The Bosnian Coarse-haired Hound or Bosanski Oštrodlaki Gonič, also called the Barak, is a hunting dog breed

Dog breed

Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....

 developed in Bosnia. The breed is a scenthound, originally used to hunt large game. The "Bosanski Oštrodlaki Gonič's" name is translated as coarse-haired, broken-haired, and rough-haired (among others), and refers to the texture of the shaggy coat

Dog coat

Dog coat can refer to:*rug , jacket or blanket for a dog*coat , dog's fur or hair...

 (usually called broken-haired or hard in English.)

History

The former name given to the breed was Illyrian

Illyrians

The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...

 Hound, referring to a pre-Slavic people of the area. Today's breed is descended from indigenous dog type

Dog type

Dog types are broad categories of dogs based on function, with dogs identified primarily by specific function or style of work rather than by lineage or appearance....

s, crossed with an Italian gun dog

Gun dog

thumb|right|A group of Gun dogs as printed in Dogs of All Nations by W.E. Mason in 1915Gun dogs, also gundogs or bird dogs, are types of dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game, usually birds. Gun dogs are divided into three primary types: Retrievers, flushing dogs, and...

 in the 1890s. "Local hunters, wanting to produce an efficient scent hound, developed this breed in the nineteenth century, using the available stock of dogs." The early type of today's smaller Istrian Shorthaired Hound

Istrian Shorthaired Hound

The Istrian Shorthaired Hound is a breed of dog from Istria in Croatia, descended from a very old type of scenthound...

 may also have contributed to the Bosnian Coarse-haired Hound.

The Bosnian Coarse-haired Hound was first recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale

Fédération Cynologique Internationale

Fédération Cynologique Internationale is an international federation of kennel clubs based in Thuin, Belgium. The English language translation, World Canine Organisation, is not often used.Its goals are described in Article 2 of their regulations:...

 in 1965 under the name of "Illyrian Hound". The name was changed to more accurately describe its area of origin in Bosnia. The breed is in Group 6, Scenthounds, Section 1.1 Large-sized Hounds, and is breed number 155. It is also recognised by the United Kennel Club (US) as the "Barak", in the Scenthound Group

Scenthound Group

Scenthound Group is the name of a breed Group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. Dogs listed in a kennel club's Scenthound Group may not all be of the same type of dog.- Scenthound type :...

. The breed is not recognised by any other major kennel clubs in the English speaking world, although many minor kennel clubs, internet dog registry businesses, and rare breed

Rare breed (dog)

Rare breed is any breed of dog that is small in number. Since dogs have greater genetic variability than other domesticated animals the number of possible breeds is vast...

 registries promote and register it as a unique pet.

Description

Appearance

The most striking feature of the Bosnian Coarse-haired Hound is its shaggy, hard coat of yellowish (wheaten or red) or greyish colours, often with a white blaze on its head along with other white marks. The standard calls for a body length ten percent greater than height; these proportions are given to differentiate the Bosnian Coarse-haired Hound from other hounds of the area which are "a bit low on leg". Height ranges from 46-55cm (18-22in) at the withers

Withers

The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...

, and weight is between 16-24kg (35-53lbs). The dog normally carries its tail curved slightly upward, and its face has a bushy moustache and beard.

Temperament

The breed standard describes its behaviour as lively, as well as courageous and persistent.