Scent hound

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Like most scent hounds, the Beagle has long ears, large nasal passages, and a sturdy body for endurance.

Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than sight. These breeds are hunting dogs, and are generally regarded as having some of the most sensitive noses among canines.

Scent hounds 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 dog's face and nose. They also have large nasal cavities, which also helps to help them smell better. 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 dog's 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.

Scent hounds do not need to be as fast as sight hounds, 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, which is a considerable amount more than a sighthound. Most scent hounds are used for hunting in packs, sometimes with multiple dogs in a single pack. Longer-legged hounds run more quickly and usually require that the hunters follow on horseback; shorter-legged hounds allow 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.[1]

The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) places scent hounds into their classification "Group 6". This includes a subdivision, "Section 2, Leash Hounds", some examples of which are the Bavarian Mountain Scenthound (Bayrischer Gebirgsschweisshund, no. 217), the Hanoverian Scenthound (Hannover'scher Schweisshund, no. 213), and the Alpine Dachsbracke (Alpenländische Dachsbracke, no. 254). In addition, the Dalmatian and the Rhodesian Ridgeback are placed in Group 6 as "Related breeds".

The United Kennel Club divides its Scenthound Group into two categories. The first, Tree Hounds, includes the American hunting dogs known as coonhounds and the European hounds from which they were developed. The second category is named Trailing Scenthounds, and includes dogs used for the tracking of game animals, and of humans (as in search-and-rescue, and fugitive capture). They are also used for explosives detection. The Trailing group are reputedly descended from a type of bloodhound kept by monks in Belgium.[2]

Temperament

Scent hounds are often kept as pets, especially the Beagle, Basset Hound, Dachshund, Otterhound and Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen. As pets, most scent hounds are good with children, good with dogs, and many are good with other pets. However, scent hounds are often stubborn, distracted, difficult to train, and some breeds will chase cats or other small mammals that resemble the prey they were bred to hunt. Many breeds are bred as show/pet dogs rather than as hunting/field dogs.

Genetic history

Genetic studies confirm the long-standing belief that all scent hounds share a more recent common ancestor with each other than they do with other branches on the dog family tree. Furthermore, the common ancestor of the scent hounds and spaniels is more recent than the ancestor both these share with the next most closely related groups of dogs: the schnauzers, poodles, and other water dogs.[3]

Breeds

Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785

The Scent hound type includes the following breeds:

References

  1. ↑ Coon hunting on ESPN
  2. ↑ United Kennel Club (US) breed information
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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