Dog breed · Italy
The Segugio Italiano a Pelo Forte or Italian Rough-haired Segugio is an Italian breed of wire-haired dog of scent hound type. It is one of two types of Segugio Italiano, the other being the short-haired Segugio Italiano a Pelo Raso, which – apart from the coat type – is closely similar but slightly smaller. Both are genetically close to the other two Italian scent hound breeds, the Segugio Maremmano and the Segugio dell'Appennino.
It is traditionally used for hunting hare, but may also be used in boar hunts. In 2009 there were 1740 new registrations in the national stud-book.
Characteristics: The Segugio Italiano a Pelo Forte is of medium size. Apart from the coat type, it is very similar to the short-haired Segugio, but is slightly larger. Dogs usually stand 52–60 cm in height at the withers and weigh 20–[dose — ask your vet]; bitches are about 2 cm shorter and weigh on average [dose — ask your vet] less. The length of the body is approximately the same as the height at the withers, so that the body appears approximately square in shape when seen from the side.
The coat is coarse and rough, though no more than 5 cm long; this may have made it particularly suitable for hunting in cooler mountainous areas. Two coat colours are recognised: any shade of fawn-coloured, varying from deep fox-red to very pale; and black-and-tan. Some white markings to the face and chest are tolerated.
It displays some characteristics of both scent hounds and sight hounds. It has the long legs, tucked-up loins and roached (slightly convex) back typical of a sight hound, while the head has scent hound features including the low-set pendulous ears. It has a long, tapering muzzle with thin lips that are not pendulous. The tail is long and tapered, and is usually carried high when hunting, making it easy to see where the dog is.
Characteristics: The Segugio Italiano a Pelo Forte is of medium size. Apart from the coat type, it is very similar to the short-haired Segugio, but is slightly larger. Dogs usually stand 52–60 cm in height at the withers and weigh 20–[dose — ask your vet]; bitches are about 2 cm shorter and weigh on average [dose — ask your vet] less. The length of the body is approximately the same as the height at the withers, so that the body appears approximately square in shape when seen from the side.
The coat is coarse and rough, though no more than 5 cm long; this may have made it particularly suitable for hunting in cooler mountainous areas. Two coat colours are recognised: any shade of fawn-coloured, varying from deep fox-red to very pale; and black-and-tan. Some white markings to the face and chest are tolerated.
It displays some characteristics of both scent hounds and sight hounds. It has the long legs, tucked-up loins and roached (slightly convex) back typical of a sight hound, while the head has scent hound features including the low-set pendulous ears. It has a long, tapering muzzle with thin lips that are not pendulous. The tail is long and tapered, and is usually carried high when hunting, making it easy to see where the dog is.
History: The origins of the breed are unknown but are believed to be ancient. In some Ancient Roman statues, including two in the Vatican Museums in Rome and one in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, Diana the Huntress is portrayed accompanied by a hunting dog which is thought to show some similarity to the modern Segugio Italiano.
Two similar skeletons of dogs of greyhound or scent hound type from a seventh-century Lombard necropolis at Povegliano in the province of Verona were described in 1995; they show some morphological similarity to the modern Segugio, except that they are taller, with a height at the withers estimated at 64 cm.
Dogs of this type were much used during the Italian Renaissance in elaborate hunts with a large number of hunt servants and hunt followers mounted on horseback.
