The Drever is no doubt one of the great favourites among Swedish hunters. No other hunting scent hound shares its popularity in numbers. The breed derives from the German breed Westphalian Dachsbracke, and one could say that the Drever is a Dachsbracke adjusted to Swedish terrain and game.
The breed was recognised in 1947 and is famous for its exceptional hunting ability. The Drever is thought of almost as a necessity when it comes to hunting roebuck. The breed is suited for hunting in smaller areas and is also much appreciated for hunting hare. Before the 1980s, when fox was so dramatically reduced by mange, the Drever was also used for hunting fox.
The breed is kept by hunters and is rarely “just” a companion dog. Its gameness has given it the nickname “hunting-machine”.
Appearance and size
The strong, fairly long body is robust and the well-muscled, strong neck has good reach. Their short legs also make them very suitable for hunting roe deer. The short, hard and close lying coat might be of any colour in combination with white trimmings, except for an all white, or liver brown colour, which is not accepted. The most common colour is tan with or without a black mantel and with white trimmings.
Height at withers for males is ideally 35 cm but allowance is between 32 and 38 cm. For females it is ideally 33 cm with acceptance between 30 and 36 cm.
Breed registration statistics
Below you can find the registration statistics for the Drever in the Nordic countries from 1990 onwards.
| | Sweden | Denmark | Finland | Iceland | Norway |
|---|
| 2015 |
698 |
10 |
214 |
0 |
232 |
|---|
| 2010 |
705 |
8 |
278 |
0 |
245 |
|---|
| 2005 |
929 |
6 |
223 |
0 |
227 |
|---|
| 2000 |
1050 |
14 |
202 |
0 |
267 |
|---|
| 1995 |
1572 |
19 |
241 |
0 |
433 |
|---|
| 1990 |
2294 |
24 |
231 |
0 |
355 |
|---|