Chien de St. Hubert Breed description: Character & Co

Character and temperament of Hubertus Dog

The breed is used as a running and pack dog for big game (e.g. deer). Furthermore, as a hunting dog for tracking, as a tracking dog and as a family dog. Especially as a tracking dog the breed has excelled. It is said to have the best nose of all dogs and to be able to pick up and successfully follow tracks that are several days old. In the breed standard, the Chien de Saint-Hubert is described with the following traits:

• gentle
• affectionate
• calm
• friendly
• sociable

Attitude and education

The Hubertushund needs a lot of run and occupation and demand a lot of attention from their master, on whom they are also very strongly fixed. The dogs can be quite stubborn, so their upbringing is not easy. Inexperienced dog owners are quickly overwhelmed. The dogs require strong leadership and are equally sensitive to both praise and reprimand. Attending a dog school when they are puppies is advisable.

Care and nutrition

The short, weatherproof coat of the dogs is very easy to care for and only needs to be brushed from time to time. To avoid inflammation, the long ears and also the eyes should be checked regularly and cleaned if necessary. Fixed times of the day for feeding (one to two meals per day), with fixed daily rations and not too many treats in between, are the cornerstone for a long healthy dog life.

Health and life expectancy of the Hubertushund

This old dog breed also has to deal with the usual problems of large dogs: hip dysplasia (HD) and elbow dysplasia (ED). Since both joint diseases are hereditary, appropriate breeding selection can exclude these diseases as far as possible. Other common diseases are eye problems, such as entropion (malpositioning of the eyelid), ectropion (turned-out eyelid) or cherry eye (prolapsed nictitating gland) as well as skin inflammations, mainly in the deep skin folds at the mouth. The average life expectancy of the dogs is 10 to 12 years.

Interesting facts about the Chien de Saint-Hubert

The Chien de Saint-Hubert belongs to the rather rarely represented breeds in Europe. Because of their pronounced stubbornness, the dogs are not very popular as family and companion dogs. If you still want to try, you should take enough time to find a reputable breeder. A good first port of call to buy one of these dogs are the official national Bloodhound Clubs, which also exist in Germany, for example the Saint Hubert-Bloodhound Club von Deutschland e.V..