AKC – Hound Group
The next blog in the AKC group series I will be discussing is a group of dogs that I love but will probably never own due to being a cat owner – the Hound Group. Breeds in this group were bred to assist hunters with a variety of wildlife. There are 31 breeds currently accepted into the Hound Group. The Hound Group can be broken down into 3 subcategories: Sighthounds, Scent hounds and others that have both abilities.
Obviously, the subcategories are self-explanatory but we are going to discuss each category a little further.
SIGHTHOUNDS
Breeds in this subcategory hunt prey primarily by sight. Once the dog spots the prey, they will use a burst of speed to cross the distance to catch the prey. Sight hounds tend to have long, slender bodies with dolichocephalic (elongated and angular) heads.
SCENT HOUNDS
Scent hounds use their incredible nose to catch a scent on the ground or in the air to locate their prey. They have an amazing endurance to travel over long distances to find their prey. Some hounds like the Bloodhound are used to locate missing people. Depending on what wildlife the dog was bred to find and the terrain it was going to be traveling on, the breeds have many different appearances. Just think about how different in appearance the Dachshund looks like compared to the Norwegian Elkhound or the Bloodhound.
OTHERS
The remaining breeds in the Hound Group are considered to be controversial due to not having an origin as either a strictly sight or strictly scent function. These breeds are blue on the breeds listed below.
All of these breeds have a tendency to let their instincts (their noses and/or sight) get them in trouble by wondering away from home. Even if they have never been properly trained to hunt, scent hounds can and will follow their nose on a scent and ignore an owner’s commands. Sighthounds may see something move away from them and it will trigger that basic instinct to chase it down. With sprint speeds of 25 mph or more, they very easily can get away from their owner. It is best to either keep hounds on a leash or inside a fenced-in yard when they are outside. Hounds tend to dispatch any wildlife in their yard and may view other small pets living within their home as prey as well.
Many of the hounds have very distinctive barks called baying. And although the Basenji is sometimes referred to as a “barkless” dog, they do make a particular sound. Make sure you do some research on what the breed’s vocalizations sound like before getting one because not everyone can handle this group’s special barking style.
Here is the breed list of the Hound Group
| Breed | Weight (lbs) | Height (inches) | Life Expectancy (years) | Bred for | |
|
Afghan hound
|
Male: | 57 – 75 | 25 – 27 |
12 – 18
|
Hunt large prey in deserts & mountains, runs fast, independent thinker
|
| Female: | 57 – 75 | 25 – 27 | |||
|
American English Coonhound
|
Male: | 45 – 60 | 24 – 26 |
11 – 12
|
Trail Raccoons & fastest of the coonhounds
|
| Female: | 45 – 60 | 23 – 25 | |||
|
American Foxhound
|
Male: | 65 – 70 | 22 – 25 |
11 – 13
|
Hunt foxes
|
| Female: | 60 – 65 | 21 – 24 | |||
|
Basenji
|
Male: | 24 | 17 |
13 – 14
|
Flush small game into hunter’s net
|
| Female: | 22 | 12 | |||
|
Basset Hound
|
Male: | 40 – 65 | up to 15 |
