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COUNTRY:
USSR
HEIGHT: 16-19 inches
COAT: Short, dense
COLOR: Black and tan
GROUP: Hound
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Latvia is another
of the Russian Baltic states, where hunting is a passion in the heavy
forests. The hunting of deer and boar in Latvia has followed an unusual
format. The forest is blocked out into 1600-foot squares separated by
wide clear-cut paths. Hunters may only shoot deer in the cut areas. During
a hunt., each hunter is assigned a spot in the clearings, and beaters
with dogs line up at the far side of the block. The hunting horn sounds,
the hounds are slipped, and the chase is on. The dogs must be ultra-obedient
to keep within the prescribed area, finding and flushing any game out
to the waiting hunters in the clearings. These dogs needn't have the endurance
or persistence, as they have to cover only the 1600 x 1600-foot block
and are never expected to chase beyond that, even if the quarry is wounded.
Throughout the
19th century, Latvian gentry hunted deer with long-legged dogs called
Cur-land Hounds, which had been created from a blend of Lucernese, English
and Polish hounds. By WWI, good selection of these hounds had ceased,
and they were often crossed with mongrels and Dachshunds. In 1920, the
Latvian Department of Forestry banned the use of dogs larger than 20 inches,
and hunters selected many of the Curland/Dachshund crosses, often blending
them with English Beagles. It wasn't until 1947 that the Council of Hunters
and Fishermen of the Latvian SSR resolved to fix the Latvian Hound as
a specific breed. Despite great difficulty, they found and purchased 40
dogs of the desired type from private owners and began a breeding program.
By 1971, type was fixed and a standard adopted.
The modern Latvian
Hound is a dog of general basset type with cat feet, short straight legs,
a strong arched back and a wedge-shaped, tight-lipped head. They are selected
for their ability to raise game quickly and to be obedient to any of the
handlers during the hunt.
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