Our beagle was never meant to get that big. Because he outgrew the breed standard, he was almost certainly a mix. He had the energy to match. On good days we let him loose in open ground and watched him go. Sometimes Cesar took the bike out and let him run alongside it for kilometres. He was magnificent. However, by adulthood he was also uncontrollable off-lead, since we never did the early training that hound dogs genuinely require.
That dog taught us the most useful thing we know about this group. Hound dogs were bred to work away from you, not with you.
We have since lived with two more. Fintan was an eleven-year-old retired racing greyhound we cared for in Western Australia. Then came Ruby, a smooth dachshund we sat for a week in the UK. Below are twelve types of hound dogs, with real exercise numbers, honest grooming loads, published health data, and a straight answer on first-time owners.
What Are Hound Dogs?
Hound dogs are breeds developed to find and pursue game, either by scent or by sight. The American Kennel Club places them together in the Hound Group, which currently lists more than 30 breeds. As the AKC puts it, most hounds share the common ancestral trait of being used for hunting.
The group splits cleanly in two. Scent hounds track prey with their nose and their stamina, because their job was to work slowly over long distances while giving voice. Sight hounds hunt by keen eyesight and raw speed, so they close the gap in one explosive chase.
That difference drives almost everything else. For example, scent hounds need long walks with time to read interesting smells. Sighthounds instead need free-running exercise in large, enclosed areas, then sleep most of the day. Still, both share the same inconvenient inheritance: hunting instincts that reward independent thinking and ignore you completely.
1. Beagle
The beagle is one of the most popular hound breed in America, and in our view the most underestimated. It ranked seventh in the American Kennel Club’s 2025 registration figures. Beagles stand 13 to 16 inches and usually live 12 to 15 years.
Ours was a study in what happens without early training. He was affectionate, endlessly cheerful and brilliant with people. Once his nose locked onto a scent trail, though, he stopped hearing us entirely. That selective hearing is not disobedience. Instead it is a working dog doing the job it was initially bred for.
Beagles suit families well and generally get on with other pets. Expect 60 to 90 minutes of daily exercise plus a secure, fenced yard. They also shed more than people expect. As a first dog they work well, provided you start recall training in week one.
2. Dachshund
The dachshund is a scent hound in a deliberately shortened body, bred in Germany to follow badgers underground. Because it jumped to fifth in the AKC’s 2025 popularity rankings, it is now the most owned hound in the United States.
We sat for Ruby, an eight-year-old smooth dachshund, for a week in England. She had bitten a previous housesitter, so we arrived cautious. Instead she was instantly affectionate, slept under the covers, stole food with real commitment, and barked at everything that moved. Her owner walked her 60 minutes daily, and the research backs that.
Some scientific studies (see below in references) have found that dachshunds exercising over an hour a day had lower odds of intervertebral disc disease. By contrast, those doing under 30 minutes had higher odds. Roughly 19–24% show clinical signs of IVDD in their lifetime. Our dachshund breed guide covers that in depth.
3. Greyhound
Greyhounds are the fastest dogs and one of the fastest animals on earth and the laziest housemates we have ever had. They reach around 72 km/h, then spend most of the day horizontal. That is not laziness, however. A body engineered for a forty-second sprint has no reason to stay upright afterwards.
Fintan, our eleven-year-old retired racer, decided on day one that he was choosing the walks. He led us past the reserve gate, through a banksia trail, and home forty minutes later. Eventually we realised he had mapped the neighbourhood and was rotating through his routes.
Two 20-minute walks a day genuinely satisfy most greyhounds. Grooming is close to nothing. Their prey drive around small animals is real, though, so cat households need care.
4. Whippet
The whippet is a greyhound scaled for a normal house, and probably the best hound dog for apartment living. Males stand 18.5 to 20 inches and weigh 24 to 40 pounds. Notably, a 2024 UK analysis put whippet life expectancy at 13.4 years, above the purebred average.
They hit 35 mph, the fastest of any dog in their weight class. Then they collapse onto the nearest soft surface. Quiet indoors and excitable outdoors, they are near-silent compared with any scent hound.
Grooming is minimal. Exercise means two decent walks plus regular off-lead sprinting in a fenced space. Because cardiac disease is the main concern, ask your vet about mitral valve disease in older dogs. First-time owners do well with whippets.
5. Bloodhound
Bloodhounds have the strongest reputation for scent work in the canine world, and breed lore says one documented trail was picked up more than 330 hours old. Their loose skin and long ears funnel scent upward toward the nose. Police still use them to find missing people, and some courts accept bloodhound identification as evidence.
