COUNTRY: USSR
HEIGHT: 18-21 inches
COAT: Short, dense
COLOR: Black/tan usually; also tan saddled
OTHER NAMES: Gontchaja Estonskaja
GROUP: HoundThe Estonian Republic of the Soviet Union is in European Russia, straight north of Moscow on the Baltic Sea. In the early part of the 20th century, big fast hounds had begun decimating the population of wild goats that were abundant in the area where hare and fox were hunted. Hunters began working to develop a smaller, lower stationed hound that could stalk the small game but were outleagued by the pace of the wild goats.
First they crossed the smallest of the local hounds with English Beagles to reduce size and obtain strong feet, so necessary where snow falls heavily in February. Next into the mixing pot was the Swiss Neiderlaufliund, contributing his musical voice, persistence on the trail and, especially, his very early maturation (as young as five to six months!). A dash of Foxhound was added for endurance.
By 1954, the breed was introduced to the second Soviet Cynological Congress, where he was approved and a standard adopted. He was enthusiastically received by many hunters in other areas of Russia as well. So well had the Estonian breeders done their work that at the 1957 Moscow Exhibition, the Estonian Hound received a special award, and the founders were awarded gold medals.
The Estonian is a strong, rather low-stationed hound that is often ready to hunt effectively before his first birthday. Because of his smaller size and suspicion of strangers, he is often kept in a house or apartment, where he seconds as a watchdog.