Scent Hounds

Author: Denise Partlow

Instagram: @modernk9 Carolinas

Scent Hounds were bred to track and hunt animals on rough terrain. They have an amazing sense of smell. They were required to be ready at a moment’s notice but also to be calm when not needed. Unlike a sight hound, scent hounds were bred to follow a target over miles of difficult landscape so they may not be as fast but have the stamina needed that sight hounds lacked. They were bred to have a full predatory sequence which means not only do they go in for the chase and bite they will also go in for the kill.

Some of the scent hound breeds that we see today are:

Foxhound
Basset Hound
Coonhound
Bloodhound
Treeing Walker Coonhound
Plott Hound
Beagle

Bred to track and hunt at a moment’s notice will most likely result in a dog with an extremely high prey drive but little impulse control. Not only were they bred to track and hunt but they were bred to follow the scent for miles and miles, never giving up, giving us a dog with a desire to hunt, poor recall and the ability to tune everything out around them as they are determined to follow that scent.

Since they were also bred for their calm behavior during non-hunting times, they are very friendly and playful with people and dogs.

While they are happy to lay around most of the day, they lack a lot of impulse control and will react at a moment’s notice so when they catch a scent you may no longer be on their radar, therefore training a solid recall is imperative. They may exhibit excessive barking. This can make them unmanageable on leash but all hope is not lost, knowing this information in the beginning will help you set a training plan that meets your dog’s needs. Finding outlets for a dog with such an intense prey drive will help them to remain stable-minded. Some activities they may enjoy are playing with a flirt pole, lure coursing, barn hunt and scent work.

This is not a full list of characteristics and may not apply to every dog. If you are interested in diving a little deeper, I encourage you to read the book, “Meet Your Dog” by Kim Brophey.