 |
Hound Group of the AKC Dog Breeds
Hund Group Dachshund Breed
The Hound Group - General Information
The hound dog group is one the oldest groups of dogs, aiding humans by pursuing and catching their quarry. The sighthounds pursue by sight and include the fast-running dogs of greyhound build, whereas the scenthounds pursue by scent and include the more solidly built dogs of general foxhund build. Some breeds hunt by both sight and scent, and a few breeds do not seem like hound dogs at all. Again, all these breeds have in common the independent pursuit of mammalian quarry. As such, they traditionally could not wait for the hunter's direction; they led the way. A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry.
There are three types, with several breeds belonging to each type
Sighthounds
Also called gazehounds, they follow their prey predominantly by speed, keeping it in sight. These dogs are very fast and will catch and kill game (e.g., hares, gazelles, deer) by themselves.
Afghan Hound
Borzoi
Greyhound
Irish Wolfhound
Saluki
Scottish Deerhound
Whippet
Scenthounds
This type follows prey or others (like missing people) by tracking their scent. These scenthound dogs have endurance but are not fast runners.
American English Coonhound
American Foxhound
Basset
Beagle
Black and Tan Coonhound
Bloodhound
Bluetick Coonhound
Dachshund
English Foxhound
Harrier
Norwegian Elkhound
Otterhound
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen
Plott Redbone
Coonhound
The "other" hounds
This type follows prey by both sight and scent. These breeds are difficult to classify other than to say they are neither sighthounds nor scenthounds.
Basenji
Ibizan Hound
Pharaoh Hound
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Sight hounds Appearance
Borzoi Hounds Group
These dogs specialize in pursuing prey, keeping it in sight, and overpowering it by their great speed and agility. They must be able to quickly detect motion, so they have keen vision. Sighthounds must be able to capture fast, agile prey such as deer and hare, so they have a very flexible back and long legs for a long stride, a deep chest to support an unusually (compared to other dogs) large heart, very efficient lungs for both anaerobic and aerobic sprints, and a lean, wiry body to keep their weight at a minimum.
The typical sighthound type also has a light, lean head, which is referred to as being dolichocephalism in its proportions. This shape can create the illusion that their heads are longer than usual. Wolves and other wild dogs are dolichocephalism, but most domesticated dogs have become Brach cephalic (short-headed) due to artificial selection by humans over the course of 12,000 years. This change in head shape is closely associated with major neuroanatomical changes, but it is not clear whether these also lead to differences in behavior. Dogs with different skull shapes may behave differently, but this is not entirely consistent. It has been suggested that brachycephaly may be a neotenic trait, i.e., retention of juvenile traits, because dogs have been artificially selected for traits such as cuteness, intelligence, and ability to be domesticated, all of which are stronger in juvenile dogs Brach cephalic breeds are not typically selected for scent work because of poor sense of smell. Dolichocephalism breeds have a wider field of vision but small overlap between the eyes, and therefore poor depth perception in most of their field of view.
History: Sighthounds
Sight Hounds Saluki Breed
Sighthounds such as the Saluki have existed for at least 5,000 years, with the earliest presumed sighthound remains appearing in the excavations of Sumer dated approximately 7000–6000 BC. The earliest description of a sighthound in European recorded history comes from Cynegeticus, of the 2nd century AD. Although today most sighthounds are kept primarily as pets, they have been bred for thousands of years to detect movement, chase, capture, and kill prey primarily by speed. They thrive on physical activity. Some have mellow personalities, others are watchful or even hostile towards strangers, but the instinct to chase running animals remains strong.
Apart from coursing, open-field coursing, and hunting, various dog sports are practiced with purebred sight dogs, and sometimes with Lurchers and Long dogs. Such sports include racing, lure coursing, and other events.
Scent Hounds
Beagle Hound and Puppies
(Scenthounds) are a type of canine that primarily hunt by scent rather than sight. The Scent breeds are generally regarded as having some of the most sensitive noses among canines.
Scenthounds specialize in following a smell or scent. Most of these breeds have long, drooping ears. One theory says that this trait helps to collect scent from the air and keep it near the dog's face and nose. They also have large nasal cavities, the better to process scent. They are typically loose, moist lips are said to assist in trapping scent particles.
Most of these breeds have deep, booming voices and use them actively when running, and especially when following a scent trail. Although this can be a nuisance in settled areas, a valuable trait allows the dog's handler to follow the dog or pack of dogs
during a hunt even when they are out of sight, such as when following a fox or raccoon through woodland.
Scenthounds do not need to be as fast as sight dogs because they do not need to keep prey in sight, but they need endurance so that they can stick with a scent and follow it for long distances over rough terrain. The best scenthounds can follow a scent trail even across running water and even when it is several days old, which is a considerable amount more than a sight dogs. Most scenthounds are used for hunting in packs, sometimes with multiple dogs in a single pack. Longer-legged hounds run more quickly and usually require that the hunters follow on horseback; shorter-legged dogs allow hunters to follow on foot. Hunting with some breeds, such as German bracke, American Foxhounds, or coonhounds, involves allowing the pack of dogs to run freely while the hunters wait in a fixed spot until the dogs' baying announces that the game has been "treed". The hunters then go to the spot on foot, following the sound of the dogs' baying.
Basset Hound Dog and Puppy
Scenthounds As pets
Scenthounds are often kept as pets, especially the Beagle, Basset Hound and PBGV. As pets, most scent dogs are good with children, good with dogs, and many are good with other pets. However, scenthounds are often stubborn, distracted, difficult to train, and some breeds will chase cats or other small mammals that resemble the prey they were bred to hunt. Many breeds are bred as show/pet dogs rather than as hunting/field dogs.
Hound Group to ---> Top of Page
Hound Group to ---> Home Page (Best Dog Photos)
|
|
