The origin of the Schillerstevare breed and its purpose, the exterior of the Schiller hound, character and training, health, care. Interesting Facts. Price when buying a puppy. Schillerstevare is a strong, energetic and intelligent hound of Scandinavia, the only hunting dog of those places, capable of working alone on a fox and a hare. And it doesn't matter what is outside, winter or summer. The Schiller Hound is always successful, fast, persistent and practically indispensable in the hunt. Well, in her homeland in Sweden, she is the queen of all hounds, and the queen of the snowy expanses, the favorite breed of Scandinavian rangers.
The history of the origin of the Schillerstevare breed
In Sweden, there are only a few dog breeds bred directly in the country. The vast majority of these breeds are hunting. This is exactly what the Schillerstover breed is, reproduced relatively recently - in the 19th century.
Since ancient times, hunting with a dog was the prerogative of the royal and aristocratic nobility in Sweden. And the value of any hunting dog was determined, first of all, by its working qualities. Common people and people of non-noble origin were allowed to hunt only since 1789, when King Gustav III of Sweden approved a new constitution for the country, which not only significantly increased his own powers, but also granted some rights to the lower classes.
So, there have always been plenty of people willing to hunt in Sweden since the end of the 18th century, but there were clearly not enough dogs for everyone. Therefore, each landowner, farmer or hunter from the common people solved this problem exclusively independently. For example, soldiers and officers returning from military campaigns from the territory of Austria and Germany brought with them dogs from those countries suitable for hunting. It must be said that almost all hounds available in Sweden (up to the end of the 19th century) were mostly descendants of those same trophy "hounds".
The immediate history of the selection of Schiller's hounds begins at the end of the 19th century. Swedish landowner, artist and passionate hunter Per Schiller, like many hunters of his time, needed a versatile working hunting dog capable of tracking well and successfully chasing fox and hare. Well, being also an artist Per Schiller, he dreamed of a dog with an aristocratic exterior, graceful and beautiful. Not being a great specialist in dog breeding, he did not strive to create a completely new type of dog, but only wanted to correct the version of the "hound" existing in Sweden. For this purpose, Schiller specially brought a hound dog from the south of Germany.
What kind of species was brought "hound" modern researchers have not been able to reliably establish. It is believed that the hound could have been of a Germanic, Austrian or Old Swiss family.
The dog brought by Schiller was bred with a female obtained from the "marriage" of an old English Harrier hound (imported to Sweden from Great Britain by the engineer Rydholm) and a local "hound". Further breeding experiments of Per Schiller are unknown. It is likely that he either did not keep pedigree records at all, or these documents were lost over time. Cynologists suggest that the "hounds" of German, Swiss and mixed Swedish blood took part in the creation of the breed. And the famous Swiss dog specialist, writer Dr. Hans Raber, talking about the Schiller hound's pedigree, wrote in his notes: breed Aargauer Hound ".
Be that as it may, but at the first Swedish national exhibition in Stockholm in 1886, Per Schiller presented his first home-grown hounds. These dogs were called "Tamburini" and "Ralla", and they are now considered the ancestors of all modern Schillerstevare hounds.
In 1891, at an exhibition in Gothenburg, the next generation of Schillerstevare was presented with the musical nicknames "Polka" and "Waltz", which had such a unique exterior that Schiller even captured them in one of his paintings.
From that moment, Schillerstevare's ascent to the heights of hunting glory began. Schiller's hounds really differed from the rest of the Swedish "hounds" not only by their recognizable stately exterior, but also by their excellent hunting talents. Unfortunately, the author of the breed himself did not have time to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Per Schiller died in 1894 (he was only 34 years old).
Schiller's business was inherited by his brother Karl, having inherited dogs with a perfectly balanced temperament and conformation. In 1903, at an exhibition organized by the Stovare Club of Vastergotland, more than 50 individuals of the Schiller breed were already on display. In 1907 the breed was named after its creator - "Schillerstovare".
