There are two types of hunting dogs within which different breeds are grouped: dogs that hunt on the run, that is, those that chase prey and catch it by themselves and dogs that are called “sample” which are those that stop prey for the hunter to shoot.
These different ways of acting on the prey come from the ancestors of each race. Thus, for example, the wolves grouped in packs, chose the prey, caught it and killed it to feed. Another form of hunting is, like certain primitive African dogs, approaching the prey, hiding and very stealthily approaching, crawling to surprise it and catch it without the possibility of it being able to flee (similar to that of the felines).
The man who hunts is normally accompanied by a dog that, over the years, has been transformed creating ideal breeds for each type of animal that it hunts, that is, the breeds of hunting dogs have been modified according to the needs of man in this activity.
We will see what hunting dogs are like, what are the best-known breeds, their physical characteristics, character, abilities and ways of catching their prey.
What do you need for hunting dogs?
- Know breeds of hunting dogs.
- Know which ones are suitable for each type of prey.
Instructions for hunting dogs
- To choose hunting dogs, it is important to be clear about the type of prey to be hunted and under what conditions. For example, there are hunting dogs of great hunting and small hunting. The difference is that the former are those that go in packs of twenty or more accompanying hunters who hunt on horseback and the latter are those in which two or three dogs are enough to accompany the hunter and collect the prey that he hunts. In both cases the dogs are called to hunt by hand or on the run.
- In hunting on horseback, the pack of dogs pursues the prey until it reaches physical exhaustion and stops, at which point the hunter kills it. Their behavior and hunting method is similar to the hunting mode of their wild ancestors.
- The dogs of great hunting are large dogs, they are delicate and very expensive dogs and very few are seen today. Among them we have the Saint Hubertus Hound, the Cerise or Montemboeuf, the Great Leonardo of Brittany.
- Nowadays, the most used breeds in big game hunting are the Gascony Sainogeoios or also called Veradale, the Levesque, the French black and white (tireless runner dog), the Billy (with a great sense of smell), the Foxhound, the Bloodhound and the Beagle Harrier . These are some of the races but there are many more.
- Small hunting dogs go in two or three accompanying the hunter, they are medium-sized dogs. The dogs must blow up the prey for their master to hit it with his shotgun.
- The best known dogs are the Norman Artesian Basset, the Artois dog (ideal for hare hunting), the Inverness Griffon (boar hunting), the Beagle (adapted for hare hunting), the Somerset Harrier, the Foxhound, among others.
- Another way of classifying hunting dogs, according to the Federation Cynologique International, is into six groups: Terriers, Dachshunds, Bloodhounds and other trail dogs, Pointing Dogs, Greyhounds, and Retrievers, Lifters, and Water Dogs.
- Terriers have long been used to hunt small animals in their burrows, hunting rats, foxes, badgers and rabbits.
- Greyhounds or greyhounds are slim, very agile and the fastest that exist. Pointer dogs, generically called pointers, are the ones that detect and point out prey.
- Hounds detect their prey by smell and not by sight; they have long, hanging ears. Some are used for big game like the Saint Hubertus or the Foxhound and others for small game like the Basset Hound and the Beagle.
Tips for hunting dogs
- Hunting dogs can be kept as pets in homes, although it is necessary to take into account that they are dogs that need to run and do a lot of exercise.
- If you have a hunting dog as a pet, you should find out how to socialize it, feed it, care for it and train it so that its adaptation to the home is correct.
