COUNTRY: USSR
HEIGHT: 16-19 inches
COAT: Short, dense
COLOR: Black and tan
GROUP: Hound
Latvia is another of the Russian Baltic states, where hunting is a passion in the heavy forests. The hunting of deer and boar in Latvia has followed an unusual format. The forest is blocked out into 1600-foot squares separated by wide clear-cut paths. Hunters may only shoot deer in the cut areas. During a hunt., each hunter is assigned a spot in the clearings, and beaters with dogs line up at the far side of the block. The hunting horn sounds, the hounds are slipped, and the chase is on. The dogs must be ultra-obedient to keep within the prescribed area, finding and flushing any game out to the waiting hunters in the clearings. These dogs needn't have the endurance or persistence, as they have to cover only the 1600 x 1600-foot block and are never expected to chase beyond that, even if the quarry is wounded.
Throughout the 19th century, Latvian gentry hunted deer with long-legged dogs called Cur-land Hounds, which had been created from a blend of Lucernese, English and Polish hounds. By WWI, good selection of these hounds had ceased, and they were often crossed with mongrels and Dachshunds. In 1920, the Latvian Department of Forestry banned the use of dogs larger than 20 inches, and hunters selected many of the Curland/Dachshund crosses, often blending them with English Beagles. It wasn't until 1947 that the Council of Hunters and Fishermen of the Latvian SSR resolved to fix the Latvian Hound as a specific breed. Despite great difficulty, they found and purchased 40 dogs of the desired type from private owners and began a breeding program. By 1971, type was fixed and a standard adopted.
The modern Latvian Hound is a dog of general basset type with cat feet, short straight legs, a strong arched back and a wedge-shaped, tight-lipped head. They are selected for their ability to raise game quickly and to be obedient to any of the handlers during the hunt.