Finnish Hound - A Hunting Dog

May 6, 2020

Finnish Hound is among the national dog’s breed of Finland. Its hunting ability made it the most popular hunting breed in Finland. If you’re looking a dog that is smart and energetic and possess extraordinarily hunting skills, this breed is ideal for you. But if you want a show dog then this breed is not recommendable. This breed suits the person who can devote time to its pet.

This breed is known for tracking and hunting fox and hare. Its keen sense of smell and ability to work in harsh climate and rough terrain makes it the most appreciable breed in Sweden and Finland. This breed is also the most handsome among the other scent hounds. Other names for this breed are- Suomenajokoira, Finsk Stovare, Finnish Brack and Finnish Scenthound.

Finnish Hound Origin

In 1800’s a special breeding program in Finland started to develop new breed as per needs of the people. Finnish Hound is resultant breed of cross mating Swedish, German and French hounds. People wanted a dog that can efficiently hunt down fox and hares and can work in high terrain region in frigid climate. This breed soon got famous in its native country and nearby country like Sweden. To the rest of the world, it is still a rare species.

Finnish Hound Facts And Characteristics

This breed belongs to Finland and was bred for hunting hare and foxes
Their height is around 55 to 61 cm
They weigh around 20–25 kg
They are avid hunter, calm and affectionate breed
This breed is not suited for apartment life because of its high energy needs
They are not hypoallergenic
They are typically tricolored
Their price is around $600 to $800
Their lifespan is 10 to 12 years
They are known to be playful energetic around kids
They are easy to groom and are considered as average shedder

Appearance

It is a medium sized breed with strong built body. Its skull is slightly square in shape, and forehead is convex. The muzzle is similar in size as that of skull and gets tapered at the end. The lips are beautiful and nose is large and dark in color. The ears are hanging and bent forward and touch the muzzle. Body is longer than height and chest is deeply built. They possess thick and long tail that gets tapered at the end. They are typically found in tricolor.

Size and Weight

Ideal height of the male is between 55 to 61 cm and the ideal height of the female is between 52 to 58 cm. Weight of both the genders is around 20 to 25 pounds.

Coat and Color

Coat is similar to any other kind of scent hounds. They possess a short and dense coat which is easy to groom. The coat is coarse to touch which gives the dog protection from frigid climate and rough terrain. The coat is of tricolored- tan, black and white. The ground color is of tan color that has black and white markings. A standard breed has tricolored coat.

Finnish Hound Temperament

Personality - This breed is mostly used for hunting. Because of its desire to work and hunt, it doesn’t make ideal apartment dog. A farm is a well suited place for him. They are known for their even temperament and composed nature. They are sensitive in nature so human cruelty and harsh behavior can make them mentally weak. This dog doesn’t show aggression so it doesn’t make an effective guard dog. They are affectionate and protective with family members and even adore children. With children they tend to be shy and reserved in nature.
Behavior - Historically this breed was taught to hunt in packs so it craves for canine companionship. It forms strong bond with other dogs and canine animals. But they are aggressive towards non canine animals because of their natural instinct of hunting them. They are people oriented dogs. Most of the dogs tend to develop separation anxiety when left alone.
Trainability - As they are natural hunters so you do not have to waste time in teaching it hunting. Socialization lesson should be taught to this animal at an early age. Because of their independent and stubbornness nature, sometimes training them can be hard. But you need to be persistent and show great deal of patience.
Activities Requirement - It needs physical and mental stimulation on daily basis. They love challenging games that involves maximum usage of their mind. If sufficient exercise is not given to this breed, it will tend to develop behavior problems like barking unnecessary, biting or chewing leather etc. They need to take out their stored energy, so vigorous exercise is necessary for them.

Feeding

Hound is a medium-sized hunting breed with a high energy level, so active working dog formula may be the most appropriate. Daily three cups of food are recommended divided into two equal meals. The diet should contain high-quality commercial dog food predominantly meat, formulated to its age.

Finnish Check the commercial food ingredients and the first ingredient should always be from an animal-based protein source like salmon, turkey, beef, chicken, duck, etc. They may like vegetables, fruits, boiled eggs, and cottage cheese, but it should be less than ten percent of the daily diet. Treat may bring the best results in training, but overfeeding may lead to obesity, cut at least the cooked bones.

Lifespan

They can live up to 9 to 12 years of age.

Finnish Hound Health Issues

Any definitive statement cannot be drawn about its health. This breed is a healthy breed and in most likely to not face any major health issues. Few of the health concerns of this breed are

Cerebellar ataxia
Hip Dysplasia
Elbow Dysplasia
Obesity
Chronic Ear Infection

Grooming

This breed sheds averagely. Daily brushing with bristle brush is recommended to keep the dead hair in control. It does not contain dog’s odor, so bath only when required. When the nails start hitting the floor, it is time to trim its nails. Check its ears and clean the wax formed with the help of solution prescribed by vet. Brushing its teeth is mandatory so that it doesn’t develop dental issues.

Habitat

They are not suitable for urban lifestyle. This breed thrives well in farm areas. It can tolerate extreme cold condition and moderate hot temperatures.

Litter Size

They give around 5 to 8 puppies. In order to breed this dog, let the dog reach its maturity age. The dog should be in his best health before mating it with other dog. If any problem occurs do contact vet.