Here the science gets more interesting than the folklore. Some studies have measured cribriform plate size, the bony gateway for olfactory nerves, across dogs and wolves. Crucially, scent breeds showed no advantage over non-scent breeds, and every dog came in below wolves. So this incredible sense looks less like superior hardware and more like temperament, stamina and generations of selection.
Be honest about the cost. Bloodhounds drool heavily, need daily fold-wiping, and are prone to bloat. Above all, a 2024 UK study reported a median lifespan of just 9.3 years. Not a first dog.
6. Basset Hound
Basset hounds originated in France, where breeders wanted a slow trailing hound that hunters could follow on foot. The name comes from bas, meaning low. They stand about 15 inches, yet weigh 45 to 65 pounds, so they are far heavier than they look.
Those famous ears carry a cost. In a UK primary-care study, it was found basset hounds had the highest odds of ear infection of any breed, at 5.87 times that of crossbreeds. Beagles came in at 2.54. Frequent ear cleaning is therefore not optional maintenance here.
Bassets are mellow indoors, tolerant with children and famously stubborn. Budget 45 to 60 minutes of walking daily to control their weight, since extra kilos punish those short legs. Typical lifespan runs 10 to 12 years.
7. Afghan Hound
The Afghan hound has the most demanding coat in the hound group, full stop. That silky coat needs regular brushing and frequent baths, because neglect turns it into mats within days. People often call them non-shedding, which is misleading. They shed less visibly, but no dog is truly allergen-free.
They stand 24 to 29 inches and weigh 44 to 60 pounds. Meanwhile a 2024 UK dataset put median lifespan at 11.1 years, below the purebred average.
Afghans finished last of 138 breeds in Stanley Coren’s obedience rankings, which gets quoted as proof they are unintelligent. Yet that test measured willingness to repeat commands, not problem-solving. An aloof sighthound bred to make its own decisions on Afghan mountainsides will always score badly on a biddability scale.
8. Norwegian Elkhound
Norwegian elkhounds hunted moose alone, then held them at bay with a loud, unique sound until hunters arrived. That job explains the dog you get: bold, alert, independent and extremely vocal. A 2024 UK study estimated life expectancy at 12.9 years.
They stand 19.5 to 20.5 inches and weigh up to 51 pounds. Their muscular bodies carry a thick double coat, which sheds heavily twice a year. No amount of brushing fully prevents the drift of grey fur.
Elkhounds form a strong bond with their families and make excellent watchdogs. They also bark, which is the whole point of the breed and a real problem in terraced housing. Ask your vet about renal glucosuria and hip issues. Overall, they suit an active household with a house and yard.
9. American Foxhound
American foxhounds are among the least common hound dogs kept as pets, and the reason is volume. Their musical bay carries for miles, which is wonderful in Virginia farmland but unbearable in a suburb. They stand 21 to 25 inches and weigh 55 to 71 pounds.
Temperament is a genuine strength. They are gentle, easygoing and reliably good with children and other dogs. Grooming is a wipe with a cloth. Lifespan runs 10 to 12 years, with few breed-specific genetic disorders.
Exercise is the deal-breaker. These are athletes bred to run all day, so 90 minutes of walking will not touch it. Never trust one off-lead in unfenced ground. First-time owners should look elsewhere unless they run seriously.
10. Black and Tan Coonhound
The black and tan coonhound descends from the medieval Talbot hound of the Middle Ages, through the bloodhound and foxhound. Males reach 21 to 27 inches and 50 to 75 pounds. Expect 10 to 12 years.
Indoors these are classic couch potatoes: mellow, amiable and unobtrusive. Outdoors a switch flips and the nose takes over. Every hound has its own distinctive voice, and this one is a deep howl rather than a bark.
Its close relative, the American English coonhound, is faster and even more driven. Both need long walks and secure areas, plus firm, consistent training from puppyhood. Watch for hip dysplasia and recurring ear infections, then discuss screening with your vet.
11. Pharaoh Hound
Pharaoh hounds are famous for blushing, because their ears and noses flush bright pink when excited. They are elegant sighthounds standing 21 to 25 inches, with soulful eyes, a life expectancy of 11 to 14 years, and a coat needing almost no work.
The name is where the myth starts. Popular accounts trace them to ancient Egypt via tomb paintings of prick-eared hunting dogs. Genetic work does not support this. A 2023 analysis found Malta’s Kelb tal-Fenek was the most genetically distant of its group from Egyptian street dogs. Furthermore, DNA studies place the modern breed’s divergence within the last two centuries.
