Common Misconceptions About Scent Hounds
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Beagles, Foxhounds, Coonhounds, Bloodhounds: no matter the breed, scent hounds are some of the most misunderstood dogs.
I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard “wow, I could never have a hound” or “how do you deal with the noise” when I’ve told people that I have an American Foxhound.
I am far from the only scent hound owner who has heard this and many other misconceptions. It seems like hound dog stereotypes run rampant!
And while hounds are not the right breed for everyone, let’s break down the accuracy of some of these stereotypes and misconceptions, and embrace some of the nuance that surrounds this misunderstood breed group.
Misconception: Scent hounds cannot live indoors. If you let a scent hound indoors, it will not be able to hunt. Scent hounds are not pets.
This is one of the most common misconceptions about scent hounds. The old school hunting philosophy is that letting a hound live in the house will “ruin” them and make them too soft and unmotivated to work.
Honestly — that’s bullshit. That’s not how drive and motivation in dogs work. Working ability is not all-or-nothing, and plenty of hounds live indoors as pets and also hunt successfully. Being a pet and a working dog are not mutually exclusive.
I fully support dog owners whose hounds live outdoors and are well cared for; that is a legitimate personal choice. But when the “hounds won’t hunt if they live indoors” attitude extends to keeping hounds in subpar living conditions to toughen them up, it becomes an excuse to neglect and abuse their dogs.
Check out @tworedbones on Instagram and their interview on the With A Dog podcast to learn all about hunting with house hounds!
Misconception: Scent hounds have to be trained to hunt. Hunting drive is not genetic. You can undo hunting training.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have people who believe pets don’t work or have genetic predispositions at all. That’s also bullshit.
I understand that people perpetuate this misconception out of concern for the dogs, but it ignores some fundamental truths about scent hounds.
Dogs have been assisting humans with different jobs for thousands of years. We selectively bred domestic dogs to hone their skills at those jobs. By breeding dogs adept at certain behaviors, we created breeds with consistent phenotypes and behaviors that allowed them to excel at their jobs.
That means that certain scent hound behaviors are innate and cannot be trained out of them. Most scent hounds have a fundamental need to sniff, track, and problem solve.
Understanding these genetic desires allows scent hound owners to provide them with appropriate enrichment opportunities that satisfy their unique needs.
Misconception: Scent hounds are stubborn/dumb/untrainable.
Some of the smartest dogs I know are scent hounds! And no, these dogs are not anomalies. Scent hounds are generally very intelligent dogs.
Hounds have been bred for generations to use their sense of smell to track small game. They are bred to hunt this game by running away from their handlers and making independent decisions.
By nature of the job, a hound needs to be able to evaluate a handler’s commands and make a different decision if they judge that there’s a better way to chase down the quarry. Hound brains work a lot like Siberian Husky brains, except the job is to hunt, not pull.
Even if your hound isn’t a hunting dog, his brain is still naturally wired to think about the most efficient way to accomplish a job and to make decisions independent of what his handler is asking him to do.
Sometimes hounds will refuse to do what you ask, even if they understand what you’re asking. This leads people to believe that they are dumb or untrainable - but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Actually, your hound isn’t doing what you ask precisely because he is so smart!
The key to training your hound is to make it worth it for them, so they are incentivized to make the decision that you want.
Figure out what make your hound tick, whether that’s high value treats, playing tug, or tracking something that smells good. Knowing what your dog finds most reinforcing will help your dog choose the decision or behavior that you want them to do.
Trainer Paige Novak from Turning Point Dog Training in Cleveland has extensive experience working with scent hounds, and adds that many hounds she works with “have super low frustration thresholds” that also leads to people viewing them as untrainable.
Misconception: Scent hounds cannot be off leash, ever.
Scent hounds have natural instincts for sniffing, tracking, and running away from their handlers. As a breed group, these traits make scent hounds are much less reliable off leash than other dogs.
Some scent hounds may never be off leash reliable, and some owners may decide true off leash time just isn’t a priority for them.
Long lines and retractable leashes can be great alternatives that allow dogs to get the freedom and benefits of off leash time without actually being off leash.
But it’s a stretch to say that scent hounds can never be off leash. My first American Foxhound hiked off leash for most of his life. Full disclosure, it did take a lot of training and waiting for my dog to mature in order to build that off leash reliability!
