courage, with an almond shape. The limbs, in perfect perpendicularity, are robust and resistant, having a good bone and a well developed muscle mass.
The gait is fast and free. The tail is saber-like and long up to the hock. The hair, which can be a kind of contradiction for the environment in which it was born, has a length of 2/5 cm, but well laid down and dense. The undercoat is dense, especially in winter, and guarantees the Finnish Hound excellent protection from the cold. The coat color is black with brown to acajou spots on the lips, cheeks, throat, chest, eyes and legs.
Ultimately, the Finnish Hound is a very robust breed with excellent hunting skills for hares, foxes and wild boars.
The very low diffusion outside Finland of this breed is starting, albeit slowly, to decline, as many breeders are turning their attention to this hound.