Finnish Hound
| Finnish Hound | |||||||||||||||
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| Other names | Suomenajokoira | ||||||||||||||
| Origin | Finland | ||||||||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||||
The Finnish Hound (Finnish: suomenajokoira [ˈsuo̯menˌɑjoˌkoi̯rɑ]) is a breed of dog originally bred for hunting hare and fox.[1]
History
The Finnish Hound was a result of a breeding programme in the 1800s, which involved French, German and Swedish hounds. The goal was to develop a hound dog that could work on hilly terrain and in deep snow.[2] The Finnish Hound ranked second-most popular amongst the most popular breeds according to registries in Finland in 2013.[3]
Description
Appearance
Finnish Hounds are a tricolored, medium sized dog. Dogs stand from 55–61 cm (22–24 in) and bitches stand from 52–58 cm (20–23 in).[4] Adults typically weigh 20–25 kg (44–55 lb).[5]
The Finnish Hound is greater in length than they are in height and have a strong build. The top of its skull is domed, and its muzzle is as long as the skull. The topline of the skull is parallel to the bridge of the nose, which has a slight but clearly defined stop and must be black. The breed has dark brown eyes, drooping ears, and a tight and complete scissor bite. Its body is muscular and well-angulated, accompanied by a deep and clearly visible chest. Tail carriage should be low and slightly arched.[4]
Finnish Hounds trot lightly and efficiently with a long-reaching stride. Their topline remains level and firm when moving.[4]
The Finnish Hound has a short, dense and coarse double coat. The coat pattern is tricolor with tan and black predominantly, and small white markings on the head, neck, chest, lower parts of the legs, and tail tip.[4]
Temperament
The Finnish Hound has a calm and friendly temperament, and must never be aggressive.[4]
Hunting
It is energetic in the hunt and is a versatile tracker. It works independently and pursues the quarry with passionate barking. It is energetic in the hunt and is a versatile tracker. It works independently and pursues the quarry with passionate barking. Finnish Hounds are energetic working dogs with great stamina.[6]
Health
Cerebellar ataxia
Finnish Hounds suffer from an inherited disease, progressive cerebellar ataxia. This disease has an early onset, showing clinical signs as early as 3 months, with symptoms including tremors, progressive motor incoordination, and developmental delay.[7][8] This has been traced to a homozygous missense mutation in a gene called SEL1L. The disease may be identified by detecting cerebellar shrinkage through MRI. A genetic test to prevent this disease from being passed down has been developed.[5][8]
Other conditions
The breed is also known to occasionally suffer from hip dysplasia, cardiomyopathy, lymphoma, black hair follicular dysplasia, and atopic dermatitis.[6]
Inbreeding
The average inbreeding coefficient in 1997 in Finnish Hounds was 3.12%.[9]
See also
- Dogs portal
- List of dog breeds
- Scenthound
- Alpine Dachsbracke
- Westphalian Dachsbracke
- Drever
- Scenthound Group
References
- ^ "Suomen Ajokoirajärjestö - Finska Stövarklubben". Archived from the original on 2005-11-19. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ "Finnish Hound, Breed by Breed Education" (PDF).
- ^ "The Labrador Retriever was last year's most popular dog breed in Finland". Kennelliitto. 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
- ^ a b c d e "FCI-Standard N° 51" (PDF).
- ^ a b "Finnish Hound Facts - Wisdom Panel™ Dog Breeds". Wisdom Panel™. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
- ^ a b "Finnish hound". www.skk.se. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
- ^ Lin, Liangguang Leo; Wei, Xiaoqiong; Wang, Huilun Helen; Pederson, Brent; Torres, Mauricio; Lu, You; Li, Zexin Jason; Liu, Xiaodan; Mao, Hancheng; Wang, Hui; Zhao, Zhen; Sun, Shengyi; Qi, Ling (2023-06-07). "SEL1L-HRD1 interaction is prerequisite for the formation of a functional HRD1 ERAD complex". pp. 2023.04.13.536796. bioRxiv 10.1101/2023.04.13.536796.
- ^ a b Kyöstilä, Kaisa; Cizinauskas, Sigitas; Seppälä, Eija H.; Suhonen, Esko; Jeserevics, Janis; Sukura, Antti; Syrjä, Pernilla; Lohi, Hannes; Leeb, Tosso (2012). "A SEL1L Mutation Links a Canine Progressive Early-Onset Cerebellar Ataxia to the Endoplasmic Reticulum–Associated Protein Degradation (ERAD) Machinery". PLOS Genetics. 8 (6) e1002759. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1002759. PMC 3375262. PMID 22719266.
- ^ Karjalainen, L.; Ojala, M. (1997-01-12). "Generation intervals and inbreeding coefficients in the Finnish Hound and the Finnish Spitz". Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics. 114 (1–6): 33–41. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0388.1997.tb00489.x. ISSN 0931-2668. PMID 21395800.