Finnish Hound

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Finnish Hound is the most popular working dog breed in the country of its origin, Finland, and also in Sweden. It is a medium size scent hound with athletic and rectangular body. It is a relentless and persistent hunter with temperament and qualities to be a great family pet. This dual characteristic is one of the many reasons for this breed's enormous popularity among hunting and non-hunting community of Finland and Sweden. It stands between 20-24 inches and weighs between 45-55 lbs.

The dog has a sturdy body with a doomed skull and slightly convex forehead. Moderately deep muzzle is slightly tapering and comes with a straight nose bridge. Large black nose has wide and mobile nostrils. Medium size slightly oval eyes are dark brown with an expression of calmness. Flat and moderately long ears hang down the head. The neck is medium length, muscular and clean. The slightly longer than tall body has a straight muscular back, a short and powerful loin and a strong slightly oblique well developed beautifully arched croup. Chest is long and deep with well sprung ribs. Tail is strong at the base, slightly arched and set low. At rest, the tail hangs close to the hindquarters. When the dog is alert or on the move, the tail is raised but not higher than the level of the topline. The double coat is medium length, straight and harsh with soft and dense undercoat. The coat pattern is tricolor with tan, a black saddle and small white markings on head, feet, chest and tail tip.

This breed came into existence in the last quarter of the 19th century when Finnish breeders undertook a program to develop a hunting dog that could hunt in difficult hilly terrain and deep snow. In the breeding process, French Hounds were crossed with both German and Swedish Hounds. The resulting dog was able to work under harsh conditions and on difficult terrain.

Although very popular in Finland and Sweden, the Finnish Hound is surprisingly unknown elsewhere in the world and may be hard to find outside its country of origin, Finland and neighboring Sweden.

This breed is NOT recognized by AKC however it is recognized by FCI and UKC.

Color

The coat comes in tricoloured. Black mantle, rich tan colour on the head, lower parts of the body, shoulders, upper thighs and also elsewhere on the legs. White markings usually on head, neck, fore-chest, lower parts of the legs and on the tip of the tail.

Coat

The dog has a double coat. The straight and rather harsh medium length topcoat is close lying. The undercoat is short, dense and has a soft texture.

Personality

Hard working, energetic, relentless and persistent, the Finnish Hound is an optimal hunting breed. The dog loves to hunt and it comes natural, without any hunting training. It has a unique way of hunting where the dog will follow a scent and trail the prey. Unlike other hound breeds, the Finnish Hound will not kill the prey and retrieve it. Rather it will wait for its master to do the last part while keeping the prey at bay. With a distinctive howl, the dog will alert its master when it finds the prey. If the quarry manages to get away, the hound will again diligently trail and once again will lead the master to the location of the game. The Finnish Hound is not only highly valued for its unique and excellent hunting skills but is also regarded highly for its calm and even temperament as well as kind and gentle nature. This dog is non-aggressive and forms a strong bond with its family. It is affectionate and playful with children and gets along well with other dogs. Early socialization with other pets will make this dog compatible to live with non-canine pets. This breed is independent in nature and not every one's dog. It needs a confident and firm owner who can establish himself as dogs' packleader make it follow rules set for it. It is a loving and loveable family companion as well as an outstanding hunter.

Care

The Finnish Hound has a low maintenance coat that is easy to take care of. Weekly brushing with hard bristle brush will clean the coat of any dead hair as well as distribute natural oils equally to keep the coat in good and shiny condition. The dog sheds heavily for a short or medium length coated dog during shedding season and will require additional grooming. Bathe when necessary. Teeth should be cleaned twice a week and nails trimmed regularly.

Training

This breed is rather difficult to train. It has an independent nature and the dog can show stubborn behavior from time to time. It will need a firm and strict owner who is ready to put in hard work and time to train this dog. Harsh training methods will not yield desired results. Gentle but firm and consistent training is bound to pay dividends.

Activity

This high energy working dog is happiest when it has some work to do. High energy levels call for high physical and mental activities. The Finnish Hound should be taken for daily walks as well as given sufficient playing and running time in an open and secure area. This dog is ill-suited to apartment living as it needs large space to run and play. Also the dog can be vocal which makes it unsuitable for apartment living.