Harrier

Harrier is a little-known breed in our country. Dogs are popular in their homeland - in England. Representatives of the breed are rarely found outside of Albion. The breed is slowly fading away.

Story

Little is known about harrier before the 19th century, although there are mentions that the breed existed as aboriginal in Southern England in the 13th century. However, in the writings of British researchers of the breeds of British dogs of the XIV-XV century, J. Berners and J. Caius, hounds were described very sparingly.

The breed was bred for schooling and solitary hunting for hares. Notable hunters scornfully called the hairea "poor foxhound". Since the XIX century, dog breeders began to improve the breed, adjusting the working qualities and exterior. The breed standard was approved only in 1974.

Description of breed

Unlike a typical hunting dog, working on such a delicate and dexterous game like hares, the harrier has a rather strong and stocky build. Such a structure was due to the transition from hiking to horse riding. When she was from the dog was required not only speed, but also endurance, which provides a good muscle mass.

There are no sex differences in appearance, therefore standards are common for females and males. Harrier is a medium sized hound. The growth in the standard of the breed is not rigidly fixed, but the recommended height at the withers is 48-53 cm, and the allowable one is 46-55 cm. Weight ranges from 20 to 27 kg. According to the standard, dogs look like this:

1. The head is expressive, moderately large. The skull is flat with a weakly marked occipital crest and brow ridges. The forehead is wide, sloping, in the nose passes without a sharp border. The muzzle is large, with a relief of the muscles. The facial and frontal parts of the skull are almost equal.
2. The nose is wide, with a pronounced dark lobe and clearly defined open nostrils. Depigmented nose is a vice.
3. Jaws strong, deep with scissor bite. Full teeth, correct bite. Violation of dentition and bite is considered a defect.
4. Lips of medium thickness, tight to the teeth. Upper lip closes lower lip.
5. The eyes are oval-shaped, medium-sized, deep-set, of a dark color. Allowed in dogs with a light nut or brown color.
6. The ears are medium-sized, V-shaped, adjacent to the cheeks, set high. They are covered with short soft coat.
7. The neck is long and strong, dry, muscular, without a chin. Somewhat curved at the top.
8. The body is strong. In length more than in height. The back is straight, strong. In the lower back is somewhat convex.
9. Breast height is greater than wide, deep, well muscled, convex. Ribs flat, not protruding.
10. Belly selected, but not lean.
11. Limbs strong straight with well-developed muscles. The hind legs are muscular, with open corners of the knees, which provides a strong push in the jump. The feet are round, the fingers are compressed loosely, arched, which ensures good contact with the soil of any relief.
12. The tail is of medium length, thick, strong. The dog carries it raised up, the tip is deflected to the back, but does not roll over it and is not twisted into a ring. Tail ring - a sign of vice standard.

Due to the strong constitution, muscularity of the harrier, an excellent hunter - fast in the race, strong and enduring. Such properties were required in connection with the development of parforsnoy hunting, in which the hounds drive the beast to its complete exhaustion. It moves easily over rough and mountainous terrain.

The breed is valued for its sharp scent (paiscus) and attentiveness, the ability to keep track, unravel bunny discounts and loops (mating and mastership), but it can also work on larger prey - fox, other fur animals and even boar. Dogs keep a good fresh mark, work on the blood, but lose the cold. The voice is clear, well distinguishable at a distance.

Colors and wool

The coat has a medium length harrier, hard, thick, tight to the body. Dog hair on the head, ears and limbs is shorter than on the body, and softer. On the back of the paw and tail is quite long. Undercoat poorly defined or absent.

The formation of the color was influenced by breeds that participated in the creation of the English hound:

• Talbothaunds - now disappeared muscular large white-haired dogs. Their blood is present in many breeds of hounds;
• the old southern hounds — with white fur in blue spots;
• Foxhounds - which often have a black tricolor coat.

This influence caused the difference in the colors of the representatives of the breed. The harrier most often has a tricolor color - white, various shades of red and black. The black color of the coat forms a hatchet, which, according to the standard, should not have clear boundaries and gently turns into tan from red to intense fawn color. Allowed red-white and lemon-white color. Less common is white or black and tan.

Traits

Since the breed was bred for school hunting, the dog's character is docile. He gets along well with dogs of different breeds. The need for a lot of time to be close to the horses also left an imprint on the character of the harrier. However, the dog may conflict with cats.

A significant feature of the character of harrier, which is noted by the owners and breeders of these rare dogs, is their curiosity and gambling. It is curiosity, the desire to explore, explore the surrounding space makes them run away from home. But, having satisfied their curiosity, they always return to the owner.

Like most hounds, harrier has a developed intuition, expressed instincts. Even an urban dog is actively pursuing cats and squirrels, satisfying hunting instincts. In the character there is stubbornness, indispensable in the long pursuit of prey, but requiring a confident and persistent upbringing. The dog is faithful and obedient to the owner.

The dog does not tolerate inattention, loneliness, idleness. The dog locked in four walls whines, barks, spoils things and furniture. The dog possesses autonomy, ingenuity, which, if insufficient education can develop into self-will and disobedience. The dog does not possess territorial aggression, therefore the guard dog will not leave the beautiful hunter.

It treats children with the utmost restraint - it does not allow aggressiveness, but it also evades from noisy, importunate harassment. Under the conditions of an apartment that grew up and were born from the same “homemade” parents, harriers become more loyal to children. Some dog owners talk about caring for the kids and that the harrier is an active and tireless participant in children's games.

Harery is not aggressive. Aggression is a vice. The dog easily adapts to changing conditions, which testifies to the ability to make independent decisions, intelligence and intelligence.

