Istrian Wire Haired Scent Hound

		Istrian Wire Haired Scent Hound
		FCI standard Nº 152

Origin		Croatia
Translation		Christina Bailey Original version: (DE) Revised by Renée Sporre-Willes
Group		Group 6 Scent Hounds and Related Breeds
Section		Section 1.2.Medium sized Hounds
Working		With working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Wednesday 06 April 1955
Publication of the official valid standard		Monday 03 November 2014
Last update		Friday 29 May 2015
En français, cette race se dit		Chien courant d'Istrie à poil dur
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Rauhhaarige Istrianer Bracke
En español, esta raza se dice		Sabueso de Istria de pelo duro
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Istrische hond met harde vacht
In his country of origin, his name is		Istarski Ostradlaki Gonic

Usage

A hound with lots of stamina particularly fittedfor hare, fox and boar hunting but can also be used as a tracking leash hound.

Brief historical summary

The breed descends from the “East Adriatic white hound with markings”. The hair is wire-haired due to the climate, where the breed was bred. These are mountain areas at the east Adriatic coast, where temperatures are low.
The earliest description of the wire-haired Istrian Hound can be found in the manuscript of the Dakovoe Bishop Petar Bakic from the year 1719, where it says that the breeding of this breed was already known before the 14th century. The earliest picture document of this breed can be found in the cathedral of the Evangelist Markus in Makarska. The FCI published the first standard for the Istrian Wire-Haired Hound on the 6th of April 1955.

General appearance

A dog of rustic appearance and strong hound-like body, of medium size with characteristic longer coarse hair of snow-white colour with orange coloured markings on the head and on the body. Due to the wire-haired coat this breed appears robust. The difference between male and female has to be distinctive.

Important proportions

Rectangular body; length to clearly exceed height at the withers.
Height to the elbow: about 50% of the height at the withers.
The length of skull to slightly exceed the length of muzzle.

Behaviour / temperament

The breed is easy to train for hunting and its constitution makes it possible to use him for hunting in any weather condition and also in rough, stony or hilly terrain. His voice is of medium tone but it also has deeper sounds. Gentle, even temperament, with a stern expression. Devoted to his owner.

Head
Cranial region
Head		The head is well proportioned in relation to the body. The head shows slight divergent lines.
Skull		Slightly longer than the muzzle, broadest between the ears. The temporal area is rounded. The occipital protuberance and the frontal furrow are well developed. The skull is covered with strands of softer and longer hair.
Stop		Moderately developed.

Facial region
Nose		Must not be higher or lower than the nose bridge, the nostril are well open. The whole nose leather and the inside of the nostrils have to be black or brown pigmented. Partially non-pigmented nose leather (partially pink coloured) can be tolerated but is not desirable.
Muzzle		Strong, slightly shorter than the skull, rectangular, tapering from the stop towards the nose but not pointed, covered with a dense moustache and beard. The nose bridge is straight.
Lips		Medium thickness, close fitting to the jaw, the labial commissure is not visible. Fully pigmented in correspondence with the colour of the nose leather. Partially non-pigmented lips (partially pink coloured) can be tolerated but are not desirable.
Jaws and teeth		The jaws are strong, well developed and the teeth are white and placed evenly. Scissors bite. The incisors are placed vertically into the jaw. A complete dentition is desirable (42 teeth in accordance with the dental formula). Missing premolars PM1 and molars M3 are not taken into account. The missing of other teeth is undesirable.
Cheeks		The chewing muscle and the cheekbone must not be too accentuated.
Eyes		Medium size set moderately wide apart, semi frontal set in an angle of 10–15 degrees to the horizontal line. Oval shaped, colour is dark brown and the expression is serious. The eyelids must not be loose and show no signs of Entropion or Ectropion. The eyelids to be pigmented in correspondence with the colour of the nose leather. Partially non-pigmented eyelids (partially pink coloured) can be tolerated but are not desirable. The eyebrows are bushy and covered with longish wiry hair.
Ears		Dropped, set at eye level. The ear has the shape of a triangular with a rounded tip, is medium long and when drawn forward has to reach the labial commissure. The ears must not show any folds, not be rolled in or carried sticking out. They are covered with shorter hair.

Neck

Strong, well muscled and placed in a 45 degrees angle to the horizontal line. It tapers towards the head. The skin is taut without dewlap or very pronounced folds.

