Hound Dog Breeds

Hound Dogs - Dog Breeds Hound

A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. It can be contrasted with the gun dog, which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry.



Sighthounds

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 dolichocephalic in its proportions. This shape can create the illusion that their heads are longer than usual. Dolichocephaly is actually a characteristic of wolves and other wild carnivores, and is related to the need for stereoscopic vision in active hunting. For reasons not yet understood, most domesticated animals including dogs (other than the sighthounds) have become brachycephalic—short-headed—and have partially lost this aspect of their field of vision (see cephalic index). This trait may be related to neotony, the retention of juvenile traits. Dogs have been artificially selected for traits such as cuteness, intelligence, ability to be domesticated, all of which are stronger in juvenile dogs.



List of sighthounds breeds

* Afghan Hound Breed
* Azawakh Breed
* Borzoi Breed
* Chart Polski Breed
* Galgo Español Breed
* Greyhound Breed
* Hortaya Borzaya Breed
* Irish Wolfhound Breed
* Italian Greyhound Breed
* Magyar Agar Breed
* Saluki Breed
* Scottish Deerhound Breed
* Sloughi Breed
* Whippet Breed



Scent hounds

Scenthounds are a type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than sight. The Scenthound 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 dogs face and nose. They also have large nasal cavities, the better to process scent. Their 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, it is a valuable trait that allows the dogs 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 sighthounds 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 scent hounds can follow a scent trail even across running water and even when it is several days old.

Most scenthounds are used for hunting in packs, sometimes with multiple dogs in a single pack. Longer-legged hounds run more quickly and usually required that the hunters follow on horseback; shorter-legged hounds allowed 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.

List of Scenthounds Breeds

* Alpine Dachsbracke Breed
* American Foxhound Breed
* Anglo-French hounds Breeds
* Ariegeois Breed
* Artois Hound Breed
* Austrian black and tan hound Breeds
* Basset Bleu de Gascogne Breed
* Basset Fauve de Bretagne Breed
* Basset Hound Breed
* Bavarian Mountain hound Breed
* Beagle Breed
* Beagle-Harrier Breed
* Berner Laufhund Breed
* Bloodhound Breed
* Brachet Breed
* Catahoula Leopard Hound Breed
* Coonhound Breeds
* Dachshund Breed
* Dalmatian Breed
* Drever Breed
* Dunker Breed
* English Foxhound Breed
* Finnish Hound Breed
* Foxhound Breed
* Français tricolore Breed
* Français blanc et noir Breed
* Français blanc et orange Breed
* Gascon Saintongeois Breed
* Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen Breed
* Grand Bleu de Gascogne Breed
* Hamiltonstovare Breed
* Hanover Hound Breed
* Harrier Breed
* Hungarian hound Breed
* Kerry Beagle Breed
* Kritikos Ichnilatis Breed
* Norwegian Elkhound Breed
* Norwegian Lundehund Breed
* Otterhound Breed
* Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen Breed
* Polish Hound Breed
* Polish Scenthound Breed
* Porcelaine Breed
* Rhodesian Ridgeback Breed
* Segugio Italiano Breed
* Serbian Hound Breed
* Serbian Tricolour Hound Breed
* Schweizer Laufhund Breed
* Slovensky Kopov Breed
* Westphalian Dachsbracke Breed

The other hounds follow prey by both sight and scent. These breeds are difficult to classify other than to say they are neither sighthounds nor scent hounds.

Source (WIKIPEDIA)

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