Posavski Gonič - Posavac Hound - Facts and Information

Appearance
You can tell on the first sight that the Posavac Hound is a typical hunting dog breed. Especially the large floppy ears are very typical for most of the scenthounds. The Posavac Hound is a breed with medium sized body, which is pretty athletic and sturdy.
The height of Posavac Hound is most often between 17-23 inch, which is 43-58 cm and weight is usually between 35-45 lbs, which is 15-21 kg. Females tend to be slightly smaller than males.
The Posavac Hound has great looking face and head. Especially the large dark colored eyes are giving them very gentle, friendly and maybe little bit curious expression. The head is rather long and narrow with pretty long muzzle. The ears are long and flat, hanging down close to the cheeks. The breed also posses pretty long tail, broad and deep chest, well sprung ribs and well muscled loin.
The Posavac Hound has short and flat, but quite dense coat, most often in reddish wheaten color, red or fawn color, rarely also in yellow color. These dogs also have white marking on their coat, very often on the head, neck, chest, inner sides of the limbs, underbelly and at the end of the tail.
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Temperament
The Posavac Hound is just made for hunt. They are absolutely passionate and enthusiastic on the hunt and their temperament is excellent for this purpose. They have high prey drive, excellent senses, especially the sense of smell is just incredible, they are good problem solvers and they are strongly attached to the owner.
But these dogs are not only hunters, as they also make amazing family companions. The Posavac Hound is very often described as docile, loyal and faithful, friendly and playful breed. They are tolerant and gentle towards kids as well, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised.
It is important to say, that this is a breed with high energy level and high exercise needs. They just need to be active to stay healthy and happy. If they are not used for hunting, than they need to be taken on daily longer walks, jogs or hikes, accompanied with some fun playtime! These dogs will always be ready for any outdoor adventure with you.
The Posavac Hound can live with other dogs in the family without problems, especially if they are socialized together from the puppyhood. On the other hand, other smaller household pets might be problematic due to the dogs high prey drive and natural hunting instincts, but again, it can be vastly influenced by early socialization.

History
It is believed that the Posavac Hound is a dog with long history, but its origin and ancestry was lost in time. The breed resembles a dog that can be seen on frescoes since 1497 in Croatian town Pazin and there are writing from 18th and 19th century describing similar dogs to Posavac Hound. But what are the exact ancestors or date of origin of this breed is unknown. It is believed that they share their ancestry with the Istrian Hound.
The breeds name, Posavski Gonič, means Scenthound from the Sava Valley and indeed, these dogs were found in large numbers at least since the 1800s in geographical region Posavina along the Sava river in Croatia. During this time, these dogs were called as „boskini“.
The first registration for the breeds stud book started in 1929 and the breed was internationally recognized in 1955 by the FCI. The breeds name is also relatively new, as it was clarified only in 1969.

Health and grooming
The Posavac Hound is pretty healthy dog breed, but there are no scientific studies about the breeds health. Some people say that they can be prone to bloating, which is common for all the deep chested dogs. They can also suffer from ear infections, which is also common for all the large floppy eared dogs. But overall, this should be usually healthy dog breed with average lifespan around 13 years.
When it comes to maintenance and grooming, it is very easy task with this dog. Even without any grooming, they will keep their short coat in excellent condition. Brushing them from time to time is beneficial to redistribute natural oils and to remove any dirt and loose hair from the coat. No other grooming is required.
Just like with any other breed you should regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed. Take especially good care about the ears and clean them and dry them to preven the infections.