- The basic colour is snow-white with orange coloured markings on the body and on the head.
- The orange coloured markings can be found in all shades, but shades must be even.
- The total amount of orange coloured markings must not exceed one third of the whole body.
- On the head the markings can be found on the ears, on the skull and on the foreface but the head must not be completely orange coloured.
- Preferred: A symmetrical spread of the markings on the head
- The markings on the body can be anywhere, mostly on the back, on the ribcage and around the tail set.
- Markings have the shape of spots, which have to be clearly separated.
- They must not get uneven or paler towards the edges of the markings.
- Small spots, if visible through white basic colour, can usually be found on ears
About the Istrian Short Haired Hound
Origin: Croatia
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 16-25 kg
- Female
- 16-23 kg
- Height
- Male
- 48-59 cm
- Female
- 46-57 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Scent hounds and related breeds
- Origin
- Croatia
- Also called
- Sabueso de Istria de Pelo Corto
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Istrian Short Haired Hound?
Medium-sized, noble-looking scent hound of ancient lineage with a smooth white coat and distinctive orange markings, bred for hunting hare and fox with a strong, sonorous voice
Istrian Short Haired Hound history and origins
Ancient breed from the Istrian peninsula with depictions dating back to 1497. Developed as resilient scenthound for hunting hare and fox, breed standard established in 1924 and FCI recognized in 1949. Considered one of oldest hound breeds in Balkan region.
Istrian Short Haired Hound appearance and size
Males typically weigh 16-25 kg and stand 48-59 cm at the shoulder; females 16-23 kg and 46-57 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- A hound with lots of stamina particularly fitted for hare, fox and boar hunting but can also be used as a tracking leash hound
- Behaviour and temperament
“The breed is easy to train for hunting and is very popular with the huntsmen due to its excellent hunting abilities. This hound is particularly suited for hunting in rough, stony areas (Karst-areas) but also in all other hunting areas. The voice is strong and melodic. Of lively temperament, gentle, docile, obedient, neither nervous nor aggressive. Devoted to his owner. Wary of strangers”
Quoted from FCI standard n°151. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “A hound with lots of stamina particularly fitted for hare, fox and boar hunting but can also be used as a tracking leash hound” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Istrian Short Haired Hound
What you get with the Istrian Short Haired Hound
- Purpose stated in the standard: “A hound with lots of stamina particularly fitted for hare, fox and boar hunting but can also be used as a tracking leash hound”
- The standard describes the breed as: “The breed is easy to train for hunting and is very popular with the huntsmen due to its excellent hunting abilities”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “The hair has to be hard, dense, shiny and lying close to the body.”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Istrian Short Haired Hound
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged preferred.
Coat
The hair has to be hard, dense, shiny and lying close to the body.
Its length is around 1–2 cm.
Sometimes the hair is a little longer on the back of the thighs and on the underside of the tail, which is tolerated but it is not desirable
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°151 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at the withers: Males: 49–53 cm. Females: 47–51 cm. Height differences of +/- 3 cm in males and females of excellent type and conformation will be tolerated”
- FCI states a tolerance around the figure.
Quoted from FCI standard n°151. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Istrian Short Haired Hound down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Dogs, which clearly show physical or behavioural abnormalities.
- Converging headlines.
- Muzzle longer than skull.
- Untypically short muzzle.
- Concave or convex nasal bridge.
- Undershot or overshot, wry mouth.
- Blue eyes.
- Totally unpigmented nose, eyelids or liprims.
- Body length shorter than the height at the withers.
- Short-legged dogs of achondroplastic type.
- Tail carried in a ring or a laterally curved tail.
- Coat on the body longer than 2.5 cm.
- Red, chestnut brown, lemon yellow markings or any other coat colour not in the standard.
- Presence of a third coat colour.
- Height above or below the tolerated measures in the standard
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Istrian Short Haired Hound in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Istrian Short Haired Hound
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Istrian Short Haired Hound on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Istrian Short Haired Hound owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Istrian Short Haired Hound breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.