They are affectionate, clean, and settle nicely at home after a good run. Their prey drive stays high, though, so secure fencing matters.
12. Azawakh
The azawakh is a West African sighthound from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, where nomadic tribes kept it for hunting and guarding. Males stand 25 to 29 inches and weigh 44 to 55 pounds. Females run smaller, at 23 to 27 inches.
Even by sighthound standards it is lean, with long legs, visible hip bones and almost no body fat. That is normal for the breed rather than neglect, and it catches new owners out.
Temperament sets it apart from other sighthounds. The breed standard calls it quick, attentive, distant and reserved with strangers, yet gentle with people it accepts. Coat care is a wipe with a cloth. Because sighthounds carry little fat, raise anaesthesia sensitivity with your vet. This is not a first dog.
Living With Hound Dogs: The Honest Version
Training takes patience, not dominance
Hound breeds are hard to train because independence was the point. A scent hound checking in with its handler every thirty seconds would have been a useless hunting dog. Consequently, recall is where most owners struggle. Ours certainly did.
Start early, use high-value treats, and lean hard on positive reinforcement. Long-line work in a fenced area beats optimism in an open park. Above all, accept that a hound on a fresh trail is not defying you. It is simply not receiving the signal.
They are not more aggressive than other dogs
Breed reputation deserves scepticism generally. There is a study where they surveyed +18,000 dogs and sequenced 2,155 genomes. Notably, breed explained only about 9% of behavioural variation between individual dogs, and aggression was not a trait breed predicted well.
Most hound dog breeds are relatively quiet, affectionate and loyal companions. Noise, wandering and stubbornness are the real complaints, not temper.
Can You Name That Hound? 🐕
A 12-photo identification challenge — the wrong answers are deliberately tricky look-alikes from a similar group. Go back and change any answer before you score.
Which hound is this?
Frequently Asked Questions
Hound dogs are breeds originally bred to hunt by scent or by sight. Scent hounds such as the beagle follow scent trails using a keen sense of smell, and they run steadily for hours. Sighthounds such as the greyhound rely on keen eyesight and speed to chase prey. The AKC Hound Group is a diverse group of more than 30 breeds.
Yes, for the right household. Hounds are affectionate human companions with low grooming needs, and many turn mellow indoors after adequate exercise. However, the trade-offs are noise, a strong prey drive and unreliable recall. Given secure areas, long walks and consistent training, a hound makes a rewarding pet.
Most hound breeds are good family dogs. Beagles, bassets, foxhounds and coonhounds are just a few examples known for patience with children. Sighthounds are gentler still indoors, although small pets need supervision.
No. Hound dogs are not an aggressive group, and hunting drive is not the same as aggression toward people. Research by Morrill and colleagues found breed explains only around 9% of behavioural variation in dogs. Therefore training, socialisation and individual temperament matter far more than the breed label.
The Thing Nobody Tells You
The nose, or the eyes, will always win. That is not a training failure. Rather, it is a long history of humans selecting for exactly those natural instincts, and treats will not undo it. What you can do is design a life around it: fenced spaces, long lines, patient early work, and walks where the dog gets to follow something.
We got that wrong with our beagle and right with Fintan, and the difference was never the dog. If you want a smaller companion, our guide to the best small dog breeds is a good next stop. Alternatively, compare a hound’s independence with the velcro affection of a cavoodle.
Which hound has stolen your heart, or your dinner? Tell us in the comments.
References:
Bird, D. J., Jacquemetton, C., Buelow, S. A., Evans, A. W., & Van Valkenburgh, B. (2021). Domesticating olfaction: Dog breeds, including scent hounds, have reduced cribriform plate morphology relative to wolves. The Anatomical Record, 304(1), 139–153. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24518
McMillan, K. M., Bielby, J., Williams, C. L., Upjohn, M. M., Casey, R. A., & Christley, R. M. (2024). Longevity of companion dog breeds: Those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports, 14, 531. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w
Morrill, K., Hekman, J., Li, X., McClure, J., Logan, B., Goodman, L., … Karlsson, E. K. (2022). Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science, 376(6592), eabk0639. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abk0639
Pegram, C., O’Neill, D. G., Volk, A. V., Soares, T., Church, D. B., & Brodbelt, D. C. (2021). Frequency and predisposing factors for canine otitis externa in the UK — a primary veterinary care epidemiological view. Canine Medicine and Genetics, 8, 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-021-00106-1
