- Liver and white, a white-bodied hound with black and tan patches distinctly separate.
- Pigment should harmonize though not necessarily blend with coat colour
- for example a tan hound may have a brown nose and eye rims.
- Permissible: A slight butterfly nose
About the Otterhound
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 10-13 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 43-54 kg
- Female
- 34-45 kg
- Height
- Male
- 66-74 cm
- Female
- 58-69 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Scent hounds and related breeds
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Also called
- Perro de Nutria
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Otterhound?
Large, shaggy-coated scent hound with webbed feet and waterproof double coat, bred for hunting otters in medieval England. Known for its boisterous and amiable temperament, keen nose, and distinctive love of water.
Otterhound history and origins
Developed in medieval England for otter hunting, perfected for water work with webbed feet, oily double coat, and powerful scenting ability. Nearly extinct when otter hunting was banned in 1978, now among the rarest British breeds.
Otterhound appearance and size
Males typically weigh 43-54 kg and stand 66-74 cm at the shoulder; females 34-45 kg and 58-69 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Big, strong hound primarily built for long day’s work in water, but able to gallop on land
- Behaviour and temperament
“Amiable and even tempered. Signs of aggression or nervousness should be heavily penalized”
Quoted from FCI standard n°294. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Big, strong hound primarily built for long day’s work in water, but able to gallop on land” 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
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Otterhound
What you get with the Otterhound
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Big, strong hound primarily built for long day’s work in water, but able to gallop on land”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Amiable and even tempered. Signs of aggression or nervousness should be heavily penalized”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Long 4-8 cms, dense, rough, harsh and waterproof but not wiry”
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 · Otterhound
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Coat
Long 4-8 cms, dense, rough, harsh and waterproof but not wiry
of broken appearance.
Softer hair on head and lower legs natural.
Undercoat evident and there may be a slight oily texture in top and undercoat.
Not trimmed for exhibition.
Presentation should be natural
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°294 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Otterhound in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Otterhound
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Otterhound 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 Otterhound 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 Otterhound 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.