A hound is a

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

hunting dog A hunting dog is a canine that hunts with or for hunters. There are several different types of hunting dog developed for various tasks and purposes. The major categories of hunting dog include hounds, terriers, dachshunds, cur type dogs, and g ...

used by hunters to

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

or chase prey.

Description

Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

s were the first

s. They have either a powerful sense of smell, great speed, or both. There are three types of hound, with several

s type: *

Sighthound Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are a Dog type, type of dog, hounds that hunt primarily by sight and speed, rather than by scent and endurance as scent hounds do. Appearance These dogs specialize in pursuing prey, keeping it in sight, an ...

s (also called ''gazehounds'') follow prey predominantly by speed, keeping it in sight. These dogs are fast and assist hunters in catching

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

, and

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

. * Scenthounds follow prey or others (like missing people) by tracking its scent. These dogs have endurance, but are not fast runners. * The remaining breeds of hound follow their prey using both sight and scent. They are difficult to classify, as they are neither strictly sighthounds nor strictly scenthounds.

List of hound breeds

Afghan Hound The Afghan Hound is a hound that is distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat and its tail with a ring curl at the end. The breed is selectively bred for its unique features in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Its local name is ( ps, تاژ ...

Africanis The Africanis is a dog landrace found across southern Africa. Description As is typical with landraces, there are several regional variations, believed to be the result of isolation and, to a limited degree, deliberate breeding. Some modern w ...

Alpine Dachsbracke The Alpine Dachsbracke (german: Alpenländische Dachsbracke) is a small breed of dog of the scent hound type originating in Austria. The Alpine Dachsbracke was bred to track wounded deer as well as boar, hare, and fox. It is highly efficient at f ...

American Foxhound The American Foxhound is a breed of dog that is a cousin of the English Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent. History In 1650, Robert Brooke sailed from England to Maryland with his pack of hunting dogs, which were th ...

* American Leopard Hound * Andalusian Hound * Artois Hound *

Austrian Black and Tan Hound The Austrian Black and Tan Hound is a breed of dog originating in Austria. History There is no known history of the Austrian Black and Tan Hound until after the middle of the 19th century. This large sized hound was used for tracking woun ...

* Azawakh * Basenji * Basset Artesien Normand * Basset Bleu de Gascogne * Basset Fauve de Bretagne * Basset Hound *

Bavarian Mountain Hound The Bavarian Mountain Hound (German: ''Bayerischer Gebirgsschweißhund'') is a breed of dog from Germany. As a scent hound, it has been used in Germany since the early 20th century to trail wounded game. It is a cross between the Bavarian Hound a ...

* Beagle *

Beagle-Harrier The Beagle-Harrier is a scenthound. It is a breed of dog originating from France. Characteristics Appearance The Beagle-Harrier appears to be either a large Beagle or a small Harrier. It is a medium-sized dog, between tall at the withers,< ...

Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a youn ...

Black and Tan Coonhound The Black and Tan Coonhound is a breed of hunting dog. Developed in the United States from crosses between the Bloodhound and the Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound, this scent hound runs its game entirely by scent and is used primarily for rac ...

* Blackmouth Cur * Bloodhound * Bluetick Coonhound * Borzoi * Bosnian Broken-haired Hound *

Briquet Griffon Vendéen A Briquet Griffon Vendéen is a breed of hunting dog originating in France. Prior to the first World War it was bred down in size by the Comte d’Elva from the Grand Griffon Vendéen. The Briquet Griffon Vendéen was almost extinct after ...

Chippiparai The Chippiparai is a breed of sighthound from the State of Tamil Nadu in southern India. The Chippiparai has typical streamlined sighthound features with long legs and a lean and lithe frame built for speed. The breed is usually white in colour, a ...

* Cirneco dell'Etna *

Combai The Kombai or Polygar dog is a breed of working dog native to Tamil Nadu in Southern India. Traditionally kept for guarding and protection, they have a reputation for making excellent guard dogs. they were also occasionally used for hunting big ga ...