For a long time, the new breed was boycotted by cynology officials due to the lack of a detailed pedigree in the Schillerstevare. But in 1910, after the next Stockholm exhibition, Schiller's hound was still registered with a preliminary pedigree and many reservations. And only in 1913 the breed was finally recognized by the Swedish Kennel Club. By that time, the Schiller hound had long been appreciated by hunters and was used extensively throughout Sweden.
But in the rest of the world, this species is still very rare and little known to dog lovers. This is largely because Swedish breeders are reluctant to sell their animals abroad. And if they export puppies, then only being sure that the dog will be used for hunting.
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) registered the Schiller Hound in 1952. The last changes to the standard were made in July 1997.
Purpose and use of the Schiller hound
The Swedish Schiller Hound is one of the finest hunting dogs in Europe, possessing all the necessary skills of a true hound. It is perfectly adapted for winter hunting for fox, hare, marten. Can take arctic fox and sable.
While hunting, the schillerstevare not only quickly takes the trail and discovers the animal, but swiftly catching up with the discovered game, does not grab it, like other hounds, but "beautifully" leads it out under the hunter's shot. It is on this principle that the talented and efficient Schiller hound is taught and used in Sweden, Finland and Norway by Scandinavian hunting enthusiasts. It is extremely rare that this "hound" can be found with an owner who is not a hunter and keeps a schillerstare simply as a companion dog.
In other European countries, these canine specimens exist in fact in single copies and are also used exclusively for hunting (this requirement is strictly imposed by Swedish breeders to the future dog owner when selling a puppy).
Schiller Hound Exterior Standard
Schillerstevare, although he is a very high-speed dog, belongs to the category of "hounds" with average parameters. Its growth at the withers reaches from 53 to 61 centimeters (ideally 57 centimeters is considered) with a body weight of about 22 kg.
- Head the Schiller hound has a compact size and an elongated shape. The skull is moderately wide and flat in the frontal part, markedly divided by a longitudinal groove. The stop is smooth, but quite pronounced. The hound's muzzle is elongated and looks rather aristocratic. The bridge of the nose is straight, thin or medium in width. The nose is black. The lips are thin, neatly tucked up, without flews, grayish-black color. The jaws are well developed and strong. Teeth are large, white, 42 teeth. The bite of the teeth is dense, scissor-like.
- Eyes brown or dark brown. The look is devoted and energetic.
- Ears with a high set, hanging freely on the sides of the head due to the lack of cartilage, large in size, soft and velvety to the touch.
- Neck muscular and long.
- Torso strong, distinctly muscular, well-proportioned, dry. The body has elongated lines. The back is straight, not too long. The back line may be slightly raised at the croup. The loin is elongated and strong. The croup is rounded and slightly high, sloping. The rib cage is well developed. The belly line is moderately tucked up.
- Tail rather long and medium set. The tail shape is of two types: straight and curved (saber).
- Limbs of medium length, parallel and almost straight, strong, well muscled with strong, narrow bone. Feet are quite compact, oval, with dense elastic pads and black nails.
- Wool tough, not too short, well and close to the body of the animal.
- Color Schillerstevare wool does not differ in the variety inherent in other varieties. The color of the dog is always black and tan (black color of the neck and “saddle” on the back over the main brown-red or red), which makes the breed easily recognizable. The presence of white spots-marks on the face, chest and limbs (in the lower part) is undesirable. White spots lead to a loss of uniqueness, making the Schiller Hound look like other breeds such as the Hamilton Hound or English Harrier.
Schillerstevare's character and training features
These animals are very intelligent, attentive and lively by temperament dogs, constantly in need of physical activity to maintain their shape. They belong to the category of monogamous dogs, once and for all attached to one master, keeping him faithful for life.
Schiller's "hound" is an exclusively hunting dog, with well-developed hunting instincts and a constant need to search for and pursue game. Therefore, owners who are not inclined to travel in nature or hunting, leading an inactive lifestyle, experience certain difficulties with keeping such active dogs as a companion dog. Although, I must say that if a schillerstevare receives a long full-fledged walk, then it is not too burdensome for the owner. The pet knows how to behave in the family, easily finds a common language with the household, is not particularly pretentious in care and nutrition. But he, like any hunter dog, still yearns and lives in anticipation of the moment when he will be able to rush at full speed across the snow-covered field in pursuit of the red fox's tail. And therefore, with other animals (cats, hamsters, and others), he does not behave very well, and is able to once arrange a real demonstrative hunt for them.
