Hamiltonstovare

General Information - Hamiltonstovare

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History

The Hamiltonstövare, also known as the Hamilton Hound and originally known as the Swedish Foxhound (in Britain), originated in Sweden and was named after Count Adolf Hamilton, the founder of the Swedish Kennel Club. This hound dates back to dogs from the 15-16th centuries, descended from Swiss, English, and East European hounds; it was developed by Hamilton to hunt fox and rabbit, which it does singly, with very focused determination in all kinds of terrain and in all types of weather. It was originally only found in Sweden and shown there first in 1886; however it has now become quite popular in Great Britain, while remaining very rare in the rest of the world. The first Hamiltonstövare were imported into New Zealand in 1996 from Britain, and are still amongst the rarest breeds in the country.

Temperament

The Hamiltonstövare is an energetic dog that displays courage. It will need regular exercise. They are bred to hunt and so they are inclined to wander if not under supervision, so a fenced garden is essential (as with any dog). They are an excellent dog to bring children up with, as they as full of fun, while still being very patient. They become very devoted to their family and will defend them if they need to, but they lack the aggression to be considered as a guard dog.

Upkeep

The Hamiltonstövare needs daily exercise, preferably in the form of a long walk or jog. If allowed to run off leash, it should only do so in a safe, enclosed area. They are highly sociable, and should never be expected to live alone. The coat is easily maintained, requiring only occasional brushing to remove dead hair.

Hamiltonstovare

A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions and exaggerations, as well as being mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

Breed Standard - Hamiltonstovare

General Appearance: Well proportioned, giving impression of great strength and stamina. Tri-coloured.

Characterisitcs: Handsome, upstanding dog of striking colouring. Hardy and sound.

Temperament: Typical even tempered hound.

Head and Skull: Head longish, rectangular, with slightly arched and moderately broad skull. Occiput not too prominent. Stop well defined but not over pronounced. Jowls not too heavy. Muzzle fairly long, large and rectangular. Bridge of nose straight and parallel to line of skull. Nose always black, well developed with large nostrils. Upper lips full but not too overhanging.

Eyes: Clear and dark brown with tranquil expression.

Ears: Set fairly high, when drawn alongside jaw, ears extend to approximately half:way along muzzle and should be raised only slightly above skull when responding to call. Soft with straight fall and fore edge not folded out.

Mouth: Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, ie the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck: Long and powerful, merging well into shoulders, skin on neck supple and close fitting.

Forequarters: Shoulders muscular and well laid back. When viewed from front forelegs appear straight and parallel. Upper foreleg long and broad and set at a right angle to shoulder blade. Elbows set close in to body.

Body: Back straight and powerful. Croup slightly inclined, long, broad with well defined muscles. Chest deep. Ribs moderately sprung, back ribs proportionately long. Belly slightly tucked:up.

Hindquarters: Strong and parallel when viewed from behind. Well angulated, muscle well developed and broad when seen from side.

Feet: Short and hard. Pads firm and pointing straight forward. Dew claws only allowed on front legs.

Tail: Set on high, in an almost straight continuation of line of back. Held in straight position or curving slightly in sabre:like shape. Fairly wide at base and narrowing off towards tip. In length reaches hock.

Gait/movement: Free striding and long reaching. Hind legs showing drive. Not moving close behind.

Coat: Coat consists of two layers. Undercoat short, close and soft, especially thick during winter. Upper coat strongly weather resistant lying close to body. On underside of tail, ordinary hair quite long but not forming a fringe. Ample hair between pads.

Colour: Upper side of neck, back, sides of trunk and upper side of tail black. Head and legs, as well as side of neck, trunk and tail brown. Blaze on upper part of muzzle, underside of neck, breast and tip of tail, together with feet, white. A mixture of black and brown undesirable, as is any preponderance of any of the three permissible colours.

Size: Ideal size 57 cm (22.5 ins) for dogs with a permitted variation in height of between 50 and 60 cm (19.5:23.5 ins) and 53 cm (21 ins) for bitches, with a permitted variation of 46:57 cm (18:22.5 ins).

Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
Copyright Dogs New Zealand
01 Jan 2002

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.