THE EVOLUTION OF THE HOUND |
Before the invention of the gun, Man hunted animals for food and for sport. The bow and arrow had been dveloped into an efficient hunting weapon, but it was virtually useless in certain terrain. In heavy woodland where the prey could be approached close enough to bring them within range, the bow and arrow served. But in open areas, the game had to be either run down by sheer speed, or by steady persistence and stamina.
Many breeds of dog were evolved for chasing game some hundreds of thousands of years ago, which means that the Hound group has some of the oldest breeds in the World. The group is large and includes breeds of hounds that were bred to hunt in different ways. One of these are breeds of hound that sight and then run down their game. There are those which hunt by scent. There are others that chase, corner the game and give voice to call the hunter. And specialised breeds for hunting large and ferocious animals. There are also a smaller group of dogs that go to ground and keep the quarry occupied while it is being dug out. For most members of this group they have same sort of temperament that drives them on to hunt and kill. |
GROUP ONE ~ THE SIGHT HOUNDS
These hounds were bred to hunt by catching and killing their quarry. This group includes some of the most ancient of breeds.
There is a variety of sizes, from the Irish Wolfhound who originally hunted the wolf, wild deer and the boar, to the Whippet, one of the younger breeds, whose quarry was the humble rabbit. They are all built on similar lines with long legs, long necks and very deep briskets, which makes them some of the most efficient runners in the animal world. The Saluki and the Afghan Hound are some of the oldest breeds, these were recorded in Ancient Persian Manuscripts.
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GROUP TWO ~ HOUNDS THAT HUNT BY SCENT
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Hounds that
hunt by scent include most of the pack/hunting dogs whose task was to outrun their quarry by sheer stamina and persistence, chasing it until it either collapsed out of sheer exhaustion or either decided to turn and face its pursuers. The dogs in this group are built on heavier lines, they have strong legs, with deep chests and a different shaped head than the faster hounds. They have large muzzles and noses to allow a greater intake of scent and breath. They are capable of following a scent for many hours and in some cases, many days. |
GROUP THREE ~ HOUNDS THAT HOLD THE QUARRY AT BAY
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This is a smaller group of hounds which hunt by scent, but instead of going to kill their quarry when it is cornered, it is trained to give voice, keeping the animal at bay until the hunter arrives to kill it. They hunt larger animals such as mousse and elk. The Elkhound is a typical example. Others such as the black and tan Coonhound, have been evolved to corner their quarry in a tree and give voice. |
One of the biggest hounds that give voice are the Bloodhound, they are renowned for their powers of scent and are used by Man, not so much for their hunting skills now, but for their tracking skills in tracking criminals, lost people and as they find their quarry they will give voice alerting everyone within the near vicinity that they have found their quarry.
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GROUP FOUR ~ LOW TO GROUND HOUNDS
Low to ground hounds. There is a small number of hounds that could be described as a mixture of hound and terrier, in that they hunt by scent and when their quarry which is normally a fox or badger, goes to ground, it is their duty to follow it, corner it and engage it until they are dug out by the hunter. The Dachshund is one of this group.
Sport with dogs varies from laying a pack of hounds in a line to hunt in unison, to catching one animal with one dog, and from coursing an antelope across the plains. A dog that can catch a deer has legs that are too long to allow it to go underground.
With quarry such as badger and fox, some other form of control was needed. The sport of hunting them down to their lairs and sending in dogs to pin them there or to pull them out and destroy them so, a small short legged dog with great spirit and the ability to fight in very confined spaces and the lung room to allow it to breath under extremely difficult conditions was needed. Hence the Dachshund.
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THE SPECIALISTS
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There are one or two members of the hound group that are real specialists. The Otterhound,
which is bred to hunt for the Otter on the banks of rivers were used as a pack throughout Britain, but mainly in the South West and Wales, where the otter was plentiful. He is renowned for his scenting ability in water, hence the specialist. He is wary in the hunt, will rarely over run a holt and will stay on the trail in any sort of terrain and deep fast running water unwaveringly. Nothing will throw him off the trail, and if he gives voice seriously, the location of his quarry is certain. He is a big strong noble looking hound, in spite of his shaggy coat.
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The Bloodhound was produced to follow the longest or the oldest trail. Man's strive for perfection created this hound and in this field the Bloodhound is supreme. This hound is still called upon by Police forces when everything else has failed. He is the biggest and the strongest of the scent hunting hounds. He is forceful and positive when tracking and it takes a great deal to break him from his intended tasks. His scenting powers are formidable, hence the specialist.
There is one breed of hound who will tackle the fiercest game, including the big cats. This is the lion and the leopard and the dog is the Rhodesian Ridgeback. In the early days, this breed was used by big game hunters for the hunting of lion, hence the nick name of "lion dog". There certainly is not a breed of dog that could succeed in a fight with a lion, the Ridgeback was used to put the lion at bay and to hold him there, by worrying him, which kept the lion at bay until the hunter appeared to kill it. This means that this breed of hound must have great agility as well as power, as the lion is a very quick beast in spite of it's size. He has a good nose and works quite well as a gundog, and can also be an excellent guard, as he will stand no nonsense from strangers, hence the specialist.
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Most dogs in the hound group become attached to people, largely because they have enjoyed civilisation for centuries. They have for the most part a well controlled killer instinct, but many of them have a streak of independence which under certain circumstances will make them disobedient.
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