* Coonhound * Cretan Hound *

Dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: "badger dog"), also known as the wiener dog, badger dog, and sausage dog, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, and comes in a variety of c ...

Drever The Drever is a breed of dog, a short-legged scenthound from Sweden used for hunting deer and other game. The Drever is descended from the Westphalian Dachsbracke, a type of German hound called ''Bracke''. The breed name Drever was chosen thro ...

* Dumfriesshire Black and Tan Foxhound *

Estonian Hound The Estonian Hound ( et, eesti hagijas) is a scent hound-like breed, with the distinction of being the only dog breed developed in Estonia. It was bred in 1947 when the Soviet Union's national economy ministry decided that every country in the ...

English Coonhound The English Coonhound, also referred to as the American English Coonhound (by the American Kennel Club only) or the Redtick Coonhound, is a breed of coonhound that originated in and is typically bred in the Southern United States. It is descended ...

* English Foxhound * Feist *

Finnish Hound The Finnish Hound (suomenajokoira, Finnish Bracke) is a breed of dog originally bred for hunting hare and fox. Description Appearance The nob of the Finnish Hound is short, dense and coarse to the touch. The coat pattern is tricolor with ta ...

* Galgo Español * Gascon Saintongeois *

German Hound The German Hound (''Deutsche Bracke'') is a breed of dog originating in Westphalia, a region of Germany. The German Hound is of the scenthound type, used for hunting both large and small game. Appearance The German Hound is a small hound, 4 ...

* Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen * Grand Bleu de Gascogne *

Grand Fauve de Bretagne The Grand Fauve de Bretagne was a breed of scenthound from Brittany used to hunt wolves and wild boar. The Grand Fauve de Bretagne were large rough-coated hounds, their coats were short, dense and harsh, and they were a uniform pale golden-brown ...

Grand Griffon Vendéen A Grand Griffon Vendéen is a breed of hunting dog originating in France. It was the first of the Vendée griffons to be bred from the Greffier whose lineage dates back to the 16th Century. There are also several other breeds of Griffons fro ...

Greek Harehound The Greek Harehound ( gr, Ελληνικός Ιχνηλάτης; FCI No. 214) is a rare breed of dog that only comes in a black and tan color, originally bred as a scenthound for tracking and chasing hare in Southern Greece Greece,, or , ...

* Greyhound * Griffon Bleu de Gascogne *

Griffon Fauve de Bretagne The Griffon Fauve de Bretagne (''English: Fawn Brittany Griffon'') is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France in the region of Brittany. Appearance The Griffon Fauve de Bretagne is a medium-sized dog, 48 to 56 cm (1 ...

Hamiltonstövare The Hamiltonstövare (or Hamilton Hound) is a dog breed, breed of Scent hound, scenthound originally developed by the founder of the Swedish Kennel Club, Count Adolf Hamilton. Its ancestors include several German hounds as well as English Foxhounds ...

* Hanover Hound * Harrier * Hortaya borzaya * Ibizan Hound *

Indian pariah dog The Indian pariah dog, also known as the Indian native dog or INDog, South Asian pye dog and Desi Kutta, is a landrace of dog native to the Indian subcontinent. They have erect ears, a wedge-shaped head, and a curved tail. It is easily trainabl ...

* Italian Greyhound * Irish Wolfhound *

Istrian Coarse-haired Hound The Istrian Coarse-haired Hound ( hr, istarski oštrodlaki gonič, sl, istrski ostrodlaki gonič) is a dog breed from Croatia. It is a rough-coated scent hound still kept primarily as a hunting dog rather than as a pet. Description Appeara ...

Istrian Shorthaired Hound The Istrian Short-haired Hound (original name is ''Istarski Kratkodlaki Gonič'') is a breed of dog from Istria in Croatia, descended from a very old type of scenthound. This hound is the slightly smaller counterpart to the longer-coated Istri ...

* Kai Ken *

Kanni The Kanni (கன்னி), meaning pure (also known as the Maiden's Beastmaster), is a rare indigenous South Indian sighthound breed of dog found in the state of Tamil Nadu. Their native breeding tract is located around villages in the Ti ...

