Natural History

The following description comes from Manual of British Rural Sports by Stonehenge (John Henry Walsh):

The otter-hound has been also partially described as a descendant of the old southern hound crossed with the wirehaired Scotch terrier, and probably with the water-spaniel. He is the nearest approach of all to the southern hound, and lias the length of ear, the full pendent Up, the dewlap and throaty frill, which are so characteristic of that hound. His nose is very good, which is required to track the cold scent of the otter, and to follow him in the water, where the otter-hound often speaks to the scent in a wonderful manner. The pure foxhound has been successfully used by Mr. Grantley Berkeley [Smoaker’s owner] for the otter, and will hunt him no doubt, as Indeed he will hunt whatever he is entered to; but he is quite out of place here, being too fust on land, and not a sufficiently good swimmer In the water, nor capable of bearing that element for so long a period as the webbed otter-hound, whose greasy and woolly coat is Impenetrable to wet These last two peculiarities he obtains from the water-spaniel. The deep-toned note of the otter-hound Is another remnant of the old southerner, and he may be often seen to throw his tongue on the scent, without the power of moving his legs, so great is his pleasure and excitement This, however, is too much of the old school, and should be got rid of in the perfect hound; and generally is, if the terrier and spaniel cross is sufficiently introduced Both these dogs have no disposition to tie on the scent but If too much of their blood is introduced, the hound will suffer In delicacy of nose, and will want perseverance in hunting. Otterhounds are very savage animals, and will fight to the death, which is a common result of their quarrels. If not savage, they will scarcely cope with the otter without flinching, as his bites are exceedingly severe. The otter-hound may be obtained without much difficulty in Wales, Devonshire, or Scotland, where packs of them are still kept up, and hunted wherever the otter is heard of. The great drawback to the sport is the scarcity of the otter in any given spot so that to obtain sport a large district must be ransacked, and the hounds taken long distances, often to seductive promises of sport which are without real foundation. Nothing is more disheartening than to find, after travelling 20 or 30 miles to a river where otters are promised to be shown, that no seal is visible along the whole course of the banks. This mark is always to be met with, either fresh or stale, and the experienced otter-hunter knows that if it is entirely absent he has been deceived by false representations. Otter-hounds are generally bred about 34 inches In height, the bitches being less, as usual with hounds. There is a smooth otter-bound, but the rough one is that generally in use (pg 143).

Even in the 1880’s, the British otter wasn’t all that common.

The fact that otterhounds have to be so “savage” to deal with the otter always caused me to doubt that small terriers were ever much use against them. River otters, both Eurasian and North American, can easily kill a mid-sized dog, especially if the otter catches the dog in the water.

The old Southern hound did look a lot like a smooth coated otterhound.  I have often wondered if that breed, not the bloodhound, played a role in developing the American coonhound breeds, but most orthodox historiographies of coonhounds say that bloodhounds were used.

I have always thought that barbet or the English rough water dog and some of the French griffon hounds played a strong role in creating the English otter hound. The barbet or English rough water dog would have given them efficient swimming gear and, assuming the ancestral hound was a smooth-coated animal, the proper rough coats. The Griffon Nivernais and the Fawn Brittany Griffon— or dogs very similar to them– could also have played role in its development.

Because otters are protected in Britain, the otterhound has become quite rare. The breed stood a chance at revival when some country gentlemen turned conservationists used them to hunt the introduced American mink. But then parliament banned hunting game with pack hounds.

This breed is one of the ancestors of the Airedale, and some of the descriptions of the behavior of a working otterhound pack remind me of the working Airedale.

A dog with the Jack Russell’s attitude and the foxhound’s size.