- The basic colour is snow-white with orange coloured markings on the body and 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 edge of the markings.
- Small spots, if visible through white basic colour, can usually be found on ears
About the Istrian Wire Haired Hound
Origin: CroatiaIstrian Wire Haired Hound
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Scent hounds and related breeds
- Origin
- Croatia
- Also called
- Sabueso de Istria de Pelo Duro
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
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 its constitution makes it possible to use him for hunting in any weather condition and also in rough, stony or hilly terrain. His voice is of medium tone but it also has deeper sounds. Gentle, even temperament, with a stern expression. Devoted to his owner”
Quoted from FCI standard n°152. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Characteristics
- Size
- —
- 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
- 4 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 3 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 Wire Haired Hound
What you get with the Istrian Wire 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 its constitution makes it possible to use him for hunting in any weather…”
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 Wire 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 topcoat is wiry, harsh and slightly wavy, without shine but dull, about 5–8 cms long.
It should not lay flat on the body.
The hair must not be curly or form locks.
On the muzzle it forms moustaches and a beard and above the eyes well pronounced eyebrows, where it is a little softer than on the body.
On the ears the hair is shorter and straighter.
Under the topcoat is a shorter more dense undercoat, which lies close to the body and is more evident during the wintertime
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°152 — 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: 50–54 cm. Females: 48–52 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°152. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Istrian Wire 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.
- Concave or convex nose bridge.
- Undershot or overshot, wry mouth.
- Blue eyes.
- Totally non-pigmented 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 12 cm.
- Coat on the body shorter than 3 cm.
- Soft, pronounced wavy, curly or tangled coat.
- 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 Wire Haired Hound in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Istrian Wire Haired Hound
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Istrian Wire 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 Wire 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 Wire 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.