You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes, you get what you need. František Horák got both.

When the avid hunter from Czechoslovakia got no satisfaction with the dogs with which he’d hunted (and suddenly, we detect a musical theme), he set out to make his own perfect hunting terrier. He had diligently studied up on Scottish Terriers and hunted over them, but he wanted a dog that would hunt in a pack (can anyone else can hear Scottie owners chuckling about now?), something that rarely happened with his Scotties. Too, he felt that Scotties were too large chested, and a bit too independent (we’re hearing that chucking again).

Thinking that a Sealyham Terrier would be the polar opposite of a Scottie, Horák acquired a few over whom he hunted, but they weren’t what he had in mind, either.  He wanted a mobile dog with a narrower chest, moderate head, drop ears that protected the orifice when the dogs were in a badger den, longer legs, and an “on/off” switch.

The Sealys had to get off his cloud, too (groan).

By combining the two breeds, and refining the breed to breed true over the years, Horák created the Cesky Terrier which had the physical attributes he wanted, as well as his ideal temperament for a working terrier: Aggressive when hunting, easily handled in all situations, and a dog that transitioned easily from hunter to a family pet. That first dog was whelped in 1956, a bitch named, ‘Halali’, now considered to be the “pillar of the breed.”

Horák had created a dog whose oblong body could hunt over his country’s rough rocky terrain. His new breed has the basic build of a Sealy and Scottie, but they have a springy, flexible ribcage that’s round rather than deep. Because the Cesky’s loin is so strong and muscular, its rump appears to be higher than the withers, and a low set tail is carried as an extension of the topline rather than being set high set tail like the Scotty or the Sealyham.

When the Cesky Terrier was recognized as the National dog of the former Czechoslovakia, and a stamp was issued in its honor in 1965, František had to be jumping like Jack Flash (double groan).

Cesky Terrier by LA Shepard/thedoglover
https://www.facebook.com/L.A.ShepardArt
http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/l.a.shepard/all
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheDogLover