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Hound Dogs
Welcome to the Hound Dogs page. Every breed is listed at the top of the page. If you scroll down a bit further, you'll find our featured breeds.
These are dogs we've met on our walks and whose owners have kindly agreed to allow their dogs to be photographed.
There's information and pictures of the Basset Hound, Bloodhound, Deerhound, Greyhound, Whippet and the Saluki.
If you click on the photo you'll be taken to the Kennel Club of Great Britain where you'll find the Breed Standard of that particular Hound Dog.
Here's Alfie, the Deerhound
Here is the complete list of breeds in the Hound Dogs Group. Click here for more details from the Kennel Club.
Hound Dogs Group. These dog breeds were originally used for hunting either by scent or by sight. The scent hounds include the Beagle, the Bloodhound and the Basset Hound; the sight hounds include the Whippet, the Greyhound, the Afghan Hound and the Irish Wolfhound. Hound dogs have been trained to use their acute sense of smell for drug and bomb detection. The Basset Hound originated in France, with the word ‘bas’ meaning low. The breed specialise in following hares, rabbits and pheasants through thick undergrowth. Here is Darwin a four year old Basset Hound.
The Bloodhound was originally used for helping to hunt deer and large game and is one of the oldest of hounds, originating from Belgium in the eighth century.
The Kennel Club approves four Bloodhound trials a year: two in the Spring and two in the Autumn although Bloodhound trials are held in all parts of the United Kingdom.
The procedure is that a Runner leaves an article with his/her scent on it, known as the Smeller, attached to a flag at the start. He/she then walks the Line on a route predetermined on a map. The hound is then required to follow the Line and find and identify the runner who waits at the end of the Line.
The bloodlines used in this sport have provided several Police forces with working Bloodhounds which they are now using with great success as specialist tracking dogs.
Deerhounds originated in Scotland and before improvements in firearms came about they were used to hunt the deer and either kill it or hold it until the hunters arrived. They are sight hounds and so if they see anything worth investigating they may take off. Deerhounds are very large dogs and some people may be intimidated if they see one galloping towards them!
This is Alfie the Deerhound, a very gentle dog who lives happily alongside a young toddler. As you can see Alfie is nearly as tall as the buggy!
Greyhounds are sight hounds and can reach speeds of 40 mph (65 km/h). Contrary to popular opinion they do not need extensive exercise and this, coupled with the fact that they are so gentle, make them excellent family pets.
They do however have a strong prey-drive and their instinct is to chase. Paddy, in the photo below, was kept on a lead for around six months before the owners were confident that he would not bolt. And when they go, they may be gone for a while! Be careful, they don’t have any road sense so choose your areas for exercise carefully.
Males stand at an average 73.5cm and females 69.5cm. They have very short hair so shedding is minimal. There are approximately thirty recognised colour forms for the Greyhound with variations of white, brindle, fawn, black, red and blue (gray).
Paddy is nine and shares his house with a fourteen month old
Lancashire Heeler.
Here are some books specifically chosen for the Hound Dog page. They will all be sent from the UK. The Whippet is a sight hound and was used for ‘snap racing’ in nineteenth century England - rabbit or hare coursing in an enclosed space. This was eventually made illegal and replaced with ‘rag racing’ - where the Whippet runs towards the owner at top speed in response to a piece of cloth being waved. This led to the nick-name in some circles of ‘rag dogs’.
The Whippet is a gentle, quiet dog well-suited to family life and needing regular, healthy exercise. Their coats are short and fine and come in any colour or mix of colours - sometimes even in the same litter. Similar in appearance to a small Greyhound, the males are on average 49cm high and females 45cm (compare with the male Greyhound at 73.5cm). They weigh between 11 and 18kg.
This is Benji, a fourteen-month old Whippet, who in spite of his slender appearance would, according to his owner, eat all day if he was given the chance!
 With the Greyhound, the Saluki is considered the fastest breed of dog on the planet. They are an ancient breed with a history going back over 7000 years and mummified Saluki remains have been found in Egyptian tombs. They are still used by the Bedouins of southern Arabia to hunt gazelles, and alternative names include the Gazelle Hound, Arabian Hound and Persian Greyhound. As sight hounds they have a strong prey drive and will still chase rabbits to the death - be warned! They can also scale fences and one of at least five foot is recommended by the Saluki Club of America. The average height of a Saluki is 64.5cm with females being a little smaller. There are two coat types: Smooth and Feathered, 'smooth' being a short coat over the entire body and 'feathered' being long hair on the ears, backs of the legs and tail. This is Gabriel, a five year old Saluki, rescued from Battersea Dog’s Home in London and now enjoying an exclusive city life in Knightsbridge. He is known by the family as ‘Angel Gabriel’ on account of his gentle, sensitive nature and the joy he has brought to all the family.
The photos on this page have been taken on our morning or evening dog walks. Thank you to the owners for their kind permission to show them. If you click on the photos you will be taken to the Kennel Club Breed Standard for that specific hound dog.
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