The breeds · scenthound · scenthound

UKC Scenthound · FCI standard 51

Finnish Hound.

FCI 51 utilization: a hound for hunting hare and fox by following the scent; eager to hunt also in difficult circumstances; works independently, a versatile tracker, and pursues the quarry with resonant barking. Temperament: calm, energetic and friendly, never aggressive. UKC: used as a fox and hare hunter; calm, energetic and friendly. History (FCI): after the Finnish Kennel Club was founded in 1889 the breed was developed from Finnish country dogs and hounds resembling European breeds; first standard written 1932. Wikipedia (Finnish): bred to run in hilly country and cope with deep snow, where Russian hounds were too heavy and Swedish, English and German dogs unsuited; built by crossing Nordic, German, Swiss and English hounds; very strong hunting instinct, may go off hunting on its own; mostly friendly to children and other dogs. Wikipedia (English): developed from French, German and Swedish hounds; one of Finland's most popular breeds..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

45–55LBWeight, all linesbreed 45 to 55 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 20 to 24 in · bitches 20 to 24 in

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1997

Low and high span FCI, UKC and English Wikipedia (breed-wide). No center.

Weight

45 to 55 lb

EditorialWikipedia (English)

Editorial only. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Coat

FCI 51: undercoat short, dense and soft; outer coat medium in length, close-lying, straight, dense and rather harsh; tricoloured: black mantle, rich tan on head, lower body, shoulders, upper thighs and legs, white markings usually on head, neck, forechest, lower legs and tail tip. UKC: double coat, medium-length straight dense harsh outer and short dense soft undercoat; typical hound tricolour. Wikipedia (English): short, dense, coarse coat, tricolour with tan, black saddle and small white markings; smooth short coat easy to maintain, average shedders.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1997

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Double coat: medium-length straight dense harsh outer coat and a short dense soft undercoat (FCI 51, UKC)

DerivedFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1997

Derived from the coat description (medium double = 3). No measured data.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Wikipedia (English): energetic working dogs with great stamina; need long, brisk daily walking and plenty of running and playing free. FCI 51: calm, energetic and friendly.

EditorialWikipedia (English)

Text only; no minutes stated. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Grooming

Wikipedia (English): the smooth short coat is easy to maintain; brushing with a firm bristle brush, dry shampoo occasionally, no bathing unless very dirty; average shedders.

EditorialWikipedia (English)

Single editorial source; no RKC or AKC band.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1997

Finnish Wikipedia also records that registrations fell from 3,500 to 4,000 a year in the 1980s and 1990s to a little over 600 puppies born in 2025, with hare hunting overshadowed by deer hunting. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Primary game

FCI 51: hare and fox. UKC: fox and hare. Wikipedia (English): originally bred for hunting hare and fox. Wikipedia (Finnish): hare and fox.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1997

All four sources agree.

Search pattern

FCI 51: works independently; a versatile tracker; pursues the quarry with resonant barking. Wikipedia (Finnish): finds the quarry's track and follows it until it finds the animal, usually resting in daytime hunting; drives it from its bed and chases it barking until the hunter shoots the game or calls the dog off. Wikipedia (English): passionate barking; energetic in the hunt. FCI gait: trots lightly and effectively with a long-reaching stride.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1997

Single hound on the line, voice carried to the gun: stated by FCI (independent, barking) and Finnish Wikipedia (drives to the shooter). Pack work is not stated. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Field trial standard

FCI classification: Group 6 Scenthounds, Section 1.2 Medium-sized Hounds, 'With working trial'. Wikipedia (Finnish): the first Finnish drive trials (ajokoe) were held in 1893; dogs admitted to breed registration were required to be handsome and to hold a prize from a drive trial. Trial rules were not read.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1997

Registry classification and trial history only; the Finnish Kennel Club / Suomen Ajokoirajarjesto trial rules were not reached.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia (Finnish, citing Finnish Kennel Club data): main health problems are hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and cerebellar ataxia. About 66 percent have healthy hips (grades A and B) and 9 percent moderate or severe hip dysplasia (D and E); elbow growth disorders in 19 percent. Cerebellar ataxia (an early-onset coordination disorder) was once a major problem; a gene test (SEL1L) now exists and about 10 percent of Finnish Hounds carry the recessive variant. Rarer: bite faults, undescended testicles, umbilical hernia, cleft palate, knee faults, kinked tail, inherited skin and heart disease. Average life span 9 to 10 years for dogs that died in 2010 to 2025, lowered by accidents in young dogs; common causes of death are old age, cancer and heart disease. Wikipedia (English): cerebellar ataxia traced to a SEL1L mutation (Kyostila et al. 2012, PLOS Genetics); life expectancy about 12 years.

EditorialWikipedia (Finnish)

Finnish Wikipedia's figures are cited to Finnish Kennel Club databases, which were not read at the source; English Wikipedia's 12 years is uncited. Lifespan figures disagree and are not placed in median_lifespan_yr (no Dogs Trust row). The SEL1L paper is cited by Wikipedia and was not read.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

FICerebellar ataxia (SEL1L) DNA testDNA test (available; about 10 percent carriers per Finnish Wikipedia) · Wikipedia (Finnish), "Suomenajokoira" (read via Internet Archive; the article cites Finnish Kennel Club and breed association material)
FIElbow dysplasia imaging statementFinnish Kennel Club PEVISA programme (mandatory for breeding dogs, per Finnish Wikipedia) · Wikipedia (Finnish), "Suomenajokoira" (read via Internet Archive; the article cites Finnish Kennel Club and breed association material)
FIHip dysplasia imaging statementFinnish Kennel Club PEVISA programme (mandatory for breeding dogs, per Finnish Wikipedia) · Wikipedia (Finnish), "Suomenajokoira" (read via Internet Archive; the article cites Finnish Kennel Club and breed association material)

No KENAI kennel lists the Finnish Hound yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 3 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: Suomenajokoira, Finnish Bracke, Finnstover, Finskstøver

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