Kishu Ken The , sometimes called ''Kishu Inu'' or ''Kishu dog'', is a Japanese breed of dog. It is descended from ancient medium-sized breeds and named after the Kishu region, now Mie Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture. It was designated a living natio ...

* Lakeland Trailhound *

Lithuanian Hound The Lithuanian Hound ( lt, Lietuvių skalikas) is a rare, medium-size hunting dog from Lithuania. It is the only dog breed originating from Lithuania and dates back to the medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, the breed is not recognized by ...

* Longdog *

Lurcher A lurcher is a cross-bred dog resulting from mating a Greyhound or other sighthound with a dog of another type, commonly a herding dog or a terrier. The lurcher was for hundreds of years strongly associated with poaching; in modern times it ...

Magyar agár Magyar may refer to: * Hungarians * Hungarian language * Magyar tribes, fundamental political units of Hungarians between the period of leaving the Ural Mountains and the entrance of the Carpathian Basin * Zoltán Magyar (born 1953), Hungarian gym ...

* Mountain Cur * Mudhol Hound * Otterhound * Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen *

Petit Bleu de Gascogne The Petit Bleu de Gascogne is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France and used for hunting in packs. Today's breed is the descendant of a large hunting dog. The Petit Bleu de Gascogne is not a small (petite) dog, the name c ...

* Pharaoh Hound * Plott Hound * Podenco Canario *

Polish Greyhound The Polish Greyhound ( pl, chart polski, pronounced ) is a Polish sighthound breed. It is known as the Polish Greyhound, although it is not a direct relative of the Greyhound dog. History The first records for the existence of greyhounds in Po ...

* Polish Hound * Portuguese Podengo *

Posavac Hound The Posavac Hound (FCI No. 154) ( Croatian: ''posavski gonič'') is a breed of dog, originating as a hunting dog of the scenthound type. Croatia is the home country for the breed. The name translates into English as the ''Scenthound From The S ...

Rajapalayam Rajapalayam () is a City in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the largest municipality in the Virudhunagar district. Rajapalayam is located in the Madurai to Quilon National Highway at a distance of 562 km south to the state capita ...

Rampur Greyhound The Rampur Greyhound is a breed of sighthound native to the Rampur region of Northern India, which lies between Delhi and Bareilly. It is believed the Rampur Greyhound descends from early Afghan Hounds, with their present-day appearance due to e ...

* Rastreador Brasileiro * Redbone Coonhound *

Rhodesian Ridgeback The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a large dog breed bred in the Southern Africa region. Its forebears can be traced to the semi-domesticated ridged hunting and guardian dogs of the Khoikhoi. These were interbred with European dogs by the early colonist ...

Sabueso Español The Sabueso Español or Spanish Hound is a scenthound breed with its origin in the far north of Iberian Peninsula. This breed has been used in this mountainous region since hundreds of years ago for all kind of game: wild boar, hare, brown bear, ...

Saluki The Saluki, also known as the Persian Greyhound, is a standardised breed developed from sighthounds – dogs that hunt primarily by sight rather than scent – that was once used by nomadic tribes to run down game animals. The dog was origina ...

Schillerstövare The Schillerstövare, translated as the Schiller Hound in English, is a dog breed, breed of dog of the scenthound dog type, type, originating as a hunting dog in Sweden in the late 19th century. Appearance The Schillerstövare is a medium to ...

Segugio dell'Appennino The Segugio dell'Appennino or Piccolo Lepraiolo Italiano is a breed of small Italian scenthound, bred specifically to hunt hare. It may be either smooth-haired or wire-haired. It received full recognition from the Ente Nazionale della Cinofi ...

Segugio Italiano a pelo forte The Segugio Italiano is either of two Italian breeds of dog of scent hound type, the wire-haired Segugio Italiano a Pelo Forte or the short-haired Segugio Italiano a Pelo Raso. Apart from the coat type, they are closely similar, and in some sour ...

