the HOUND Group

Hound Group is the name of a breed group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds, and does not necessarily include all hound-type dogs. Most major English-language kennel clubs include a Hound Group (including The Kennel Club (UK), the American Kennel Club, the Canadian Kennel Club, the Australian National Kennel Council, and the New Zealand Kennel Club) although different kennel clubs may not include the same breeds in their Hound Group.

A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. It can be contrasted with the gun dog (which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey) and with the retriever (which recovers shot quarry). There are three types of hound with several breeds belonging to each type: Sighthounds (these dogs are very fast and will catch and kill game by themselves), Scent hounds (these dogs have endurance, but are not fast runners) and 'other' hounds (like the Rhodesian Ridgeback) that follow prey by both sight and scent.

While most hound type dogs share the common ancestral trait of being used for hunting, generalizations are hard to come by since the type encompasses a diverse lot. There are Pharaoh Hounds, Norwegian Elkhounds, Afghans and Beagles, among others. Some hounds share the distinct ability to produce a unique sound known as baying.