Unusual Breed: Dunker

A Dunker in one of the two acceptable colors.

The Dunker is not a very well known breed outside of its native Norway. It is, perhaps, the only breed of hound that comes in merle. Also unique is the fact that this breed is saddled merle rather than tan pointed or solid. This is also quite unusual. The breed is one of the numerous medium-sized hound breeds found in the world, but one of only a few that come from Norway. It comes in two colors: black saddled tan and marbled (merle) saddled tan, both with white markings. A mask is apparently allowed, but not as accepted as a lack of a mask. In addition, a dog with white crossing into the saddle is also penalized, and a dog more than half white is to be disqualified from showing.

The breed is meant to be somewhat heavily built, durable, and should have endurance. The standard seems to emphasize characteristics required for a successful working hound, including such traits as a muscular build, "wide nostrils," and a hard coat covering durable skin. The breed should be good-natured, with aggressiveness being the only other trait that can disqualify a dog.

The only health information that I could find on the breed is that it can sometimes have hip dysplasia. 

Sources are the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, Pet Health & Care, and Dr. Bruce Fogle's The New Encyclopedia of the Dog. Image is from Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license.