Serbian Hound and Serbian Tricolor Hound - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) History
The origin and ancestry of the Serbian Hound is rather unknown. South Eastern Europe has a long tradition of hunting with dogs. The Serbian Hound is probably descendant of various hunting breeds brought to Balkans by Phoenician traders and their ancestors are various European and North African hunting breeds that were traded around the Mediterranean. The FCI breed standard also say, that scent hounds from Anatolia also played important role in the breeds development.
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2) Breed standard
We know for sure, that Serbian Hounds, as we know them today, lived and hunted in Balkan region at least since the 18th century. Some people claim, that their history in this area is much longer, but it is debatable. The first breed standard of this breed was finally written in 1924 and the breed was recognized by the FCI in 1940. For most of the time, the breed was known as Balkan Scenthound, but the breed was most widespread in Serbia, so in 1996 the name was changed to Serbian Hound. But the breed can be found in other Balkan countries as well!

3) Serbian Tricolor Hound
Today, the FCI recognizes not only the Serbian Hound, but also Serbian Tricolor Hound. Both breeds have identical origins and for most of the time, they were recognized as the same breed, with only different color, but the Serbian Tricolor Hound was given its own breed status in 1946, though except for color the breed standards are nearly identical and other than the color, there really is not much differences in appearance and temperament of those two breeds.

4) Hunting
Of course, the main utilization of the Serbian Hound is hunting and they are even today very often used for hunting, rather than for companionship. They are natural born hunters and over the centuries, they have proven their superiour hunting abilites. Their main weapon on the hunt is their extremely good sense of smell, which is why they are just amazing at tracking the game. But they are also very good at capturing it and they use their distinctive booming voice on the hunt. They typically hunt deer, fox, hare or wild boar. This truly is very passionate and tenacious hunter, with excellent stamina, high prey drive and ability to hunt in difficult terrain. Overall, just incredible asset for any hunter!

5) Companions
Of course, the Serbian Hound is not only an excellent hunter, but also loyal and affectionate companion. When they are not hunting, these dogs are absolutely sweet and gentle and they make great playful partner for kids. Of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised. They will also love to live in a pack with other dogs in the family. On the other hand, other household pets might be problematic, due to their high prey drive, but this is vastly influenced by early socialization. Overall, the Serbian Hound make excellent lively, loyal and obedient companion dog.

6) Size
The Serbian Hound is medium to large sized dog breed which is showing great athleticisim. The average height of this breed is between 44-56 cm, which is 17-22 inch and weight is usually around 20 kg, which is 44 lbs. Females tend to be slightly smaller and lighter than males.

7) Coat
As i already mentioned, there are two recognized breeds – the Serbian Hound and Serbian tricolor hound. Both dogs have the same short, dense and quite thick practical doublecoat, which is slightly longer on back of thighs and underside of tail. The difference is of course in color. The tricolor hound is, well, in tri-color. The Serbian Hound on the other hand should be in red color, going from yellowy red to rust red and according to the breed standard, they should have black mantle or saddle.

8) Maintenance
Great fact is, that the Serbian Hound is very low maintenance breed and even without any grooming at all they will keep their coat in great condition. But they do shed some deal of fur and regular brushing is only beneficial to remove dead and loose hair, minimize the shedding and also to remove any dirt and redistribute natural oils all over the coat. But no other grooming is required. Of course, just like with any other dog breed, you should regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

9) Exercise
This breed, just like almost all the hounds, is very lively and they have rather higher energy level. Of course, they will naturally use this energy on the hunt, but when they are not used for hunting, they need regular daily exercise. Long walks, jogs, hikes, playtime and fun traning sessions are must with this dog. But when you meet their exercise needs, they are typically pretty calm when they are at home.

10) Health
Another amazing fact about this breed is, that it is usually very healthy and hardy dog breed, with average lifespan of 12 or 13 years. They might ocassionally suffer from the same health issues as other larger breeds, mostly from joint and bone problems like hip dyplasia, but it is not extremely common in this breed. So overall, this is truly very healthy dog.