Drever Dog Breed information
(Swedish Dachsbracke)

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The Drever is one of the short-legged hunting hounds of Europe. As opposed to breeds of similar physics, it has been bred towards becoming a hound that hunt both hare and roe deer (and is also used for fox and red deer), and that keeps going for longer periods of time. The breed has become the most popular hunting hound amongst roe deer hunters of Norway and Sweden, especially in the northern regions.

Origin

The Drever is originally a Swedish breed., and arose, like most breeds of today, from a mix of different breeds. The most important ancestor is the German Dachsbracke, which also is the ancestor of the Dachs breeds. In addition, the Drever "consist" of some beagle. It has still a lot in common with the beagle, but has more body and less feet. In other words, the proportions of a Drever isn't what you really expect of a normal dog. Basically, its body is just as large as the body of the common hunting hounds, but it has short legs. The max height of a Drever is 41cm, which is about 15 cm (approx. 6") shorter than a normal sized hunting hound.

The size has its practical reasons. Roe deer, and other species of deer, are prone to stress. Especially in areas where you can expect heavy snow in late autumn. Because of this, the hounds used to hunt them have to move slowly. One way of achieving that is using a small dog. Another way is using a normal sized dog, with short legs. Like the Drever.