UTILIZATION: Big, strong hound primarily built for long day’s work in water, but able to gallop on land.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: It is generally felt that the Otterhounds ancestry includes a French influence combined with original English hound strains.
GENERAL APPEARANCE: Large, straight limbed and sound, rough-coated with majestic head, strong body and loose, long striding action. Rough double coat and large feet essential. Free moving.
BEHAVIOUR AND TEMPERAMENT: Amiable and even tempered. Signs of aggression or nervousness should be heavily penalized.
Ears: Unique feature of the breed. Long, pendulous, set on level with corner of eye; easily reaching nose when pulled forward, with characteristic fold. Leading edge folding or rolling inwards giving curious draped appearance - an essential point not to be lost. Well covered and fringed with hair.
NECK: Long, powerful, set smoothly into shoulders. Slight dewlap permissible.
TAIL: (Stern) Set high, carried up when alert or moving, never curling over back and may droop when standing. Thick at base, tapering to point; bone reaching to hock and carried straight or in a slight curve. Hair under tail rather longer and more profuse than that on upper surface.
GAIT / MOVEMENT: Very loose and shambling at walk, springing immediately into a loose, very long-striding, sound, active trot. Gallop smooth and exceptionally long striding.
Hair: 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: All recognized hound colours permissible: whole coloured, grizzle, sandy, red, wheaten, blue; these may have slight white markings on head, chest, feet and tail tip. White hounds may have slight lemon, blue or badger pied markings. Black and tan, blue and tan, black and cream, occasional liver, tan and liver, tan and white.
Colours not permissible: 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. A slight butterfly nose permissible.
Height at the withers: Males approximately: 69 cms.
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