This agile dog can follow faint, hours-old scent trails through rugged terrain, but is just as happy cuddling on the sofa
Blythe Cranfield meets the Bavarian mountain hound — one of Britain's best-kept canine secrets.
I first came across a pair of Bavarian mountain hounds at Badminton Horse Trials. They were tucked beneath the counter of the Hiho Jewellery stand with rich chestnut coats, soulful eyes and slightly furrowed brows. Their markings were wonderfully distinctive.
Clem Ransford, their owner, says she can only bring them out when the customers have left: ‘They ask us more about the dogs than the jewellery!’ Clem and her husband first discovered the breed at Blair Atholl Horse Trials. They called their first puppy Minke, later breeding from her and keeping her daughter, Orca.
Bavarian mountain hounds and German shorthaired pointers are both German working dogs, but they perform very different hunting jobs.
Today, Minke and Orca live with Clem and her family in West Dorset. Indoors, she laughs, they’re ‘more like dachshunds’, happiest buried beneath a blanket. It’s a far cry from the determined working hounds they become the moment they catch a scent. ‘They are not a dog, they are a hound,’ cautions Clem. ‘They make very good pets, but they are a working dog. When their noses go down, they are difficult to stop.’ However, despite being bred for the mountains of Bavaria, they’re curiously unimpressed by a wet English afternoon. ‘They hate the rain,’ says Clem. ‘They just want to be close to you.’
The breed originated in Germany during the late 19th century to track injured game through the mountains and, unlike many working breeds, have remained remarkably true to their original purpose.
Designed to work on steep slopes, they’re agile, athletic and built for difficult terrain. Clem jokes that they seem to have a ‘spring in their legs’, scrambling effortlessly across uneven ground. To call them scent hounds feels almost inadequate. Their noses are extraordinary. A Bavarian mountain hound can follow a scent that is up to 48 hours old, often over several miles and, perhaps most impressively, without becoming distracted by fresher scents that cross its path. They are occasionally utilised by the emergency services.
A Bavarian mountain hound requires at least two hours of daily activity.
Perhaps their most remarkable quality, however, is their silence. When tracking, they do not bark continuously. Instead, they move quietly, only giving voice once they have located the injured animal.
There are thought to be around 1,000 Bavarian mountain hounds in the UK and the Royal Kennel Club records only 90 puppy registrations each year. With numbers that small, finding a well-bred puppy takes patience, and The Royal Kennel Club recommends breeders carry out a variety of best practice schemes and tests, including one for hip dysplasia, before proceeding. Prioritising genetic diversity and the fact that they’ve never been fashionable has also helped the breed to stay so true to its origins.
Would-be owners don’t need to live in a large house, but they will need a sizable garden with secure fencing. Consistent and patient training is a must, and they shouldn’t be left alone for too long — the dogs forms a deep attachment to their owners and can suffer from separation anxiety. The Bavarian mountain hound is not for everyone, but nor, one suspects, would it want to be.
