AKC hound dog breeds
AKC Hound - description
The hounds are one the oldest groups of dogs. Most hounds share the common ancestral trait of being used for hunting. 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 foxhound build. Some breeds hunt by both sight and scent, and a few breeds don't seem like hounds at all. Again, all hound 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.
Beyond this, however, generalizations about hounds are hard to come by, since the Group encompasses quite a diverse lot. There are Pharaoh Hounds, Norwegian Elkhounds, Afghans and Beagles, among others. Some hounds share the distinct ability to produce a unique sound known as baying and are often not shy about sharing their feelings with you! You'd best sample this sound before you decide to get a hound of your own to be sure it's your cup of tea.
Characteristics and features have been introduced and strengthened by breeding from animals who already demonstrated the desired traits. Breeding for appearance was only introduced in the 19th Century. Before this time dogs and puppies were bred to increase useful abilities and traits helpful for the duties they were intended for. Thus, the various hound breeds were initially introduced to help man according to specific requirements such as:
- Hunting and running down small quarry
- Flushing out and Driving game
- Vermin Hunting
- Guard duties
- Tracking
In this day and age only a few hounds still undertake these tasks, but nevertheless, they still harbour the skills and characteristics that made the original Whippet dog breeding program successful.Many hounds are kept in packs, in outdoor kennels. Any dogs and puppies belonging to the Hound breeds require a significant amount of exercise as they have high stamina levels suitable for hunting quarry
To discover more about specific breeds of Hound Dogs, their origins, history, temperaments and other characteristics please follow one of the links below:
