The Harrier is one of Britain's most popular hunting dog breeds and is often confused with the Beagle and Beagle Harrier, although one of its closest relatives is the Foxhound English. The hunting dog is distinguished by its incredible and powerful sense of smell, making it one of the most successful scent detection dogs today.
In this new breed sheet from PlanèteAnimal, we will explain everything about the harrier dog breed, including its history, characteristics, character and the care it needs.Thinking of adopting a Harrier dog? Not sure if this is the right one for you? We answer all your questions below:
Origin
- Europe
- United Kingdom
FCI Nomenclature
- Group VI
Physical Characteristics
- Muscular
- Proportional
- Long ears
Size
- Average
Height
- 45-55
Adult Weight
- 10-25
Life expectancy
- 10-12
Recommended physical activity
- High
Character
- Balanced
- Society
- Very loyal
- Smart
- Active
- Affectionate
Ideal for
- House
- Walking
- The hunt
- Sports
Recommendations
- Harness
Recommended climate
- Temperate
Hair type
- Short
- Smooth
- Hard
Origin of the Harrier dog
The Harrier breed dog was developed in the UK with the aim of creating a skilful and athletic dog suitable for hare hunting in packs.Many stories and myths surround the breed, but the truth is that the oldest recorded group of harriers dates back to 1260, making them a particularly ancient dog breed. However, its origins remain uncertain and it is now considered to be a shortened version of the English Foxhound, which was achieved through selective breeding.
During colonial times, the breed became popular in the United States, where it excelled as a hunting dog, thanks to its attributes. The breed was finally recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1949, by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1974 and by the American Kennel Club in 1988.
Harrier Dog Characteristics
As we said before, the Harrier is a smaller version of the English Foxhound. It is a medium to large sized dog, strong and light, with a distinguished and powerful bearing. It has a medium-width head, a long, pointed muzzle and a well-developed black nose.His eyes are dark and moderately large. Its V-shaped ears are flat, slightly twisted and short, set high. Its neck is long and slightly arched. As for the body, it has a straight and muscular back, rather deep chest and flat, arched ribs. The tail is moderately long, tapering towards the tip, with long, thick hair around the tail. He is renowned for his agile and firm gait.
The coat of the harrier dog is smooth, flat, not very short and it is generally white with all shades of black to orange. In France, the breed is usually tricolor, with a black coat covering the upper back. The size of the Harrier breed is between 48 and 55 centimeters at the withers at the maximum.
Harrier dog character
The Harrier dog breed is generally noted for its outgoing, sociable and friendly character, both with people and other dogs, as temperament is one of the characteristics of the breed that has been taken into account during its development and creation.In addition, after generations of breeding for hunting in packs, a certain predisposition has been achieved to obtain a friendly and sociable character. However, if not properly socialized, the Harrier may show some tendency to chase small domestic or wild animals.
In any case, it is good to remember that the character of each individual is unique and will largely depend on the education received and, to a lesser extent, on the experiences and genetics of their parents. Likewise, it is generally an affectionate dog with children.
Harrier Care
The Harrier, thanks to its short and smooth coat, does not require excessive care when it comes to its coat. Using a soft rubber brush, one or two weekly brushings can be done in order to remove dead hair and dirt. The frequency of baths is approximately 2 or 3 months, although this may vary depending on the physical activities performed and the amount of dirt that may accumulate.
Being a particularly active breed, the Harrier will need three to four walks a day, combining at least two of them with physical exercise, either with toys or simply with activities that can develop his muscles, such as jogging or hiking. It is particularly important to exercise this dog, otherwise behavioral problems may appear, such as stress and destructiveness among others.
It is necessary to offer them quality food, whether homemade diets (always supervised by a veterinarian) or balanced dry food, with fresh, clean water available 24 hours a day hours a day. A comfortable bed to rest on, quality toys suitable for the dog, accessories (such as harnesses or collars) made of good materials, etc. are also essential.
Harrier training and education
The optimal age for adopting a harrier dog is around 2.5 months, when he has already started his period of socialization with his mother and siblings, which allows him to Learn canine language and appropriate in-species behaviors, such as bite inhibition. He will then complete his socialization with his new family, adapting to his new environment and to the members of the household. We need to ensure that at this stage he experiences positive situations and begins to follow a stable routine.
Once he has completed his first cycle of vaccination, we will start teaching him to urinate outside, a fundamental behavior for his well-being, because in addition to defecating, walking is an activity that allows him to develop the marking behavior while socializing with other dogs. Later, once this part of the learning process has been fully assimilated, we can begin to teach the dog the basic obedience commands, which are essential for good control of the dog and communication with the guardian.It should be noted that if we have adopted an adult dog of this breed, we can also train and educate it.
Once the dog has learned the rules of basic training and obedience, we can introduce him to more complex commands, dog sports (like agility) or exercises mental stimulation, which are essential for his well-being. As a dog with an exceptional sense of smell, it may be interesting to focus its stimulation on olfactory exercises for dogs, starting, for example, with research or sowing.
Harrier He alth
To ensure good he alth, it is essential that the harrier dog has an adequate preventive medicine plan, which includes visits to the veterinarian every 6 to 12 months and monitoring the dog's vaccination schedule and the internal and external deworming program. Thanks to this routine, we will be able to detect early the appearance of any pathology in the dog, which considerably improves the prognosis of the treatment.
The most common diseases of the Harrier breed dog are:
- Abiotrophy or cerebellar ataxia.
- Idiopathic Epilepsy
The harrier dog has a life expectancy of 10 to 12 years.
Harrier Pictures
