KENAI
Otterhound

The breeds · scenthound · scenthound

AKC Hound · UKC Scenthound · FCI standard 294

Otterhound.

FCI 294: big, strong hound primarily built for a long day's work in water, but able to gallop on land. AKC standard: hunts its quarry on land and in water; an extremely sensitive nose, inquisitive and perseverant in investigating scents; a combination unique among hounds of a rough double coat and substantial webbed feet. UKC: bred to hunt the large European otter; a long day's work in the water or on land. RKC: weather-resistant oily double coat, webbed feet and scenting powers 'make him fit for his original function'. Wikipedia: used in packs; a pack was said to need a Bulldog's courage, a Newfoundland's strength in water and a Pointer's nose..

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.

27 / 24INHeightdogs 27, bitches 24. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
65–115LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 75 to 115 lb; breed bitches 65 to 100 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayRKC: more than 2 hours per day.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

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

Height at the shoulder

dogs 27 in (24 to 27.2) · bitches 24 in (23 to 26)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1995

Center is the figure AKC and FCI both print as approximate. Low and high span UKC.

Weight

dogs 75 to 115 lb · bitches 65 to 100 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1995

AKC prints an approximate figure only; no center.

Coat

AKC: rough double coat is essential; dense, rough, coarse, crisp outer coat of broken appearance, 2 to 4 in on the back; short woolly slightly oily undercoat essential; shown natural, no sculpting; any color. UKC: the same wording; albinism disqualifies. FCI: 4 to 8 cm, dense, rough, harsh, waterproof but not wiry; not trimmed for exhibition; all recognised hound colours.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1995

Shedding

Shedding 2 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · AKC: rough, double coat; dense, rough, coarse, crisp outer coat 2 to 4 in on the back over a short, woolly, slightly oily water-resistant undercoat. FCI: long 4 to 8 cm, dense, rough, harsh, waterproof; undercoat evident.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1995

Derived from the standards' coat description (heavy rough double coat = 2). No measured data.

The dog at home

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

Exercise need

RKC: more than 2 hours per day.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule.

Energy

3 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · RKC: grooming more than once a week; medium coat; sheds. (AKC breed page coat grooming band 2, not mapped.)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule.

The work

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

Role

FCI 294: big, strong hound primarily built for a long day's work in water, but able to gallop on land. AKC standard: hunts its quarry on land and in water; an extremely sensitive nose, inquisitive and perseverant in investigating scents; a combination unique among hounds of a rough double coat and substantial webbed feet. UKC: bred to hunt the large European otter; a long day's work in the water or on land. RKC: weather-resistant oily double coat, webbed feet and scenting powers 'make him fit for his original function'. Wikipedia: used in packs; a pack was said to need a Bulldog's courage, a Newfoundland's strength in water and a Pointer's nose.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 294

FCI, AKC, UKC, RKC and Wikipedia.

Primary game

Otter, historically. FCI: otter hunting is banned today. Wikipedia: otter hunting ceased in Britain in 1978 when the otter became a protected species; some hunts switched to mink or coypu, and the Pembroke and Carmarthenshire Minkhounds are the only pack today with a pure Otterhound pack.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 294

FCI history and Wikipedia.

Also used on

Mink and coypu (Wikipedia: some otter hunts switched to them after 1978; hounds passed to newly founded minkhound packs).

EditorialWikipedia

Wikipedia only.

Search pattern

FCI 294: a typical loud baying call used to indicate it has found prey of interest. The scent of an otter is called a drag on land and a wash in water; an Otterhound can follow a drag for up to twelve hours and may swim for five hours following a wash. AKC: extremely sensitive nose, inquisitive and perseverant. Pack work (Wikipedia).

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 294

FCI historical summary; durations are the FCI's own, not a distance.

Field trial standard

FCI classifies the Otterhound 'without working trial'. No trial or hunt-test rules were read.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 294

FCI classification only.

Water work

AKC: hunts on land and water; webbed feet and a water-resistant undercoat are essential. FCI: built for a long day's work in water; webbed feet must be in evidence; may swim five hours following a wash. UKC: webbed feet; membranes connecting the toes.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1995

Cold water

5 of 5 · AKC and UKC: a water-resistant, slightly oily undercoat under a rough double coat and substantial webbed feet, for a hound that hunts on land and in water. FCI: oily coat, webbed feet; may swim five hours following a wash.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1995

Derived from coat and the breed's water work (waterproof oily double coat, webbed feet). No measured data.

How common the problems are

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

Hip dysplasia

47.1% · 650 OFA hip evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 8 2026; 47.1% dysplastic (mild 27.1, moderate 14.0, severe 6.0), 50.0% normal (excellent 2.0, good 25.7, fair 22.3)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics (rank 11). OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented.

Elbow dysplasia

33.2% · 265 OFA elbow evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 8 2026; 33.2% abnormal (grade 1 28.3, grade 2 4.5, grade 3 0.4), 66.8% normal

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics (rank 9). Small n and breeding-stock skew.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia (citing a UK breed club member survey): life expectancy 10.21 years; gastric dilatation volvulus in 9% of Otterhounds and 7.4% of deaths. OFA: hips 47.1% and elbows 33.2% abnormal. RKC: lifespan band over 10 years; vulnerable native breed (Wikipedia: about 600 dogs in 2012).

EditorialWikipedia

Survey figures are secondhand through Wikipedia; the paper was not read. Not entered as a measured lifespan.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 5; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 2; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 3; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

No KENAI kennel lists the Otterhound 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. 6 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

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