Smalandsstövare

Smaland Hound

Even if the Smalandsstövare is more enduring than fast, he was for a long time much appreciated by hunting amateurs. The Swedes chose him as a hunting companion for years, later allowing him a place in the house as companion dog. Pleasant to live with and very affectionate with everyone, he makes a wonderful life companion for all families, whether passionate about hunting or not.

Height 42 to 54 cm
Weight 15 to 20 kg
Life expectancy 12 to 14 years
Home country Sweden

Quick Overview of the Smalandsstövare

Temperament

  • Calm and attentive
  • Interested and kind
  • Powerful and faithful
  • Affectionate

Appearance

  • Very robust physique without heaviness
  • Great elegance

Health

  • Hardy and very robust
  • No particular pathology
  • Generally in excellent health
  • Rarely ill

Temperament of the Smalandsstövare

Calm, attentive, interested, kind, powerful, loyal and affectionate, the Smalandsstövare has a tendency to be slightly stubborn at times.

He adores his entire family, but must know his place in the family from an early age.

His upbringing, as well as socialization, is relatively easy, as long as it is adequate and adapted to his temperament.

With the family, he is sociable, kind, calm, loyal and very attentive to everything around him. He loves children, and because he is sturdy and rarely gets tired, he makes an excellent companion for them. He is compatible and adores everyone.

Breed Appearance

Smalandsstövare

With a very robust physique, but without heaviness, the Smalandsstövare is also endowed with great elegance.

Even if his silhouette is suitable for hunting work, his structure combines strength and elegance.

His general appearance gives a glimpse of his strength and power.

Height

Between 46 and 54 cm (18.11 to 21.26 inches) for the male
Between 42 and 52 cm (16.54 to 20.47 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 15 and 20 kg (33.07 to 44.09 pounds) for the male
Between 15 and 20 kg (33.07 to 44.09 pounds) for the female

Color

His color varies between black and tan, and all shades are accepted by the standard, ranging from amber to mahogany.

Some small white spots are allowed on the paws and chest.

Hair

The hair of his dress is medium length. Close to the body, it is rough and coarser on the neckline and back.

His coat also has a short soft and very dense undercoat.

Morphology

His head has a well defined stop, and a very clear skull. His dark brown eyes are endowed with a peaceful expression.

His dangling ears with slightly rounded tips straighten a bit when the dog is attentive or interested.

His nose is all black. His long tail is slightly curved like a sword, or carried straight. It can also be short from birth.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 6, section 1 and is #129

Health of the Smalandsstövare

This dog is hardy, very robust and strong. He does not suffer from any particular pathology related to the race, nor any genetic disease or congenital defect.

The specimens generally enjoy excellent health, combining hardiness and resistance. Rarely sick, the Smalandsstövare usually enjoys a very good life expectancy.

GROOMING

It is best to brush his dress on a regular basis, and recommended to check and clean his dangling ears quite regularly as well.

His maintenance is easy, and does not require a lot of time, but it is preferable to do it frequently.

Besides the ears and the brushing of his fleece, no other particular maintenance is however necessary.

His short coat is rather easy to keep clean and healthy.

History of this breed

Originally from Southern Sweden, he is the oldest of all hounds in his country. During the 19th century, there were several varieties of hounds in Smaland County in Sweden.

Some arrived with soldiers returning from the two great wars which took place between 1611 and 1678. Dogs of Baltic, Polish or German origin were found, which were subsequently crossed with local farm dogs, some of which were of Spitz type, and with English hunting dogs.

These multiple united dog nationalities became the ancestors of the Smalandsstövare. Several varieties of the breed existed then, distinguished either by the color, length of the tail or size of the animal.

During the following 20th century, great efforts were made to establish a unique and specific standard, closer to the original type of breed.

The first official standard was established in 1921. Subsequently, the supply of new blood from strong purebred lines was accepted and the new final breed standard was established in 1952.

The Smalandsstövare is used for hunting, more specifically fox and hare. He is not used for deer hunting.

Not a pack dog at all, he prefers to work alone. Robust, he can work in all weathers. He is a formidable dog that can chase after uninjured or injured game by smell.

Today, even if he remains a hunting dog, he is more and more used as a companion dog, a function in which he excels.

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