The Otterhound is a dog that originated in Great Britain and once upon a time he was used to hunt down otter, obviously that is where he got his name from. They think that there are many breeds that were used in the making of the Otterhound breed, among them, the Bloodhound.
This breed was first registered with the AKC all the way back in 1910 but the age of the breed and the service that he has done for man does not seem to help much these days…you know how on the TV you constantly hear about these endangered animals and endangered species, well, the Otterhound is one of the most endangered breeds of dog on the planet; they say that there are fewer Otterhounds then there are Giant Pandas.
Only 51 of these animals were registered in the year 2006, they say that they are doing everything to save them but it sometimes makes you wonder because their numbers are dwindling.
The Otterhound is a happy dog that has a mind of his own and is considered very independent, yet at the same time affectionate and loving to his family. He loves to run and play and because of that ,when considering on getting an Otterhound, make sure you have enough space for him to be able to run around and get exercise, and just basically have enough space for a dog like him to be comfortable.
This is a dog that loves to be involved with everything that the family is doing, so including him in family activities is essential to building a good relationship. These are dogs that have a past in hunting otter and that means that they love to swim, they can be very determined and set when they have made up their minds about something, which includes following a scent. They are hound dogs at heart, so a nice sturdy fence is a must for the times when the dog is out in the yard.
The Otterhound is a dog that has a thick, long and shaggy coat which is rough to the touch. The most common colors are black and tan or liver and tan but there have been tri-colored, grizzle and red. This is a dog that has an innocent and loving expression on his face, which is only enhanced by the floppy fringe. An interesting thing is that he has webbed feet. The Otterhound can reach a height of 28 inches at the shoulder and reach a weight of 60-115 pounds, not a small dog by anyone’s standard.
The Otterhound has a very loud bark (he's big so he obviously has a big mouth) and he will be reserved with strangers.However, there have been Otterhounds that were exactly the opposite, so I guess it is up to the dog. If you are the kind of person that likes to have a very clean house all the time, then do not bother to get one of these dogs because they are rather messy.
Training can be difficult at times because of the stubbornness of the breed, when he has made up his mind that he will not do something then it will not be done. Because of this, the Otterhound does best with those that have experience in dog training.
This big dog gets along well with children and other animals if he has been socialized early on. However, do not trust him with small animals because remember that this is a hunting dog that will follow his instincts. If you are looking for a puppy find yourself a breeder and then prepare yourself for a long wait…this is an endangered breed of dog and that means that puppies are very hard to come by.
When you first see an Otterhound, you may think that the coat looks very high maintenance. Well, you would be wrong, this is a breed that does not need so much extra grooming as many would think, although when grooming his coat set yourself in to do a good thorough job. The coat needs to be brushed about twice a week and every few months you might want to get the coat clipped to keep the dog looking his best.
Regularly check the dog’s ears for infection and keep them as dry and clean as possible, because the dirtier and damper the ear, the higher is the risk of an infection starting.
Also keep his beard clean because it is one thing that tends to get dirty a lot just because of the location. This dog is a medium shedder and is not recommended for those that suffer from allergies.
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