Hunting dogs are commonly defined through breed, although some people use the term to describe a dog of any breed, which helps them to hunt. In particular, hounds, gun dogs, terriers and curs are specifically meant for hunting. Hounds include scent and sight; gun dogs include Pointers, Retrievers, Setters, Spaniels and Water dogs. What each of these breeds has in common is the ability to assist the hunter in capturing prey using extraordinary scent and hearing abilities.

Different kinds of hunting dogs fulfill different purposes. Commonly, those who enjoy the thrill of the hunt appreciate the hunter’s “helper” dogs, those such as sporting dogs whose main function involves tracking the animal if need be, flushing the prey out and retrieving prey that has been shot and killed. These kinds of dogs do not attack or kill the prey and are thus safer for hunters who would want to keep the dog as a family pet.

Scent hounds or wind hounds are hunting dogs that are used in chasing prey that the hunter simply wants dead. The thrill of the hunt is in finding the prey, not killing it, as the dog pretty well takes care of that side of things. These dogs are usually not kept as family pets, as they are too aggressive towards animals (or small humans) that it may consider as prey. Examples of scent hounds include Beagles, Bassets, Coonhounds and Bloodhounds.

For those people whose sole intention is to have a dog strictly as a pet, owning a hunting dog breed can be disheartening, as these hunting dogs have a need to roam and hunt and will do so with or without supervision of the owner. There are, of course, general purpose, or primitive type, hunting dogs that do not have specialized functions and can be trained to forego some of those hunting instincts, if not totally rid themselves of them.