Breed Description
The Harrier is a small to medium sized dog that belongs to the bloodhound family and originated in Great Britain. This breed averages between 50-60 pounds in weight, 19-21 inches in height.
Coat
The Harrier has a short, dense, shiny coat. This average moult has finer hairs on the ears than on the body. Commonly seen coat colors are black, white, red and white, white and tan, tan and white, black and tan, and lemon and white.
Activity
The Harrier needs daily exercise, including long, intensive runs or walks. They should be allowed to play outdoors as it is an easy and fun form of exercise. If not given enough exercise, this breed can become hyper vigilant, obese, and/or vicious. Bred to work and run all day, this breed is not content with a sedentary lifestyle.
Temperament
The Harrier is generally more social and playful than the Foxhound. They are known to be good with older children and are generally friendly with everyone. Their hunting instincts explain their love of sniffing and tracking. His origin as a working dog makes him great with other dogs, but make sure he is supervised at all times if he is around other small pets. This breed requires and does best with daily exercise, which is beneficial in preventing them from being lazy, overweight and restless.
General description
The Harrier breed originated in England and was developed during the 13th century. They were not only developed to hunt hares, they were also used to hunt rabbits and foxes.
Watch out
Requiring minimal care, the Harrier only needs regular brushing and combing to remove dead hair. They are average shedders and require their ears to be cleaned regularly and their nails trimmed. They require long, brisk walks every day and other forms of activity, such as playing in the garden, to make sure they get enough exercise every day.
Training
The Harrier is known to have a stubborn and independent nature. For this reason, obedience is highly recommended to start from young puppies. This breed is rarely seen in obedience events, although they can, it just takes a lot of time and effort on the part of the owners.
Harriers are best with owners who are not looking for companion dogs. These dogs love attention from their owners, but never trust their masters to keep them happy. Because of this, they tend to cause mischief for entertainment. They are not recommended for inexperienced dog owners as the biggest problem for this breed is dominance. The Harrier loves food and tends to buck waves. They are also known to have a fascination with digging due to the fact that they may find it entertaining, and mainly because they want to search for some critters underground.
character
The Harrier dog is known to have a pleasant and excellent disposition. They are a great breed for families with older children. As a working dog, these dogs do not like to be left alone, and as hunting dogs, they need to spend time outdoors and participate in physical activities.