Schiller's "Honchaks" belong to the category of calm dogs, with a well-balanced psyche, disciplined and controlled flawlessly. Possessing a well-developed intellect and special ingenuity of hunting dogs, they "on the fly" understand what the owner wants to achieve from them, they unquestioningly follow the commands and whistle signals. Especially well they are given training in the art of hunting (here the innate talent is clearly felt). Here are just a person who for the first time decided to take up the upbringing of a hunting dog, is unlikely to be able to independently overcome this task without the help of a dog handler or an experienced hunter. Schiller's "hound" is not well suited for an inexperienced dog owner as a first ("test") pet. An independent, intelligent and independent dog is quickly able to "see through" an inexperienced beginner and try to get the best of him. So, it is hardly possible to do without the help of a professional dog handler in training the Schiller breed.
Schiller hounds are often used by hunters individually, so when such a dog gets into a team of his own kind, he behaves wary and not particularly friendly. Having a self-sufficient and independent character, he is quite jealous and does not like competitors in pursuit. He always tries to become dominant in the team, which is fraught with dog conflicts, without timely socialization of the dog from puppyhood. Best of all, this "hound" feels among the already familiar and familiar dogs, with which he has repeatedly worked.
Schiller Hound health and longevity
Schillerstevare hounds are considered to be relatively healthy hunting dogs, with strong immunity and general hardening, which allows them, even in the absence of shaggy wool, to easily withstand the Scandinavian frosts.
But due to inbreeding carried out at the dawn of the creation of the breed, as well as the general artificiality of breeding the species from several European species of hounds, Schillerstevare also has a number of predispositions to diseases that are genetically inherited. These include: dysplasia of the hip and elbow joints, a predisposition to dislocation of the hip and knee joints, as well as various functional disorders of the animal's cardiovascular system.
The average lifespan of Schiller's hounds is 12-14 years, which is not bad at all for a dog of this size.
Tips for keeping and caring for a Schiller hound
One of the most important conditions that must be taken into account by those who want to get a Schiller hound is that the dog is very freedom-loving, mobile and active, has a passionate need to find traces. So, it is best to keep such a dog outside the city in a spacious and clean enclosure or a securely fenced yard, where the animal has the ability to move freely, run and jump.
In addition, the Schiller "hound" must be kept in good athletic form, periodically walking it for a long time in the field, as well as performing the necessary training (this is the name of the special training of the dog in hunting wisdom directly in the forest or field, and preparing it for a real hunt) starting from 8 –10 months old.
Taking care of the dog itself is quite simple. Especially if the "hound" is at large, is kept clean, has a balanced diet and often goes for a walk. Under such conditions, the hound is always clean, its musculature never grows old and it is always ready to work. And grooming (combing and bathing) short fur requires very minimal attention, mainly only in case of severe pollution.
Professional hunters recommend Schillerstevare's diet to be based on raw or boiled low-fat meats, adding porridge (liquid stew) from oatmeal or other cereals to the diet. It is recommended to feed the dog at least twice a day (morning and evening). Before hunting, the morning dacha should be reduced, and the evening cottage should be increased.
Interesting facts about Schiller's hound
According to The Svedish Kennel Club, the Swedish Schiller hound is the fastest of all the existing Scandinavian hounds. And also this breed in Sweden for its special ability to work in winter is called the best "hunting dog for the Frozen Land" ("the hanting dog for the Frozen Land").
Schillerstevare puppy cost
In Russia, as earlier in the USSR, the existence of Schiller's hounds is known only to a narrow circle of specialists. There are no kennels for these dogs yet, and therefore a person who wishes to purchase such a uniquely rare dog will have to contact the cynological clubs of the Scandinavian countries.
The cost of promising schillerstevare puppies from breeders in Sweden ranges from several hundred to several thousand euros. And this amount depends entirely on the sex of the animal, its pedigree, the beauty of the exterior, the prospects and the hunting talents inherent in heredity.
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