Dogs need a community of congeners, so even if they live a harrier in a house with an extensive yard, enabling independent walking, they need to be taken for a walk so that the dog does not become withdrawn or cowardly. In the absence of maintaining hunting skills, the dog may become depressed, nervous, naughty.

Training

Harrier requires constant and professional training. Thanks to his quick wits and intelligence, the dog lends itself well to training, but requires patience and does not tolerate violence. If the owner is not sure that he can provide constant training and training, then you should not get a harrier - you can get a naughty and stupid dog.

Cynological clubs offer training of a harrier, which provides not only the development and maintenance of hunting qualities, but also the education of a companion who can tolerate the wearing of a muzzle and know the basic commands.

Harrier is a noisy dog ​​that, when living in an apartment, causes anxiety by barking and howling. Training helps to correct the behavior of the pet. An active, agile and friendly dog ​​learns well, which is carried out in the form of a game. Passed professional dog training showed excellent results in sports and search work.

Care and health

Harrier does not require special care. Its dense, hard coat does not get dirty, so it is recommended to bathe the dog rarely, only with heavy pollution. Some dog breeders recommend bathing procedures no more than 1-2 times a year.

The dog requires regular combing of dead and loose wool. With the help of a brush or a special mitten the owner should brush the pet every 1-2 days. During the shedding period, hair loss is more intense, which requires daily combing.

After long and active walks, it is necessary to inspect the paw pads, wool and ears of the pet to eliminate injuries and the attack of blood-sucking insects - fleas and ticks. An ear condition check is required to prevent inflammation. The dog's long claws require regular haircuts.

From an early age, you need to teach your puppy to brush your teeth, since damaged enamel and dental diseases are a disqualifying sign for exhibition specimens.

Health harrier strong. Hereditary pathologies are rare. Diseases can cause content errors or insufficient physical activity. With proper care and maintenance, the dog can live from 10 to 14 years.

Breed pathologies

According to the testimony of veterinarians and owners of dogs of this breed there are diseases characteristic of beagles:

1. Pathology of the musculoskeletal system: dysplasia of the knee and hip joints, dislocation of the patella, intervertebral hernia.
2. Diseases of the organs of vision and hearing: cataract, glaucoma, otitis.
3. Metabolic disorders: obesity.
4. Endocrinological pathologies: hypothyroidism - functional insufficiency of the thyroid gland.
5. Skin diseases: dermatosis, acne, caused by minor injuries, demodicosis.

With the right content and the introduction of a balanced diet, most pathologies can be successfully avoided.

Feeding rules

Harrier is a fast-growing dog, so puppies need a special diet, balanced in terms of food content with a high amount of proteins needed as a plastic material for building muscles.

Feed the puppy often, but in small portions, as the small hounds greedily absorb food and tend to overeat. The diet of the puppy consists of:

• cereals with meat and vegetables;
• meat soup;
• milk porridge - depending on the puppy's age.

For the proper formation of bone and muscle tissue in the diet should definitely enter finely chopped raw meat. Food should contain a sufficient amount of carbohydrates in the form of cereals from cereals, to ensure the energy processes and activity of the dog, and a small amount of fat to normalize the functions of the nervous system.

High activity harrier requires high-calorie food, in an amount that sometimes exceeds the diet of larger dogs. But the tendency to obesity causes the control of nutrition, especially with insufficient physical activity. Raw meat and canned meat should be mixed with rye bread croutons and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and occasionally fish should be added to the diet.

The hosts, who kept packs of hounds, very much cared about their food. In order not to spoil the delicate scent of the harrier, he was never given too hot food, fresh milk or mutton. In order to maintain the working qualities in the diet was a lot of meat, but only in chopped form.

The state of bone tissue and teeth is of great importance for the hound, therefore, the diet must contain products that provide the dog's body with the necessary amount of calcium and phosphorus. With natural nutrition, this need is filled with vitamin-mineral complexes.

A well-balanced nutrition is indicated by the timely replacement of milk teeth for permanent, good condition of the enamel and the absence of dental pathologies.

Using power, adjust the weight of the harrier, especially if the dog is not moving enough. Sweet, baking, baking - for harrier under the strictest ban. It is also necessary to strictly dose the delicacies and not give unhealthy food, to which the dog very quickly gets used.

When feeding with dry food, many companies have developed special foods for active dogs. It is necessary to monitor the amount of liquid not only when feeding with dry food, but also when using natural products by the pet.

Dog content

Ideally, hounds should live in a farm, country cottage or private house, where there is a spacious yard for walking and outdoor games. But thanks to its high adaptability and unpretentiousness, as well as its small size, the dog can live in a city apartment, provided long active walks in the park, the forest.

A school dog needs to communicate with representatives of its own species, so they often acquire two dogs for constant communication, games. When kept in an apartment, the dog must have a place and conditions for meeting natural needs - a diaper or a tray, especially if the dog will often be left alone.

When kept on a street, a harrier requires an open-air cage with warm, dry shelter. In the absence of such conditions, the dog must be allowed into the house.

Photo harrier

Video about harrier

Where to buy a puppy

A harrier puppy costs over $ 500. Due to the low popularity outside of England, buying a puppy is problematic. Occasionally there are ads for the sale of puppies at a price of 25,000-35,000 rubles.

It was possible to find only one portal of dog breeders http://www.elitedogs.ru/breed/kharer.htm, on which there is information about the breed, but there are no offers to sell puppies today.

Harrier is a great dog for a hunter, active, athletic person. To the fan of the “sofa” rest, starting a harrier is categorically contraindicated.