A hound is a type of

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 gu ...

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 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, and overp ...

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, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

: fox,

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 g ...

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 re ...

, and elk. *

Scenthound Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785 Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a Dog type, type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than ...

s 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 ...

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 ...

* American Leopard Hound *

Andalusian Hound The is an ancient Spanish breed of warren hound used to hunt small game in Andalusia, Spain. It is one of four podenco breeds recognized by the Real Sociedad Canina de España. It is an agile dog generally used to hunt ducks, rabbits, boar and ...

Artois Hound The Artois Hound is a rare breed of dog, and a descendant of the Bloodhound. A scent hound 22–23 inches high at the withers, weighing anything between 55 and 65 pounds, it is a well constructed dog with a slow graceful gait. It has a large ...

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 wound ...

* Azawakh * Basenji *

Basset Artesien Normand Bassets are a sub- type of scenthound deliberately bred with short legs, that are used for hunting where the hunters accompany the hunting hounds on foot. History Bassets were originally developed in France from where they spread throughout Euro ...

* Basset Bleu de Gascogne *

Basset Fauve de Bretagne The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is a short-legged hunting breed of dog of the scent hound type, originally from Brittany, a historical duchy of France. Description Appearance The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is a smallish hound, built along the same li ...

Basset Hound The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog in the hound family. The Basset is a scent hound that was originally bred for the purpose of hunting hare. Their sense of smell and ability to ''ground-scent'' is second only to the Bloodhound.Har ...

* Bavarian Mountain Hound *

Beagle The beagle is a breed of small scent hound, similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle was developed primarily for hunting hare, known as beagling. Possessing a great sense of smell and superior tracking instincts, th ...

* Beagle-Harrier *

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 yo ...

* Black and Tan Coonhound * Blackmouth Cur *

Bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ...

Bluetick Coonhound The Bluetick Coonhound is a breed of coonhound originating in the United States. The Bluetick Coonhound is known for its friendly personality, cold nose, and deep bawl mouth. It is most commonly used as a raccoon hunting dog, but may also be kep ...

Borzoi The Borzoi or Russian Hunting Sighthound is a Russian breed of hunting dog of sighthound type. It was formerly used for wolf hunting, and until 1936 was known as the Russian Wolfhound. Etymology The system by which Russians over the ages n ...

* Bosnian Broken-haired Hound * Briquet Griffon Vendéen *

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 The Cirneco dell'Etna is an Italian breed of hunting dog from the Mediterranean island of Sicily. It is named for the Etna volcano in eastern Sicily. It has a keen sense of smell, and is used to hunt small game, particularly rabbits. As with ...

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 gam ...

* Coonhound *

Cretan Hound The Kritikos Lagonikos (Cretan Hound) (Greek:Kρητικός Λαγωνικός) is a breed of dog from the island of Crete, in Greece.Pashley, R''Travels in Crete'' p. 33, vol. 1, J. Murray, 1837. The Cretan Hound is recognized both in Greece ...

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 o ...

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 th ...

* Dumfriesshire Black and Tan Foxhound * Estonian Hound *

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 f ...

English Foxhound The English Foxhound is one of the four foxhound breeds of dog. It is a cousin of the American Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent. Description Appearance The breed standards' guidelines for showing English Foxh ...

* 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 tan ...

Galgo Español The Galgo Español ('Spanish galgo') or Spanish Greyhound is an ancient breed of dog, specifically a member of the sighthound family. The English greyhound is possibly a descendant of the Spanish greyhound and, for several years in the 20th ce ...

Gascon Saintongeois The Gascon Saintongeois is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, recognised in two varieties, ''Grand'' (large) and ''Petit'' (smaller than the Grand, but ''not'' a small dog). Originating in France, the breed is used for hunting in packs a ...

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, ...

* Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen *

Grand Bleu de Gascogne The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is a breed of hounds of the scenthound type, originating in France and used for hunting in packs. Today's breed is the descendant of a very old type of large hunting dog, and is an important breed in the ancestry of ...

* Grand Fauve de Bretagne * Grand Griffon Vendéen *

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 Hares and jackrabbits are mammals bel ...

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

* Griffon Bleu de Gascogne *

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

* Hamiltonstövare * Hanover Hound * Harrier * Hortaya borzaya *

Ibizan Hound The Ibizan Hound ( es, podenco ibicenco, ca, ca eivissenc) is a lean, agile dog of the hound family. There are two hair types of the breed: smooth and wire. The more commonly seen type is the smooth. Some consider there to be a third type, l ...

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 The Italian Greyhound ( it, Piccolo levriero Italiano, italic=no) is an Italian breed of small sighthound. It may also be called the Italian Sighthound. History Small dogs of sighthound type have long been popular with nobility and royalty. ...

* Irish Wolfhound * Istrian Coarse-haired Hound * Istrian Shorthaired Hound * 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 nati ...

* Lakeland Trailhound * Lithuanian Hound *

Longdog A long dog (also long-dog or longdog) is any dog of sighthound type, whether pure-bred or not. It is usually a cross-breed between two sighthounds of different breeds, one of which is usually a Greyhound It is distinct from the lurcher, which ...

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 The Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen (), or PBGV, is a breed of dog of the scent hound type, bred to trail hares in bramble-filled terrain of the Vendée district of France. The breed is known in the United States as "Petit" or "PBGV," in Eng ...

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 ...

Pharaoh Hound The Pharaoh Hound or is a Maltese breed of hunting dog. It is traditionally used for rabbit-hunting in the rocky terrain of the islands; the Maltese name means "rabbit dog". It is classified by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in it ...

* Plott Hound *

Podenco Canario Podenco Canario (In English: ''Canary Island Podenco'', ''Canary Island Hound'', or ''Canarian Warren Hound'') is a breed of dog from the Canary Islands. The Podenco Canario is still used today, primarily in packs, most often for the sport hun ...

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 The Portuguese Podengo, also known as the Podengo Português or Portuguese Warren Hound, is a hound (sight and scent) dog breed, breed from Portugal. As a breed, the Podengo is divided into three size categories that are not interbred: small (Peque ...

* Posavac Hound * Rajapalayam *

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 The Rastreador Brasileiro (in English, Brazilian Tracker) is a large breed of dog from Brazil, first recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1967, but an outbreak of disease, compounded by an overdose of insecticide, wiped o ...

* 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 colon ...

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 origin ...

* Schillerstövare *

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 Cinofilia ...

* Segugio Italiano a pelo forte * Segugio Italiano a pelo raso *

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-h ...

* Serbian Hound *

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 The Schweizer Laufhund is a breed of scenthound, originally from Switzerland. History left, Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Schweizer Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785 In the 15th century, this breed was sought after by Italian dog ...

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 *

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

* Silken Windhound *

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 *

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. Th ...

* Trigg Hound * Transylvanian Hound *

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 (''W ...

Whippet The Whippet is a dog breed of medium size. It is a sighthound breed that originated in England, descended from the Greyhound. Whippets today still strongly resemble a smaller Greyhound. Part of the hound group, Whippets have relatively few ...

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