Kennel Club breed standard can be found here  Recommended reading is: Otterhound by Juliette Cunliffe published in the UK by Interpet Publishing, Vincent Lane,  Dorking, Surrey RH4 3YX I have read this book from cover to cover and largely agree with its content, it is the closest I have read to my own  experiences. Choosing a Puppy - A Topic of Great Importance There are important points which people want to know when considering a breed for the first time and we will try to  address the main ones here:   Personality: Amiable and even tempered, good with children they have a real sense of family. They can be boisterous when greeting  new friends. They are not constantly demanding of attention, ours will spend hours in the garden and we don't hear  anything from them, however, they do love a cuddle just like any dog. Exercise: Depends to a large extent on the sex and size of your hound but all of ours have been happy with a twenty minute walk  am and pm and a longer one if possible at the weekend. Exercise in the first twelve months should be closely controlled  as with any young dog, this is when the bones are developing and it is important not to over exercise, seek guidance  from the breeder.Once over twelve months they will happily adjust to whatever you have time for provided you do give  them regular walks.Walking is a great social event for any dog and even more so for a 'pack' dog, the more of you there  are the more they love it. Can you let them off the lead? We don't, with the advent of the flexi lead and the busy roads everywhere we prefer not  to, but we speak to owners who do and when the dogs are older we will. They do love to pick up a scent and if the  ground is damp have particularly active noses. Do they chase things? No they don't, we are often asked this as they were originally hunting dogs but they are scent  hounds, not sight hounds and like most dogs would have to be trained to pick something up, if something runs across  the garden then our hounds will trot after it out of curiosity, they are only interested in sniffing it if they catch up to it.  Training: These are sensitive, intelligent dogs with a strong sense of pack hierarchy. They will assume you are pack leader unless  you are inconsistant with your instruction to them in which case as with any dog they may become confused. They  easily respond to the usual basic training and I have done an obedience class and know friends who do agility with  theirs. They are all rounders, if you want to excel at something then teach them to track, that is their area of expertise! Continued Here