Segugio Italiano a pelo raso The Segugio Italiano is either of two Italian breeds of dog of scent hound type, the wire-haired Segugio Italiano a Pelo Forte or the short-haired Segugio Italiano a Pelo Raso. Apart from the coat type, they are closely similar, and in some sour ...

Segugio Maremmano The Segugio Maremmano is an Italian breed of scent hound from the coastal plains of the Maremma, in Tuscany. It is mainly used for hunting wild boar, but may also be used to hunt hare and other mammals. They may be either smooth-haired or rough ...

Serbian Hound The Serbian Hound ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, srpski gonič, separator=" / ", српски гонич), previously known as the Balkan Hound ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, balkanski gonič, separator=" / ", балкански гонич), is a breed of scent hound from Serbi ...

Serbian Tricolour Hound The Serbian Tricolour Hound ( sr, српски тробојни гонич, srpski trobojni gonič) is a breed of scent hound from Serbia. History The Serbian Tricolour Hound, like the closely related Serbian Hound, Montenegrin Mountain Hound, ...

* Schweizer Laufhund *

Schweizerischer Niederlaufhund The Schweizerischer Niederlaufhund (Small Swiss Hound), is a breed of dog of the scenthound type from Switzerland. ''Niederlaufhund'' means short-legged hound. The breed has a number of different varieties (all of the same breed). Description ...

Scottish Deerhound The Scottish Deerhound, or simply the Deerhound, is a large breed of sighthound, once bred to hunt the red deer by coursing. In outward appearance, the Scottish Deerhound is similar to the Greyhound, but larger and more heavily boned with a rough-c ...

* Shikoku *

Silken Windhound The Silken Windhound is an American breed of sighthound. Like most sighthounds, Silkens are noted coursers. Traits Appearance Silken Windhounds are graceful, small- to medium-sized Sighthounds with silky coats of middling length. Silken co ...

Sloughi The Sloughi , or Arabian Greyhound (Arabic: سلوقي), is an ancient breed of domesticated dog, specifically a member of the sighthound family. It originates from North Africa and is found in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Libya. History ...

* Smalandstövare *

Styrian Coarse-haired Hound The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound (German: ''Steirische Rauhhaarbracke'') is a breed of medium-sized hound dog originated in the Austrian province of Styria. It is bred as a scenthound, for hunting boar in mountainous terrain. The breed is one o ...

Taigan The Taigan ( ky, тайган), and also known as Kyrgyz Taighany ( ky, кыргыз тайганы ) (Kyrgyzskaya Borzaya in Russian), Mongolian Taiga dog is a breed of sighthound from Kyrgyzstan. The Taigan is found in the alpine Tian Shan reg ...

Treeing Walker Coonhound The Treeing Walker Coonhound is a breed of hound descended from the English and American Foxhounds. The breed originated in the United States when a stolen dog known as "Tennessee Lead" was crossed into the Walker Hound in the 19th century. ...

Trigg Hound The American Foxhound is a breed of dog that is a cousin of the English Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent. History In 1650, Robert Brooke sailed from England to Maryland with his pack of hunting dogs, which were th ...

Transylvanian Hound The Transylvanian Hound ( hu, erdélyi kopó ; ro, copoi ardelenesc ; also known as the Transylvanian Scent Hound or Hungarian Hound) is a dog breed originating from Hungary and Transylvania (Transylvania was part the Kingdom of Hungary-nowadays ...

Tyrolean Hound The Tyrolean Hound is a breed of dog that originated in Tyrol also called the Tiroler Bracke or Tyroler Bracke. They are scent hounds that descended from the Celtic hounds in the late 1800s, mainly for their hunting skills. They are hardworking ...

* Welsh Foxhound *

Westphalian Dachsbracke The Westphalian Dachsbracke is a small, short-legged scenthound, a breed of dog originating in Westphalia, a region of Germany. The Westphalian Dachsbracke was used in Sweden to develop the Drever. Appearance The Westphalian Dachsbracke (''We ...

* Whippet

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Dog types Hunting dogs Hunting with hounds Dog shows and showing

Description

List of hound breeds

See also

References

External links