Hamiltonstovare

About the Hamiltonstovare

Count Adolf Hamilton, who founded the Swedish Royal Kennel Club, created the Hamiltonstovare in the 1880s by crossing German and English hounds, and the breed still carries his name. Unusually for a scent hound, it was designed to hunt alone rather than in a pack, finding hare or fox and driving it back towards the waiting gun while giving tongue.

Dogs stand about 53 to 61 cm, of clean, athletic build with a short, close, weather-resisting coat. The colouring is fixed and distinctive: black saddle over tan head and legs, with white on the muzzle, blaze, neck, feet and tail tip. Hamiltonstovare are notably good-natured for a hunting breed and settle well in the house, though the nose still rules the dog. A stud should look workmanlike, with correct markings, good feet and an untroubled temperament.

Hip scores and a current eye certificate are the standard requests. Epilepsy has been recorded in the breed, so ask whether seizures have appeared in the dog's close relatives; there is no test that answers this for you. Ask what the Swedish and British breed clubs currently recommend, since the population here is small and the guidance follows the parent country. Longevity and the reason older relatives were lost are worth raising too.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.