COUNTRY: Germany
HEIGHT: 16-21 inches
COAT: Short, smooth, hard and dense
COLOR: Tricolor; tan with black saddle; white limited to blaze, neck ring, chest and belly, feet, and tail tip
OTHER NAMES: German Hound, Deutsche Sauerlandbracke
GROUP: Hound
Most German hounds are sturdily boned and a bit low-stationed, with the large but stiff-carti-laged ear that lies flat and wide instead of folding. They tend also to have the "ram's nose" profile with little stop.
The Deutsche Bracke evolved from generic all-purpose, hot-trailing Celtic hounds of varying type used for German forest work. Some earlier types were the Westphalian Bracke and the Sauerlander Holzbracke. These brackes were mainly promoted in the Sauerland and all of Westphalia, which are located in western Germany. For a while, there was some attempt to support the Steinbracke (or in Holland Steen-brack), a slightly smaller version of the bracke. Stein, meaning stone, was an old German weight designation, one stone being about 22 pounds.
All of these fragmented varieties were finally gathered under one breed title, and the Deutsche Bracke is the only official Bracke now recognized in Germany. A club has fostered the type since 1896, although a written standard was not drawn up by the Deutsche Bracken Club until 1955.
In Germany, the Bracke is a dog promoted in the hills and low mountains for hare, fox, rabbit and boar. He is best on the hot scent, giving tongue with his melodious, bell-like voice. His long legs allow him to work quickly and cover a lot of territory.
A superb nose makes him capable of schweiss-hund work as well, working cold trails of wounded animals. This ability is required more and more, and at this he works silently. Old-time bracken hunters often feared that the use of a dog to trail the wounded deer would make him want to chase healthy ones. This has been proven to be untrue. With quality training methods, the Bracke quickly understands the difference between the hot track and the cold bloodtrail. Modern breeders say that it takes a good deal of patience to teach him to retrieve, but once he is trained, he is reliable.