Episode 14: Introduction to Sight Hounds

10/29/20 • 53 min

In this episode, we look at the group of hounds known as sight hounds or gaze hounds. These dogs are known for using their eyesight to find and track prey, but more importantly, these dogs use their incredible speed to pursue and overtake their quarry. Having been developed almost exclusively for speed, sight hounds even have larger hearts and different blood chemistry from other breeds of dogs.

Sight hounds are commonly thought of as originating from the desert regions of the Middle East and the Arabian peninsula, but in fact, sight hounds were developed in many different regions around the world. What these places have in common are large, open spaces where prey animals can be seen from great distances. Commonly known breeds include the Greyhound, the Saluki, the Afghan Hound, the Irish Wolfhound, the Scottish Deerhound, the Whippet, and many, many more.

Hare coursing was (and in some places, continues to be) a popular means of competing with sight hounds. Dogs are released to chase a hare; while the hare is not commonly caught, it provides a conclusive method of determining which dogs are the fastest and most agile. Lure coursing is a modern day replica of this event whereby a “lure” (sometimes even just a plastic bag) is pulled at high speed via a cord and pulleys to mimic fleeing prey.

Tune in to learn more about the common and obscure breeds of sight hounds as well as how they are hunted and competed today. In the next episode, we’ll get into more detail about modern hunting methods using sight hounds developed for more versatile uses.

As always, we thank you for listening and hope you’ll continue to reach out with your comments, questions, and ideas. We can be reached at [email protected].

Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.

Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food and supported by Dakota 283.

As always, we thank you for listening and hope you’ll continue to reach out with your comments, questions, and ideas. We can be reached at [email protected].

Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.

Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food and supported by Dakota 283.

Previous Episode

Episode 13: Overview of Hounds

In this episode, we begin a broad survey of hounds, beginning with a linguistic exercise to uncover the meaning of the word “hound.” The general nature of the word perhaps explains the very broad range of hound dogs today.

Hounds are separated into categories such as sight hounds, scent hounds, leash hounds, podengos, and pariah dogs. Perhaps the oldest of these categories is the pariah dog, which is thought to have originated at the refuse piles out on the outskirts of early towns and villages.

Pariah dogs and podengos are perhaps among the most versatile of the hound dogs. They exhibit a combination of developed skills such as the use of their nose to locate hidden game, the use of their eyes to track running game, a bounding gait to overcome dense brush, their speed to overtake and capture game, and a retrieving instinct to bring the game back to the handler. An example of this type of hunting can be found with the Ibizan Hound, or the Podenco Ibicenco, which hunts rabbits in the brushy landscape of the island of Ibiza off the coast of Spain.

Sight hounds include commonly known breeds such as the greyhound, whippet, and wolfhound. These dogs rely on good eyesight, but more than that, they rely on speed to overtake their prey. Mixes between the sight hound breeds were called “long dogs” and were frequently used by poachers to take game off of private estates under cover of darkness.

Scent hounds include well-known favorites such as the foxhound, the bloodhound, and beagles. These dogs are known for their incredible sense of smell and the ability to follow a trail to find game. Scent hounds are often used in packs to run down prey, often using their incredible stamina to outlast the game.

Upcoming episodes will dive deeper into each of these categories of hounds, uncovering a surprising number of breeds both well-known and obscure. Hounds have an incredibly diverse history stretching all across the world as they were used to hunt a variety of prey in a variety of human cultures. Hounds eventually led to the development of many of our pointing dog breeds. Stay tuned to learn more about this unexpected origin story.

As always, we thank you for listening and hope you’ll continue to reach out with your comments, questions, and ideas. We can be reached at [email protected].

Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.

Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food and supported by Dakota 283.

Next Episode

Episode 15: Lurchers and Longdogs

In this episode, we take a detour off the path of well-known sighthound breeds and venture into the somewhat murky and mysterious world of lurchers and longdogs.

A lurcher is a hybrid dog resulting from the cross of a sighthound with another working breed of dog. Their origins reach back far into history, when purebred sighthounds were highly revered and could only be owned by the wealthy and noble. Commoners secretly took advantage of opportunities to breed their farm dogs to the noble greyhounds and deerhounds, thereby creating a versatile hybrid that could hunt, protect, and work with great speed and drive. By their very foundation, lurchers have historically been affiliated with poachers and other “below the radar” activities... an association which is not readily rejected by modern day enthusiasts!

Longdogs, by contrast, are the result of a cross between sighthound breeds. These hybrids are intended to capture the best traits of the two hounds, uniquely suited to a particular application.

Both lurchers and longdogs represent hybrid dogs that are intentionally developed for a very specific purpose, pursuing very specific game, and covering very specific terrain. For example, the needs of a rabbit hunter in rolling heather meadows is slightly different from that of a farmer looking to keep the coyotes away from the chicken coop. Sighthounds are of great use in both cases, but the characteristics can be further dialed in with particular breed influences.

Tune in to learn more about the murky world of lurchers and longdogs, including some unusual examples such as the Alaunt and the Nebraska Coyote Dog.

As always, we thank you for listening and hope you’ll continue to reach out with your comments, questions, and ideas. We can be reached at [email protected].

Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.

Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food and supported by Dakota 283.