Drever puppies

About the Drever

The Drever is a Swedish scent hound bred down from a German dachsbracke to trail and drive deer slowly enough for a hunter to get ahead of them. Built low and long, this is a hound on short straight legs, with a short weatherproof coat, usually tricolour or tan with white markings. Drevers are cheerful and even tempered, easy in company, and rate at the top of the scale for both children and other pets. They are also loud, which is exactly what they were bred to be.

A Drever needs daily activity, walks, hiking, running alongside a bike, and above all something to follow with their nose. Give them tracking or barn hunt work and they will settle on the sofa happily afterwards. Grooming is minimal, an occasional brush and bath. Two things catch owners out: the voice, which carries a long way and cannot really be trained away, and the nose, which will take an untested recall straight over the horizon.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Drever puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Intervertebral disc disease, which the long back and short legs predispose to and which is diagnosed on imaging
• Hip dysplasia, screened by x-ray evaluation of breeding stock
• Ear infections in the low hanging ears, caught by regular ear checks
• Weight gain, which loads the spine and is managed by measuring meals

Your Drever puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Drever.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 15.9 to 18.1 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 30 inch (30 x 20 x 23 in, 76 x 51 x 58 cm) for an adult of up to 18.1 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

More on the Drever

Previous: Drentsche Patrijshond · Next: Dutch Shepherd

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Drever breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/drever/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Per Killingmo. Norway (dog owner), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.