Petzlover
Abruzzenhund is originated from Italy but Styrian Coarse Haired Hound is originated from Austria. Abruzzenhund may grow 20 cm / 8 inches higher than Styrian Coarse Haired Hound. Abruzzenhund may weigh 27 kg / 60 pounds more than Styrian Coarse Haired Hound. Both Abruzzenhund and Styrian Coarse Haired Hound has almost same life span. Both Abruzzenhund and Styrian Coarse Haired Hound has almost same litter size. Abruzzenhund requires Moderate Maintenance. But Styrian Coarse Haired Hound requires High Maintenance
Abruzzenhund was established as an individual breed in the middle of the 20th century. They are descendant of the big, white Eastern sheepdogs which came to Europe 2000 years ago. Abruzzenhund is a mix of Turkish sheepdogs Akbash and Karabash, the Kuvac, Slovakian breed Hungarian breed, Komondor, and a French sheepdog Pyrenean Mountain Dog. Those dogs were much bigger than today’s breed. Abruzzenhund is still not very popular breed, but it is very common in Great Britain and Italy. They have been used as guard dogs, hunting dogs, and working dogs because they are very brave and strong.
The Styrian Coarse Haired Hound is a German hound, a medium sized breed that was found to originate in Styria in Austria. It was bred to be a boar hunting scent hound in the mountains. The breed is an Austrian Bracke and one of the largest. In the 1870’s the breed was developed by Karl Peintinger to get a hardy, rough coated hunting dog. Peintinger took the Istrian Hound and an old type scent hound of Hanoverian and continued selective breeding until he got the dog he wanted.
The breed is still used to hunt boar and track wounded animals. They work in high altitudes and rough terrains. They were not created to be companion animals and most of them are still working dogs. They do not make great house or family pets. Because of these circumstances, the breed is rare today.
Sometimes you will see the breed called the Peintinger Bracke after its developer. The Austrian Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1889 and the Federation Cynologique Internationale as a scent hound. The Styrian Coarse Haired Hounds were next recognized in 2006 by the United Kennel Club in North America, but not the AKC – American Kennel Club. There are many smaller kennel clubs and organizations for the breed as well many hunting clubs.
As mentioned, the breed is the largest of the Austrian Brackes. They are one of the three breeds included in the Grand Brackes. The name comes from the fact that all these dogs were developed for hunting in the Austrian mountains. They are pretty much unknown in the rest of the world. They thrive in the harsh climates of the Austrian mountains.
A height of Abruzzenhund variates between 60-73 cm, males are slightly bigger than females. While the weight is 30-45kg, again, males are heavier than females.
Abruzzenhund lifespan is between 11-13 years, but since these dogs don’t have any weaknesses and don’t tend to get sick, they can live longer with a proper care and adequate food and training.
Litter size of Abruzzenhund depends, but as any large breed, they usually have 6-9 puppies. And that is a very good considering size of the breed.
Abruzzenhund is not the only name of this breed. There are more names that you might hear. You can hear names like Maremma, Pastore, Abruzzese, Cane da Pastore, Maremmano- Abruzzese, Italian Sheepdog, and many similar names. Basically, they sound similar but there are differences.
Abruzzenhund is a friendly dog, but it is very powerful. Very strong jaw with a scissors bite makes them very strong. They have small but intelligent eyes, usually dark colored. The undercoat is dense, while the coat is white with segments of ivory to white yellow. Their long undercoat and coat make them winter resistant.
The Styrian Coarse haired Hound is well muscled, medium sized and lithe. They run easily on all types and levels of terrain. Their coat is rough and harsh, giving the breed part of its name. They can tolerate both extremes of the climate temperatures. They are strong and confident dogs wearing a very serious facial expression. These guys are all about the job – the hunt. Their prey drive is extremely high.
Abruzzenhund is a very well-balanced breed who loves spending time with other animals and people. They have a very good temper. They love being around families, and they are very gentle with children. It is important to train Abruzzenhund properly because the dog of that size should be a leader. A human with a strong character should train this breed. Training is important because they tend to make their own decisions which can be bad sometimes.
A great thing about Abruzzenhund is that they are very healthy dogs. They don’t have any chronical health problems, so if you are feeding your dog properly, with a lot of exercises they will not have any health problems. It is also important to check genetics of the dog.
The breed is fairly healthy and isolated from crossbreeding. They are susceptible to several major conditions.
• PRA or Progressive Retinal Atrophy = a group of degenerative, genetic eye diseases the cause blindness over time.
• Bloat – most large dogs suffer from this and not so much a medium breed like this one, but it is a condition that their energy levels and work ethics could lead to. Fatal if not treated immediately.
They learn very quickly, but it requires strong will and constant training to keep them happy. They are great working dogs, and with the positive training, they are amazing. It is very important that they follow rules and to keep them in balance with training.
They can eat a lot of food, depend on their activity. High-Quality dog food twice a day for a grown dog is a must. While puppies should eat 3-5 times, smaller portions of food. The food is important especially for working dogs, they need up to 2000-3000Kcal per day. Abruzzenhund will enjoy eating meat with a lot of vegetables and oil.
They are not recommended for small house or apartment. They need big yard because they require a lot of space. During the winter they can be outside because of their coat, but during the summer they need to be in the shade with a lot of fresh water available anytime.
The coat should be brushed and groomed very often because they have a thick coat. There is a lot of dead and loose hair in it. During shedding, period takes even more time to groom your dog properly. They love and they need exercise. Mental exercise is important as physical. Every day walking, running, playing with other animals is an important part of dog's activity. When they get enough quality exercise, they will sleep in the house.
1Feeding the puppy – Feed this very active breed a high quality dog food for medium sized dogs. Feed puppies 3-4 times a day a total of ¾ to 1 cup.
2.Feeding the adult - feed this very active breed a high quality, high protein diet. Feed the adult 1-2 times a day a total of 1.6 cups of dry food.
4. Games and Exercises They are energetic, athletic and extremely agile. They are muscular and lithe and need a lot of exercise. The is a dog that can travel across rough terrain for hours at a time. They are tenacious hunters and need an outlet for that prey drive.
They need space and time to run. A large yard is great because you don’t want to take them to a dog park. Give them a lot of toys and puzzles. They excel at lure coursing, field trials and hunting trials. Their sense of smell makes them great at nose work and they like agility, tracking and rally obedience.