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Sight
Hounds
Irish
Wolfhound
Sight hounds, dogs that traditionally hunt mainly by sight,
are believed to share a common ancestor, the Phoenician hound.
All bear a similar silhouette: long jaw, refined head, lean
muscular body, deep chest, fairly long neck, thin powerful
legs, and hare feet, which have elongated middle toes that
make the foot appear longer overall.
Many of the sight hound breeds can be traced back to antiquity
and originated in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.
Breeds that were refined in Africa and the Mediterranean region,
such as the saluki, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Italian greyhound,
and greyhound, have short smooth coats, whereas those developed
in harsher climates such as Afghanistan (Afghan hound), Russia
(borzoi), and the northern United Kingdom (Scottish deerhound,
Irish wolfhound) bear longer, rougher, weather-resistant coats.
The short-haired whippet is the Johnny-come-lately of the
sight hounds, developed in nineteenth-century England by crossing
the greyhound, the Italian greyhound, and a now-extinct English
terrier.
Almost all of the dogs in this group hunt primarily by sight,
taking off in hot pursuit of game at the detection of the
slightest movement.
The fastest dogs in the canine kingdom, they are used today
in dog racing and lure coursing and are nearly impossible
to catch if they get away. Their desire to capture and kill
prey is paramount, thus many of them need to be carefully
supervised around cats and other small mammals, especially
when outdoors.
With people, the larger sight hound breeds (Afghan, saluki,
Ibizan hound, and pharaoh hound) and the basenji are gentle
but not particularly demonstrative. The smaller Italian greyhounds
were bred to be companions and thin-skinned bed warmers, so
they are naturally more outwardly affectionate.
Rhodesian
Ridgeback
Sight Hounds
Afghan Hound
Basenji
Borzoi
Greyhound
Ibizan Hound
Irish Wolfhound
Italian Greyhound
Pharaoh Hound
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Saluki
Scottish Deerhound
Whippet
types of dogs
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