If you want to train your scent hound to have a reliable recall, start by building a recall cue as a foundation using positive reinforcement.
You’ll want to proof this cue in a variety of locations and with different distractions so that you can guarantee your hound has a clear understanding of recall.
Check out this article from the Karen Pryor Academy to learn more about training your dog to recall. I always recommend reaching out to a positive reinforcement trainer near you to make sure you’re training the cue correctly. Some training facilities even have classes that focus just on recall!
A few more notes on reliable recall…
You may have heard of “balanced training” and electronic collars. I always recommend beginning any training with a solid foundation built with positive reinforcement training. I do not recommend using an e-collar until your dog has a clear understanding of recall.
If you choose to add an aversive tool into your training, please do a lot of research so you fully understand the risks of the tool and whether it is a good fit for your individual dog.
Please also consult a trustworthy balanced trainer — not a compulsion trainer.
If you use an e-collar, I only recommend using Dogtra or E-Collar Technologies brands because they have a greater range of sensitivities and are more customizable to your dog’s particular needs.
Misconception: Scent hounds cannot live in cities or apartments. Scent hounds need a fenced yard and/or acres of land to be happy.
Maybe we should start a counter of how many times I say “bullshit” in this blog post because here it is again: the idea that scent hounds cannot live in cities or apartments or need copious amounts of land is BULL. SHIT.
In reality, many scent hounds live happy, fulfilled lives in cities and apartments. Some individual hounds do not live best in a city environment or in an apartment setting, but that has a lot more to do with the individual dog than the breed group.
I actually think cities are a great environment for many hounds. Hounds love to explore their world through scent, and what do cities have a lot of? SMELLS.
In a city, every walk has new scents to explore, even when the route is the same. Both my hounds had a lot of breed-appropriate enrichment when we lived in cities.
It can take a little more effort to properly fulfill a scent hound in a city because you need to seek out places to exercise your dog. But regular walks, dog park visits, off leash hours at parks, training clubs, dog sports events, and enrichment games will keep your hound’s body and brain active, even without a fenced yard and acres of land.
Misconception: Scent hounds are super loud and way too noisy for most households.
Scent hounds are known for vocalizing, barking, and baying, but their talkativeness varies by individual dog, and even by scent hound breed.
For example, American Foxhounds are known as the “quiet hound”. They are still a pretty talkative breed, but much less so than other scent hound breeds.
I lived in city apartments with Foxhounds for ten years (one Foxhound and one other dog at a time). In that time, I only had one formal complaint, and maybe one or two comments from neighbors.
The vast majority of dogs vocalize to communicate a need or a want. That means that when your scent hound has a full and enriched life, they will have fewer needs and wants to communicate.
A scent hound whose mental, physical, and emotional needs are being met might still be more talkative than other breeds, but are unlikely to be unreasonably and excessively vocal.
If your hound is having behavioral problems, please reach out to a professional positive reinforcement trainer to address your concerns.
Why It’s Important to Understand These Misconceptions
It’s important to combat these misconceptions with truth and nuance. Rescues often find scent hounds less adoptable because these persistent stereotypes scare away potential adopters. Some old school hunters use these outdated stereotypes to justify treating their hounds like tools instead of sentient creatures.
Understanding where these misconceptions come from and embracing nuance around them helps us better understand dogs as individuals and as members of a breed group.
Acknowledging both truth and myth around scent hounds helps us make better adoption matches between dogs and adopters. Embracing nuance helps the rescue community understand scent hounds’ innate desire for certain enrichment activities, and for some individual dogs, the need to have a “job”.
Vilifying all hunting activities and denying these breeds’ genetic predispositions hurts the hound community as a whole. It builds resentment and misunderstanding between the rescue and hunting communities.
When these communities work together despite their differences, more hounds can find good homes and fewer hounds end up in the dangerous and dire circumstances they often do.
Outside of rescue and retiring old hunting dogs, confronting these stereotypes with a more nuanced perspective helps us appreciate the unique and endearing qualities of scent hounds.
Understanding the breed is step one to loving the breed!
Do you have a scent hound? Leave a comment on this post sharing your experience!
Other posts you might like:
What is Canine Enrichment? Why Does Your Dog Need It?
