There are two types of 'hounds' - sight hounds or those which pursue their quarry using the sense of sight, and 'scent hounds' those who track their prey by scent.

Scent hounds are not required to be fleet of foot as they can follow their prey by scent until they can locate it, as against sight hounds which once they lose sight of the prey abandon the chase.

As far back as 350B.C the Greek writer Zenophen wrote a series of essays on dogs in his book Cynegeticus and, of the hounds, he wrote 'In hunting they ought soon to quit the beaten tracks, slanting heads towards the ground smelling at the tracks and drooping their heads downwards and while they dart glances this way and that, and wag their tails, they should go forward in a body towards the lairs making many deviations..... they should pursue the animal unremittingly and steadily, with a great noise and barking....".

These early hounds were small, were followed on foot by the huntsman and the object of the hunt was to drive hare into nets, but many of today's hound breeds owe their ancestry to  France and the hounds of St Hubert. Legend has it that while out hunting with his dogs on Good Friday, Hubert captured a stag which spoke to him and lectured him on the consequences of his ungodly behaviour. Hubert, much chastened by these words, retired from the world and founded an Abbey of St Hubert and devoted the remainder of his life to good works and the breeding of hounds! William of Normandy bought a number of St Hubert's hounds to England where they became the ancestors of today's Bloodhound. The pure St Huberts were interbred with other breeds and a variety of different hound types evolved, depending on the area and the terrain the dogs were hunted over. Different sizes of dogs and a variation in type was found between the different packs in various parts of the country.

The smallest of these hounds, the Beagle, is a compact little dog with great strength and agility.

The size is between 33- 40cms.     Although now popular as a companion, the Beagle is very determined and still has the instinct to follow a scent to the end, making him a risky proposition to let off lead down the local park. Perhaps the best known Beagle is the cartoon character in 'Peanuts' but the excellent scenting ability of the breed means that many air travelers are greeted by Beagles trained to locate forbidden products checking over their luggage.

The larger Foxhound has never been commonly kept as a pet and his need for exercise and his single-minded attitude make him an unsuitable choice for suburbia. Both Beagles and Foxhounds are 'pack' animals and have a desperate need for company - either of other dogs or humans and are unhappy as a solitary dog in a suburban backyard.

The third commonly met scent hound is the Basset Hound, a comical canine with his solemn expression, long ears and short legs. They were developed for the need to have a short-legged hound better able to hunt in dense cover. The first Basset Hounds taken to England were purely exhibition dogs but during the lat 19th century many working packs were formed. Today the Basset is a popular family pet made famous by the cartoon Fred Basset, but is only for those prepared to live with a very strong and heavy hound, again with the very determined hound attitude.

All three of these hounds come in what are known as 'hound' colours - black, tan and white (tricolour), tan and white or lemon and white. Another characteristic of these hounds is 'baying' - a melodious noise made by the hounds as they chase the prey.