At a glance the quick version
FCI ideal ranges.
Coat and looks how to spot one
short, dense coat
A close-lying, thick coat with only a little shine. The hair is finer on the head and ears and a bit longer and coarser on the belly, legs and tail.13
Personality what they are like
Quiet, steady and self-assured at home and very attached to its person, while tending to keep a polite distance from strangers. At work it is focused and does not give up easily.123
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A working hound built for steep ground; The Royal Kennel Club advises more than two hours of exercise daily, and scent work or tracking suits it well.41
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
A weekly brush is enough for the short coat, which does shed.4
The story where it all began
After the big hunting estates broke up in the mid-1800s, hunters needed a lighter tracking hound for the mountains. From about 1870 Baron Karg-Bebenburg crossed Hanoverian scent hounds with red mountain hounds to create it, and the breed club was founded in Munich in 1912.12
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its German name, Gebirgsschweißhund, refers to following a blood trail in the mountains.2
- 2
It looks like a smaller, lighter version of the Hanoverian scent hound, one of its main ancestors.4
- 3
It became the favourite partner of Bavarian professional hunters and gamekeepers.3
- 4
The FCI standard lists it as a specialist for finding hoofed game in difficult mountain terrain, confirmed through working trials.1
Recognised by the official bits
- FCI
- Standard no. 217, Group 6 (Scent hounds and related breeds), Section 2 Leash (scent) hounds, with working trial; standard dated 22.09.2017, country of origin Germany.1
- The Royal Kennel Club
- Hound group; not a vulnerable native breed.4
- UKC
- Scenthound Group; recognised 1 January 1996.3
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Bavarian Mountain Hound. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Brushingevery week
- Bathevery 8 weeks
- Nail trimSooner if you hear clicking on the floorevery month
- Ear checkFloppy ears trap moisture, so check and dry themevery week
- Teeth brushingDaily brushing is idealevery 2 days
- ExerciseDaily walks and playevery day
- Flea, tick and worm protectionSchedule as your vet recommendsas your vet recommends
- Vet check-upSenior years usually start around age 8every year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FCI standard no. 217 Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound fci.beused for recognition, size, weight, coat, colours, temperament, history
- Wikipedia: Bavarian Mountain Hound en.wikipedia.orgused for names, history, facts
- UKC: Bavarian Mountain Hound ukcdogs.comused for recognition, temperament, coat, colours, facts
- The Royal Kennel Club: Bavarian Mountain Hound royalkennelclub.comused for recognition, exercise, grooming, facts
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.