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Scent Hounds
Scent hounds are hounds that primarily hunt by scent rather than sight.
They are generally regarded as having some of the most sensitive noses among
canines.
These dogs specialize in following a smell or scent. Most of these breeds
have longer, drooping ears; one theory says that this helps to collect scent
from the air and keep it near the dog's face and nose. They also have large
nasal cavities to better process scent. Their typically loose, moist lips
also trap 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 is a
distraction when it is your neighbor's hound barking in the back yard, 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 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. Most scent hounds, even when kept as pets, still are
happiest when following a scent trail.
Most scent hounds were used in packs, sometimes with hundreds of dogs in a
single pack. Longer-legged hounds ran more quickly and usually required that
the hunters follow on horseback; shorter-legged hounds allowed hunters to
follow on foot.
Scent Hounds include:
Basset hound
Beagle
Bloodhound
Coonhound
Dachshund
American Foxhound
English Foxhound
Harrier
Ibizan hound
Norwegian Elkhound
Otterhound
Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Plott Hound
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from
Wikipedia and from
Wag-Dog.com
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