Common features of the dog, history of the origin of the breed, distribution, origin of the name and application, popularization, recognition of the Austrian black and tan cop. Austrian black and tan hound, this is an animal of average parameters. The dog has a strong, resilient and athletic body. The rib cage is wide, sufficiently deep and long, the abdominal region is somewhat tucked up. The head is carried high, high-set brow ridges stand out on it. The ears are of medium length, drooping. The eyes are clear, with intelligent expression, usually brown in color. The tail is long, straight in the second half, slightly curved and directed upwards. The main color of Brandlbracke is black with bright, sharply contrasting, brown-fire marks.
The Austrian black and tan cop has a keen sense of smell and is an elegant runner used in all types of hunting. The species has a beautiful, loud voice. Their good-natured personality makes them wonderful pets. But, this dog is not for urban conditions. A suitable home for her in the countryside, with plenty of room to run around without restrictions, and the work she is designed to do.
When and where did the Austrian Black and Tan Pointer appear?
Very little historical data on the Austrian black and tan cop has survived to this day. There are numerous written references about this variety of cop dogs dating back to the middle of the 19th century. Judging by their dating, it can be noted that the breed at least already existed from that time period. However, many experts believe that such dogs are much older, perhaps they have been on Earth for several centuries.
Until the mid-1800s, dogs in Austria were not bred, as they are now, they do it in the modern world, that is, they were not so pedigree and pure. The appearance of certain dogs was not as important as their working ability. Yes, they paid attention to the morphological parameters, but still more emphasis was placed on the physiological abilities of the animal.
Therefore, it can be assumed that the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog was probably present already at that time among other medium and large Austrian Pointing Dogs, but was not singled out as a separate breed. The Austrians believe that the three species of canines of this type are closely related to each other and belong to the same group, namely, the Grand Brack. "Brakk" is the name of a large group of medium and large cops, distinguishing them from the lower, alpine dachshund marriage.
In addition to the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog, the group also includes the Styrian rough-haired dog and the Tyrolean dog. In fact, these three species of canines are very similar in appearance to each other and, in all likelihood, are related to each other either by crossing, or by the presence of common ancestors in the bloodline.
Hypotheses about the origin of the Austrian black and tan Pointing Dog
The true origins of the Austrian black-and-tan Pointing Dog are almost full of mystery and obscurity. Almost all sources of this breed of dogs claim that they are descendants of Celtic dogs, known in German or Austrian as the Keltenbracke or Celtic marriage. Although most of the Austrian state was inhabited primarily by Germans, since the domination of the Roman Empire, the country at one point had a large population of Celtic tribes. These tribes were closely related to those peoples that existed in Switzerland, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and Ireland.
It is not clear why, but it is believed that the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog, descended from a Celtic dog. Although the two breeds inhabited the same region, there is no other known connection between them, and there is no obvious evidence for their intersection. The hypothesis of such a pedigree is, in fact, unlikely for a number of reasons. Even if the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog was three hundred years older than the written records prove, there will still be a gap of more than a thousand years between the possible appearance of the Celtic dog and the representatives of this Pointing Dog from Austria. In addition, the data presented, which can be used to judge the "Celtic hounds", describe an animal that is very different from the Austrian black and tan cop.
The Gauls (Celts) who lived in what is now France and Belgium even before the Roman period had a type of hunting dog known as the "Canis Segusius". This breed was known for its thick coat. The Celts of the British Isles also had hard-haired hunting dogs: terriers, Irish wolfhounds and Scottish deerhounds. Admittedly, the Styrian coarse-haired dog has a keen mind, but this could have been inoculated much later, with the help of the blood of French Griffons or Italian Spitz - Volpino-Italiano. If the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog is descended from a Celtic dog, it has almost certainly been heavily crossed with other breeds over the centuries.
There are several alternative theories about the pedigree of the black and tan Pointing Dog originally from the Austrian lands. Sometime between the seven hundred and fifty and nine hundred years of our era, the monks of the monastery of Saint Hubert, which is located in the territory of modern Belgium, initiated the earliest known dog breeding program. They bred the dog Saint Hubert, better known in English as Bloodhound. This cop had an excellent sense of smell and other excellent physical characteristics, which made it an extremely capable dog for hunting and tracking.
Possible progenitors of the Austrian black and tan Pointing Dog
After some time, it became a tradition for the monks of the Monastery of Saint Hubert to send several pairs of bloodhounds to the king of France every year as a tribute. The monarch gave dogs to the most beloved nobles as gifts. As a result, Saint Hubert's cop spread throughout France and then was imported to other neighboring countries.
Although the color of the breed at the time seemed to predominate in a wide variety of colors, black and tan were the most showy and popular among breeders. Therefore, surviving bloodhounds have just such a color. These dogs became especially popular in Switzerland, where they greatly influenced the development of the Swiss laufhund. Some experts believe that these "Laufhunds" were imported to Austria, where they gave birth to the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog at that time.
It is also possible that the ancestors of this breed were imported to Austria from other German-speaking lands. The Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog is very similar to a number of German hounds such as the Hanoverian Dog. The variety may also be the result of crossing local German Pinschers with dogs from other locations.
