Koolie vs Bavarian Mountain Hound - Breed Comparison

The Koolie's ancestors were both the smooth coated blue merle Collie as well as the Black and Tan Collie. The dog hails from Australia.

Looking much like the Heeler dog, the Koolie is thought to have got its name from German immigrants to Australia who couldn’t pronounce the name ‘collie’ properly, so the name came out as Koolie. The Koolie of today is a product of a cross between the German Koolie and the Australian Dingo.

The dog has been around for a long time and in 2000, the Koolie Club of Australia was formed. It was in 2004 that the Koolie was recognized by the Australian Sporting Registrar. In May 2006, the Stockdog Committee of the Australian Shepherd Club of America accepted the Koolie as a recognized and accepted herding breed.

The Bavarian Mountain Hound was originally bred mixing the Bavarian Hound and the Hanover Hound. They decided to mix these breeds in a hope that the new breed will have the best of the parents. Actually, it turned out better than they could even imagine, since they created a great family dog, with magnificent stamina, quiet temperament and supersensitive nose that made them great hunters.

Known also as the German Koolie or German Collie, the Koolie is a working- or herding dog standing at between 40 – 60cm in height and weighing up to 24kg.

The Koolie's coat is a merle coat pattern in red or black and possibly with some tan and is mostly short and smooth, though it can be medium length too. Depending on the coat color – red or black – the nose and eyes can be either brown or black, although eye color can also be blue or yellowish.

Temperament:

The Koolie is such a wonderful pet who has some excellent characteristics to his name. He is active, energetic, fun, clever, friendly and playful, but if you have him trained and socialized he becomes even more of a great family pet. He is intelligent too and will require an owner who is steady, firm, fair and consistent. You wouldn't call him an aggressive dog

The Bavarian Mountain Hound is a medium sized breed of a dog. They have larger bones, but there is a very low risk of obesity. This is a very active dog, with a very muscular body. Their bone structure defines in a wide chest, and their back legs set a little bit higher than the front legs. They have strong necks and pear-shaped heads. They have strong jaws, ideal for a hunting dog. They are very specific because of their big brown eyes. The Bavarian Mountain Hound is a perfect pet. First of all, he is not a pack dog. He gets attached to his family and he is not very friendly with strangers. If they are trained well, they will never attack a stranger but they will bark and let you know that something isn’t right.

Many people today like the idea of a ‘wild’ animal as a pet, and the Koolie, with his Dingo ancestry, can be a challenging dog breed to keep. People eventually blame these animals for having a poor temperament – meantime all they are essentially, are high-energy animals.

If you keep a Koolie, it will be better if you were a firm, kind, patient, consistent dog owner who understands the special needs of these kinds of dogs. They’re an energetic, care-free animals who will do better on a large property or farm as he is lively and will need a good deal of exercise.

He is quite capable of being a splendid pet with training and socialization and will settle down well to family life when he is loved and cared for.

Special talents: Since the Bavarian Mountain Hound is born with a strong scent, they are great for hunting. They can be trained to be search dogs.

Adaptability

If you live slow and quiet life indoors, maybe the Bavarian Mountain Hound is not the best choice for you. They are a calm breed, they do not bark a lot, but they need daily outdoor activity. They usually get attached to the owner, but in case you raise this dog in a family, they will be attached to adults and the children. They are very good while playing and living with the children, but if you usually have a lot of other children or strangers in a house, he will adapt to that kind of social life very easy.

It is very important that you start an early socialization of your Bavarian Mountain Hound. In situations where you raise this breed without the social life, they will have difficulties when they find themselves in situations with other animals. If you raise this breed with other animals in the same home, they will learn to play with other dogs, cats etc.

Learning ability

Bavarian Mountain Hound is not easy to train because they get easy distracted with smelling something more interesting than listening to your commands. It is not advised to have this breed as your first pet because they need an experienced trainer with a lot of patience and understanding.

The Koolie is a long-lived dog and there are records of it being able to reach 18 years of age. Because they have a diverse gene pool, you won’t find many genetic problems with this dog.

It is always wise when you’re the owner of a dog, to look out for his health and wellbeing -

Vaccination:

This is to prevent your Koolie picking up fatal diseases such as distemper and parvo-virus. Dogs can be vaccinated from 6 weeks of age for protection.

Parasites:

Working dogs like the Koolie are susceptible to parasites such as tapeworm. Worming of your dog can be included in your vet visit. Dogs with worms may show tell-tale signs such as being pot bellied, very pale gums, anemia and a dull, thinned coat.

A look at his droppings may reveal white segments or worms. Fleas are another kind of parasite and they breed quickly in warm months. Mange is a skin disease caused by small parasitic mites which can actually live inside the hair follicles of dogs. Veterinary treatment will be required.

Heat Stroke:

This is when your pet’s temperature rises out of control. Dogs pant to reduce their body temperature so a dog puffing heavily is putting in extra work to reduce his body temperature.

Never leave you pet in a boiling hot car as the body becomes weak and he has difficulty with breathing. Without immediate treatment, the dog will collapse and die.

The Bavarian Mountain Hound is a quiet type of the dog. They don’t ask for a lot of attention and even if they develop some health issues you will have a hard time finding it out. So, the regular vet checks are a necessity. They usually suffer from an ear infection. The vet will usually check for a hip or an elbow dysplasia since those diseases occur with highly active breeds. Some irritations with eyelids are also found in the medical history of this breed but they are generally very rare.

Training:

The Koolie is an intelligent dog that will benefit from training and socialization to make him obedient and able to cope in diverse situations.

Exercise:

These dogs show an untiring enthusiasm for exercise and work and wherever you live, you will need to ensure that he gets regular exercise.

Diet:

Only the very best - both home-made and commercially manufactured food - will be good enough for this energetic dog. Good quality food ensures health and longevity. Always see that there is a constant supply of fresh, cool water.

Relaxing Time:

Make sure that your dog has a warm, dry place to sleep inside and that when outside, he has a cool, sheltered spot from the sun.

Diet tips

There is a big difference in feeding the Bavarian Mountain Hound since you can raise him to be a pet or a dog for hunting. If you decided to keep this breed as a pet, they will do just fine with one of the dry foods that are good quality. If you want to raise them as a hunting dog, an active dog, then they will need a high-quality dry food and occasionally some raw minced meat.

Diet tips for puppies

High-quality food for puppies with a lot of nutrients that will help in growing the healthy bones and beautiful coat.

Points for Good Health

Since they have a short coat, the Bavarian Mountain Hounds don’t need a regular or any special kind of grooming. They will do just fine with occasional brushing. They don’t shed a lot, but in a season when they do you are free to brush them more regularly. They enjoy the brushings, cuddles, scratching, belly rubs - they are very lovable breed. But, as advised, take them to regular vet check because they can be very quiet even when they feel the pain.

Games and Exercises

The Bavarian Mountain Hound has a gene of a working dog and that is the reason why they need a lot of the activity on a daily basis. No matter if you take him to walk, run or a bike ride, they will love it. They do not like being on the leash since they love to use their nose to play. If you socialise them well, the dog park will be a great thing for them.