World’s Most Popular Hunting Dogs

Hound- Several breeds of hunting dogs are collectively called Hound dogs. These dogs are fast, strong and have good eye-sights and strong sense of smell. They assist their lords by tracking or chasing the prey being hunted. On the basis of their particular hunting instinct Hound dogs are classified in to three types-              

1. Sight Hounds- They are very intelligent dogs and due to their particular skill also referred as gaze hounds. Sight hounds are good runner and are able to catch and kill the prey like gazelles, deer, haves etc.

Whippet dog is a good example of Sight Hounds. The Whippet was developed at the end of 19th century through crossing among some best hunting breeds like grey hound, the Terrier and the Italian Grey Hound. Its name derives from the word Whip, which means to move quickly and so are the Whippets. They are active, playful but quite hardy. Whippets are good racer and some times chase the prey at a high speed of 60km. per hour. Appearance-Whippets are very much similar to small Grey Hound in look. They have an elegant look with long and slender muzzle and rose shaped ears, pointed tail and deep chest. A medium size dog weighs 11 to 18kg with a height of 18.5 to 20 inches. Whippets come in variety of colors like black, red, tiger white, fawn, brindle etc.                                  

2. Scent Hounds- Although Scent Hounds are not good runners but they have a strong sense of smell. Basset Hounds and Blood Hounds are good example of scent Hound. Blood Hound- This large breed of dog is often used by police and other security personal for tracing the missing persons or escaped prisoners. It can follow a scent even after days and can trace it over long distances. An adult Blood Hound may be 23 to 27 inches high with an average body weight of 33 to 50 kg.