12 – 13
|
Hunt hare
|
| Female: | 40 – 65 | up to 15 | |||
|
Beagle
|
Under 20 | 13 and under |
10 – 15
|
Hunts rabbits, very vocal
|
|
| 20 – 30 | 13 – 15 | ||||
|
Black and Tan Coonhound
|
Male: | 65 – 110 | 25 – 27 |
10 – 12
|
Hunt raccoons
|
| Female: | 65 – 110 | 23 – 25 | |||
|
Bloodhound
|
Male: | 90 – 110 | 25 – 27 |
10 – 12
|
Rehentless & stubborn on scent, find people
|
| Female: | 80 – 100 | 23 – 25 | |||
|
Bluetick Coonhound
|
Male: | 55 – 80 | 22 – 27 |
11 – 12
|
Off the chart prey drive, avid hunter, when in pack takes on bears, boars, lynx & cougars
|
| Female: | 45 – 65 | 21 – 25 | |||
|
Borzoi
|
Male: | 75 – 105 | 28 and up |
9 – 14
|
Tracks & hunts wolves, foxes and hares on massive Russian estates
|
| Female: | 60 – 85 | 26 and up | |||
|
Cirneco dell’Etna
|
Male: | 22-26 | 18-20 |
12-14
|
hunts rabbits
|
| Female: | 18-22 | 17-20 | |||
|
Dachshund
|
Mini: | 11 and under | 5 – 6 |
12 – 16
|
Dig into badger dens
|
| Standard: | 16 – 32 | 8 – 9 | |||
|
English Foxhound
|
Male: | 60 – 75 | 24 |
10 – 13
|
Hunt foxes
|
| Female: | 60 – 75 | 24 | |||
|
Grand Basset Friffon Vendeens
|
Male: | 40 – 45 | 15.5 – 18 |
13 – 15
|
Trail & catch hare
|
| Female: | 40 – 45 | 15.5 – 18 | |||
|
Greyhound
|
Male: | 65 – 70 | 28 – 30 |
10 – 13
|
Detect, catch, capture and dispatch desert wildlife
|
| Female: | 60 – 65 | 27 – 28 | |||
|
Harrier
|
Male: | 45 – 60 | 19 – 21 |
12 – 15
|
Chase hare
|
| Female: | 45 – 60 | 19 – 21 | |||
|
Ibizan hound
|
Male: | 50 | 23.5 – 27.5 |
11 – 14
|
Hunt rabbits, sprinter & leaper
|
| Female: | 45 | 22.5 – 27.5 | |||
|
Irish Wolfhound
|
Male: | 120 | 32 minimum |
6 – 8
|
Dispatch wolves
|
| Female: | 105 | 30 minimum | |||
|
Norwegian Elkhound
|
Male: | 55 | 20.5 |
12 – 15
|
Herd flocks & fight off bears, wolves and elk
|
| Female: | 48 | 19.5 | |||
|
Otterhound
|
Male: | 115 | 27 |
10 – 13
|
Hunt otter, has an affinity for swimming
|
| Female: | 80 | 24 | |||
|
Petits Basset Griffons Vendeen
|
Male: | 25 – 40 | 13 – 15 |
14 – 16
|
Trail & catch hare
|
| Female: | 25 – 40 | 13 – 15 | |||
|
Pharaoh Hound
|
Male: | 45 – 55 | 23 – 25 |
12 – 14
|
High speed pursuit on rocky terrain
|
| Female: | 45 – 55 | 21 – 24 | |||
|
Plotts
|
Male: | 50 – 60 | 20 – 25 |
12 – 14
|
Hunt big game
|
| Female: | 40 – 55 | 20 – 23 | |||
|
Portuguese Podengo Pequenos
|
Male: | 9 – 13 | 8 – 12 |
12 – 15
|
Hunt rabbits
|
| Female: | 9 – 13 | 8 – 12 | |||
|
Redbone Coonhound
|
Male: | 45 – 70 | 22 – 27 |
12 – 15
|
Hunt raccoons
|
| Female: | 21 – 26 | ||||
|
Rhodesian Ridgeback
|
Male: | 85 | 25 – 27 |
10 – 12
|
Confront lions, leopards & baboons, strong prey drive
|
| Female: | 70 | 24 – 26 | |||
|
Saluki
|
Male: | 23 – 28 | 40 – 65 |
10 – 17
|
Swift & agile sprinters
|
| Female: | Considerably smaller | 40 -65 | |||
|
Scottish Deerhound
|
Male: | 85 – 110 | 30 – 32 |
8 – 11
|
Stalked red deer
|
| Female: | 75 – 95 | 28 & up | |||
|
Sloughi
|
Male: | 35 – 50 | 26 – 29 |
10 – 15
|
Hunted variety of game in North African deserts
|
| Female: | 35 – 50 | 24 – 27 | |||
|
Treeing Walker Coonhound
|
Male: | 50 -70 | 22 – 27 |
12 – 13
|
Track prey up trees & bark vigorously
|
| Female: | 50 -70 | 20 – 25 | |||
|
Whippet
|
Male: | 25 – 40 | 19 – 22 |
12 – 15
|
Designed to race and hunt rabbits
|
| Female: | 25 – 40 | 18 – 21 |
