One of the oldest dog groups is the hound dogs. These dogs have been put in action by people since m...

1. Types of Hound Dogs
One of the oldest dog groups is the hound dogs. These dogs have been put in action by people since
many centuries for capturing animals that are being hunted. They are similar to gun dogs, who help
in identifying locations of the animals and retrievers who just help in getting the quarries which are
shot back to the hunter. We shall have a look at the different variants that have helped hunters catch
prey around the world.
Variants of Hound Dogs
There are over 100 varieties of these dogs in the world that are divided into three categories. These
dogs have been trained to track and hunt prey in different terrains and settings. They have adapted
themselves according to the environment they hunt in and the prey they chase. These dogs tend to
use one of their senses to capture quarry, thus, giving rise to sighthounds, scent hounds and other
hounds. Categories of hound dogs are as specified below:
Types of Sighthound Dogs
Also called gazehounds, these dogs rely on their sight, speed and agility to hunt down prey. They are
very useful in flat and barren landscapes. These dogs were of great use in North Africa over 5000
years ago to track down animals in the desert landscapes. They have keen eyesight and can easily
detect the slightest of movements. These hounds capture preys such as deer, hare and other fast
preys.
Sighthounds have very flexible back and have long legs that allow them to take long strides. These
dogs have a deep chest with a large heart and efficient lungs. This body structure helps them get the
required speed to hunt down animals. These dogs have mellow personalities. They are good
watchdogs and have a strong instinct to chase small animals. Today, most of them are used as race
dogs, open field coursing and hunting. They prove to be good house pets as well. However, they
require a lot of physical activity to keep themselves active and prevent them from getting bored and
destructive. The following is a list of sighthound dogs:
Afghan Hound
Azawakh
Basenji
Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound)
Polish Greyhound (Chart Polski)
Spanish Greyhound (Galgo Español)
Hortaya Borzaya
Irish Wolfhound

2. Italian Greyhound
Ibizan Hound
Magyar Agar (Hungarian Greyhound)
Persian Greyhound (Saluki)
Pharaoh Hound
Scottish Deerhound
Silken Windhound
Sloughi
Whippet
Types of Scent Hounds
They are one variant of hound dogs that primarily use the power of smell to hunt down prey. These
species are said to have one of the most sensitive noses as compared to others. The scent hounds
usually have long, droopy ears with large nasal cavities. Their lips are always moist as it helps them
capture scent better. These dogs tend to run after the prey making loud booming noise. This is
useful for the hunters to keep a track of the dogs when they go out of sight. These hounds are very
useful in heavily wooded areas where spotting a prey is difficult. These dogs are useful in hunting
raccoons and foxes.
These dogs are not as fast as the sighthounds. This is because they do not have to keep a track of the
animals that are hunted with the power of sight. They just have to follow the smell and therefore,
can travel miles in pursuit of the prey. It is said that some scent hounds are able to follow smell that
is several days old across running water. Most of these dogs hunt in packs and will run freely till
they 'treed' a game. The dogs will then announce the hunt by baying and the hunter can follow the
sound and reach the game spot.
These dogs are today kept as pets. They are good with other pets as well as children. They are
however, difficult to train as they easily get distracted and are very stubborn at times. They may
chase small animals like cats or rats due to their instinct to hunt. The breeds of dogs under the scent
hound type are as follows:
Basset Hound
Beagle
Black and Tan Coonhound
Bloodhound
Dachshund

3. American Foxhound
English Foxhound
Harrier
Otterhound
Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Plott
Redbone Coonhound
Blue Tick Coonhound
Leopard Curs
Black Mouth Cur
Treeing Cur
Types of Other Hound Dogs
There are some dogs who use both their sense of smell and sight to hunt their prey. It is very
difficult to place them in either scent hound group or sighthound group. These dogs include:
Norwegian Elkhound
Rhodesian Ridgeback
These species make very good hunting dogs as well as prove to be good guard dogs.