THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES By Kathy Diamond Davis Author and Trainer

The hound group includes dogs who hunt by sight and dogs who hunt by scent. In both cases, the hound immersed in following that specialized sense will likely fail to hear you when you call. Outside a safe enclosed area with a hound, a leash is a wise precaution.

Hunting requires an active dog, and the hounds need their exercise. After maturity, they can be comfortable indoor couch potatoes if they get adequate daily outdoor runs. Like any other type of dog, young hounds may get into a lot of mischief while building the muscles of growing bodies.

Hound breeds tend to be easy-going with humans. Most of these dogs were not bred to guard property or people. They were bred to work independently rather than at the bidding of a human.

Hounds are certainly trainable to do other things, such as the Beagles who have worked with U.S. Customs detecting contraband. Hounds have participated in obedience and agility competitions as well as other activities. They are keenly intelligent at the hunting tasks for which they were bred.

A hound’s turn of mind may not be ideal for your needs, though, if the task you wish to do with your dog calls for a dog to work in close partnership. Sporting breeds, herding breeds, and working breeds were specially bred for such work, but hounds were not.

The hound goes after the quarry while the human scrambles to follow! The best dog nose of all breeds is said to belong to the Bloodhound, who does the job of mantrailing in harness and on leash so the handler can stay with the dog. By contrast, a Search and Rescue dog, typically a working, sporting or herding breed of dog, works off-leash and returns to notify the handler of a find.

The scenthounds tend to be easily motivated in training by food treats. Sighthounds may have less interest in food, but may be motivated by games such as pursuit of a fuzzy toy. Hounds are not “step and fetch it” breeds, but they can learn to enjoy retrieving. You may find their favorite people-oriented activity to be cuddling.

Because of the way they follow their quarry, the Beagle and some others of the hounds have been bred for a loud voice. This voice can carry over long distances for the hunters to follow the pack of hounds. A baying hound will disturb neighbors. It’s not a behavior you can expect to eliminate through training.

A few hound breeds, such as the Afghan, have long coats that require diligent care. Some have moderate coats, while the majority of the hound breeds have short hair that can be groomed with a tool called a hound glove. You’ll want to investigate the required grooming for any hound breed you’re considering.

Short-coated hound breeds may produce protective skin oils that can become rancid and smelly if the dog is not kept clean. Bathing can be a quick affair, though, if you accustom your pup to it from a young age.

Sighthounds with their slender, racing-built bodies have little body fat, and this alters the way they metabolize medications and how they react to products used on their skin. Work closely with your veterinarian on all medications, including over-the-counter items.

Sighthounds may have difficulty getting into a “sit” position. The short-coated ones require padded bedding to avoid pressure sores, and some are best not crated. They can also be especially susceptible to broken bones, including the tail, and to ripped skin from encounters between dogs that would not injure the skin of a different type of dog. The delicate skin, rather than any propensity to unusual aggression, is a common reason for racing Greyhounds to be exercised together in muzzles.

The “Greyhound collar” is designed for use when you need to attach a leash to a sighthound. It has a wide strap to reduce the risk of skin damage, and tightens enough to keep the collar from slipping over the sighthound’s head that is small in relation to the size of the neck. 

Some of the scenthounds have heavy, hanging ears that aid in trapping scent to better follow a trail. These ears can be prone to trapping moisture and bacteria, too, so you’ll want to monitor them for infection. A dog with an ear infection can develop changes in behavior due to pain from touch, movement, and noise.

A few of the scenthound breeds, including the Beagle and Dachshund, are sometimes a bit harder to housetrain than the average dog. Treat rewards work well to add incentive, and it’s important not to confine the dog in a crate if the habit of soiling the crate has developed.

Ranging in size from miniature Dachshunds and 13-inch Beagles to Borzois and giant Irish Wolfhounds, the hound group offers the right size dog for any situation. Generally good-natured, the hound can be a first-rate companion for exercise and cuddling.

Date Published: 2/21/2005 12:32:00 PM

    

Kathy Diamond Davis is the author of the book Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others. Should the training articles available here or elsewhere not be effective, contact your veterinarian. Veterinarians not specializing in behavior can eliminate medical causes of behavior problems. If no medical cause is found, your veterinarian can refer you to a colleague who specializes in behavior or a local behaviorist.