“THE OTTERHOUND MUST BE CAPABLE OF A STRONG, CRUSHING GRIP. A SNIPY HOUND WITH LACK OF FILL BENEATH THE EYES WILL MOST LIKELY HAVE SHORT TOOTH ROOTS AND THUS, LACK POWER IN THE MOLARS.”
endurance and courage. Strong, dense bones with good substance and broad muscles are a must. A broad, heavy mus- cle will not respond as quickly to action as a smaller, longer muscle, but is more efficient in burning energy. THE HEAD The head is said to be majestic. It is large, fairly narrow and well cov- ered with hair. It is measured from the point of the occiput to the tip of the nose, with the muzzle approximately equal to the length of the skull. In a dog measuring 26'' at the withers, the head should be 11''-12'' in length. Note that the British standard allows the muzzle to be slightly shorter than the skull. Planes of the skull and muzzle are parallel. The skull is only slightly domed; young Hounds occasionally have a prominent occiput. The stop is not pronounced. The muzzle should be square, with no evidence of snippiness. The Otterhound must be capable of a strong, crushing grip. A snipy Hound with lack of fill beneath the eyes will most likely have short tooth roots and thus, lack power in the molars. The flews are deep, though not pendulous, lest the Otter have flesh to grab hold of. The Otterhound standard states that a scissors bite is preferred; however, the position of the front incisors plays only a minimal roll in the crushing grip that allows the Otterhound to over power its quarry. An overshot mouth is often due to a receding jaw with a less powerful bite. The nose is large and dark, usu- ally black, but may be slate-colored or brown in a blue or liver Hound. In the United States, the standard calls for a fully pigmented nose, although this does not have any affect on the dogs
and pendulous. The leading edge rolls to give a draped appearance. They are set at or below the level of the eye. When excited, dogs will often pull their ears high on their head. Show photog- raphers should be discouraged from throwing objects to get the dogs atten- tion. The ears must reach at least to the tip of the nose. The leather is extremely thick and well covered with hair. A thin ear would most certainly rip in the field. Because the ear is nearly water-tight, Otterhounds are prone to frequent ear infections. The inside of the ear may be trimmed for health reasons. NECK, TOPLINE & BODY The neck is thick and powerful, capable of holding the head above water and also of sufficient length to reach the ground while hunting on land. However, longer muscles often lack strength. It blends smoothly into the shoulders. A ewe-neck would
hunting abilities. Wide-open, for- ward-facing nostrils are extremely important to provide the large sur- face area required for enhanced scenting abilities. The expression and demeanor is amiable. Aggressiveness or shyness should not be tolerated. Otter hunting was often a spectator sport—Hounds would never be permitted to terrorize the neighbors. The eyes are deep set, with haw showing only slightly. The color is dark brown but may vary slightly with coat color. As with nose color, the color of the eye does not affect the Otter- hounds ability to hunt. A round, promi- nent eye would be in danger of being scratched in the field and should be severely penalized. EARS The ears are an essential feature of Otterhound type. They are long
“THE EARS ARE AN ESSENTIAL FEATURE OF OTTERHOUND TYPE. THEY ARE LONG, AND PENDULOUS.”
350 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , N OVEMBER 2017
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