Such crosses can explain the presence of a similar color in the Austrian black and tan Pointing Dog. The unique coat of the breed could also appear due to the presence of genes of Rottweilers, or close progenitors of the large Swiss mountain shepherd dog. It has also been suggested that the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog may have some connection with the Serbian Dog (formerly known as the Yugoslav Mountain Dog), which is a very ancient breed that also exhibits black and tan coloration.
The truth may be that the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog is the result of centuries of mixing with a wide variety of breeds. Over the centuries, this canine species has been influenced by many neighboring breeds such as the Vizsla, Austrian Pinscher and Pointer.
Distribution, history of the name and use of the Austrian black and tan Pointing Dog
Representatives of this breed of cops appeared on the territory of Austria, but were most common in the mountainous regions of the country. For many years, the blood of the breed has not been kept pure, its specimens have regularly crossed with other grand-brakes, and sometimes with completely different canines. It wasn't until 1884 that the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog was recognized as a unique breed and a written standard was developed for it.
In its homeland, the dog is commonly known as Brandlbracke. Brandlebrack translates to "fire dog" due to the "fiery" color markings on her coat. The Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog was mainly used to hunt rabbits and foxes in high altitudes in mountainous areas, but it was also used to hunt down larger prey such as deer and ibex after the animal was wounded by a hunter. The breed has traditionally worked in small and medium packs.
Unlike the British and French hounds, who usually accompanied the mounted riders, the Austrian black and tan cop usually followed the hunter, since the mountainous terrain in which she specialized was almost impassable for horses. This meant that the representatives of the breed were bred small enough parameters so that hunters could have time to follow them without losing sight of it.
At one time, the black and tan cop was bred exclusively by the nobles, as is the case with the cops all over Europe. The nobles appreciated and loved hunting, and therefore, huge tracts of land were allocated for hunting grounds. They were guarded and poaching was strictly prohibited there. Harsh punishments were imposed on any commoner who owned hunting dogs without the permission of the aristocracy.
Hunting has become so popular that it has become more than just a sport. It has become a vital part of the political and social life of the European upper class. Alliances were formed and hunting laws passed that have affected the lives of millions of people. Hunting was especially popular in Austria, although perhaps not as prominent as in England and France.
Influence of "temporary trends" on the Austrian black and tan cop
The social changes that swept Europe in the 19th century forced the nobility of most European countries to lose most of their land, wealth and power. Now the nobility could not afford to keep their huge packs of hunting dogs, and many breeds disappeared altogether or were destroyed by angry revolutionaries. The Austrian black and tan cop was spared by fate for several reasons.
The first is that the Austro-Hungarian monarchy continued into the 20th century. Then it was allowed to leave the dogs with interested owners and soldiers for more than a century, in some territories. Perhaps more important to the survival of the breed was its size and hunting purpose. The average weight of the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog is about twice that of many other European canines. This meant that this dog was more accessible and therefore found new fans in the growing Austrian middle class of the population.
The Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog is a highly skilled rabbit and fox catcher. These animals are one of the only species that live and reproduce well next to humans and therefore are quite common in even highly developed areas. The numbers of these creatures remain in much greater numbers than those of larger animals, which means that the need for dogs to hunt them will persist for a long time.
Both the small size of the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog and its working qualities, along with the fact that it is predominantly found in some of the rural and most remote regions of Western Europe, continue to protect the breed from the worst influences of the 20th century. This black and tan cop from Austria has survived World War I, World War II and the continuous urbanization of Europe in steady numbers, while many other hunting breeds are either extinct or on the brink of extinction.
Influence of the Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog on other breeds
Austrian black and tan hound, especially influenced the development of other canines. Over the centuries, this breed has regularly crossed with the Styrian rough-haired dog and the Tyrolean hound. As a result, these species were likely to be heavily infused with her blood. The Austrian Black and Tan Pointing Dog may also have figured in the pedigree of the Alpine Dachshund Pointing Dog, which was bred by crossing Dachshunds and Big Pointers. It is also possible that genes for this species are found in the pedigree of the Swiss Laufhund, Rottweiler, Weimaraner and Doberman Pinscher, although there seems to be no definitive evidence of this confusion.
Popularization and recognition of the Austrian black and tan cop
Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire once occupied such a vast expanse of land that it is now divided among twelve different countries, the Austrian black and tan cop was never exported from its homeland. Pedigree representatives have always been found almost exclusively on the territory of modern Austria and the lands immediately adjacent to it. This relative isolation has continued to this day, and the Austrian black and tan cop remains virtually unknown outside of its homeland.
In the past few years alone, a small group of these dogs have been exported to other countries, although the breed is now recognized by the Federation of Cynology International (FCI). It is unclear if the black and tan Austrian cops were imported into the United States of America, but the dog is currently recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC), the American Rare Breeds Association (ARBA) and several other rare breed registries.
The current state of the Austrian black and tan cop
Although the austrian black and tan hound has yet to find great popularity in the world, her future is relatively safe in her homeland. Hunting remains quite popular in Austria, and is much more in demand than in other European countries. The strong preference for hunting, combined with the constant demand for the working qualities of the Austrian black and tan cops, means that the dog's future is likely to last for a long time to come.
Unlike most modern breeds, which rarely fulfill their original purposes, the austrian black and tan hound is rarely kept as a companion animal. The vast majority of modern members of the breed are either working or retired hunting dogs. Therefore, there is a high probability that the breed will delight people with its presence on Earth for a long time.