Body
Body		Body has to be strong but harmoniously developed.
Withers		Well pronounced.
Back		Strong, well muscled, level and broad.
Loin		Of moderate length, broad well muscled, tight and well attached to the croup.
Croup		Well muscled, strong, broad, sloping at a 25–30 degrees angle to the horizontal line. Placed a little lower than the withers.
Chest		Deep, broad, capacious but not too broad or barrelled. The rib cage has to reach to the elbows.
Underline and belly		The underline rises slightly from the sternum to the flanks to show a slight tuck up.

Tail

Set as a continuation of the line of the croup. Strong at the root, gradually tapering towards the tip of the tail. Stretched downwards it reaches the hock or even below. Sabre shaped tail, carried below the topline. Tail carried higher when the dog is excited (in affect) is tolerated but it must not be carried above the back nor bent in under body or. Tail to be well covered with hair, longer on the underside of the tail.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		The forequarters must be in good proportion to the body.
Shoulders		Of medium length, muscular. The shoulder angle is 115–120 degrees.
Elbows		Close fitting to the body.
Forearm		Strong, rounded bone with strong muscle tone. Parallel seen from the front.
Carpal		Short and elastic.
Pastern		Elastic, slightly sloping.
Forefeet		Oval shaped with tight toes and strong nails and pads.

Hindquarters
Generality		Strong and elastic in action.
Upper thigh		Strong, broad and well muscled.
Lower thigh		Forming an angle of ca 40 degrees to the horizontal line.
Metatarsus		Nearly vertical to the ground, solid and elastic.
Hock		Strong and solid. The hock angle is ca 130 degrees.
Hind feet		Oval shaped with tight toes and strong nails and pads.

Gait and movement

The reach is substantial with a strong drive. The movement has to be harmonious; there must be no twitching. Preferably the back has to be firm during action and the limbs must not cross over.

Skin

Elastic, of medium thickness, well fitting to the body, without wrinkles and of pink colour. Often the pigment shows on the skin in a form of greyish-black (sometimes brownish) mottles, which is visible through the white coat. This is permitted.

Coat
Hair		The topcoat is wiry, harsh and slightly wavy, without shine but dull, about 5–8 cms long. It should not lay flat on the body. The hair must not be curly or form locks. On the muzzle it forms moustaches and a beard and above the eyes well pronounced eyebrows, where it is a little softer than on the body. On the ears the hair is shorter and straighter. Under the topcoat is a shorter more dense undercoat, which lies close to the body and is more evident during the wintertime.
Colour		The basic colour is snow-white with orange coloured markings on the body and the head. The orange coloured markings can be found in all shades, but shades must be even. The total amount of orange coloured markings must not exceed one third of the whole body. On the head the markings can be found on the ears, on the skull and on the foreface but the head must not be completely orange coloured. A symmetrical spread of the markings on the head is desirable. The markings on the body can be anywhere, mostly on the back, on the ribcage and around the tail set. Markings have the shape of spots, which have to be clearly separated. They must not get uneven or paler towards the edge of the markings. Small spots, if visible through white basic colour, can usually be found on ears.

Size and weight
Height at withers		Height at the withers: Males: 50–54 cm. Females: 48–52 cm. Height differences of +/- 3 cm in males and females of excellent type and conformation will be tolerated.
Weight		The weight of an adult dog fed normally is 16-24 kg. An ideal average weight would be about 20 kg.

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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Disqualifying faults

Aggressive or overly shy dogs.

Converging headlines.

Muzzle longer than skull.

Concave or convex nose bridge.

Undershot or overshot, wry mouth.

Blue eyes.

Totally non-pigmented nose, eyelids or liprims.

Body length shorter than the height at the withers.

Short legged dogs of achondroplastic type.

Tail carried in a ring or a laterally curved tail.

Coat on the body longer than 12 cm.

Coat on the body shorter than 3 cm.

Soft, pronounced wavy, curly or tangled coat.

Red, chestnut brown, lemon yellow markings or any other coat colour not in the standard.

Presence of a third coat colour.

Height above or below the tolerated measures in the standard.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

http://www.fci.be/

Details: Also available:; Last Updated: 25 January 2024; Hits: 303

Istrian Wire Haired Scent Hound