Calm, sociable, musical and single minded on a trail. From England, United Kingdom.
Houndmedium breedEngland, United KingdomStandards checked
Standards checked: this profile's facts are checked against the breed standards of the AKC, The Kennel Club and the FCI, as described on our methodology page.
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England, United Kingdom produced the Harrier, a medium sized scent hound bred to follow scent trails for hours, on game from rabbits to boar, baying so hunters can follow. Scent hounds are sweet, stubborn house dogs and completely deaf to recall once the nose engages. Long lines, secure gardens and patience are the owner's toolkit.
Bred in England, United Kingdom to follow scent trails for hours, on game from rabbits to boar, baying so hunters can follow, the Harrier is a medium sized dog in the Hound group. Today the breed sits in the AKC lists, and American breeders work to its published standard. A typical life runs 12 to 15 years. The adult stands 19 to 21 in at the shoulder and weighs 45 to 60 lb.
Calm, sociable, musical and single minded on a trail is the record's Harrier, the middle member of Britain's pack hound trio: the hare hound, bigger than the beagle and smaller than the foxhound, bred for pack hunting since medieval times. Harriers are sweet, even tempered and intensely pack oriented, affectionate with people and happiest among dogs. Puppies are all ears and enthusiasm; adults are athletic, devoted companions that work a trail in full cry and then sleep contentedly. Owners describe a noble, gentle pack dog whose needs are simple to state and serious to meet: miles, music, company and food, in that order daily.
Energy (5/5)
Trainability (3/5)
Grooming needs (3/5)
Shedding (3/5)
Barking (4/5)
Good with children: Good with children
With other dogs: Good with dogs
With strangers: Friendly with strangers
Apartment life: Not ideal
Coat: Short, dense, hard and glossy coat, weatherproof like most pack hounds. It sheds moderately and needs only a weekly brush.
Colors: The standard accepts a range of colors and patterns, and individual markings vary a lot.
Measure meals rather than free feeding; this breed does best on a routine of consistent meals, training in short sessions and daily exercise matched to its type. Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine. Long ears drag through everything and need weekly cleaning. Weight creeps up silently in this food loving type, so weigh monthly.
Sixty to ninety minutes a day, and the record's top energy rating says take the top of the range seriously: the Harrier is the hare hunting pack hound, literally a beagle scaled up and a foxhound scaled down, bred to run all day in packs. Long hikes, canicross, tracking and scent games fill the programme. Scent hounds are sweet, stubborn house dogs and completely deaf to recall once the nose engages, per the overview: long lines, secure gardens and patience are the toolkit. Puppies need protected joints and gradual building. Weight creeps up silently in this food loving type, per the care notes. A worked Harrier is a calm, sociable companion; an idle one is an athlete with a voice and no occupation.
Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine, per the care notes, working through the short, dense, weatherproof coat: minutes a week. Long ears drag through everything and need weekly cleaning, exactly as the notes say. Weight creeps up silently in this food loving type, so weigh monthly and measure meals rather than free feeding. Nails need trims on a dog built to run all day, and teeth benefit from brushing. Puppies need kind ear handling habits from the start, because ear care is a weekly appointment for life in every pack hound household.
Train the Harrier with food, patience and pack logic. Scent hounds are sweet, stubborn house dogs and completely deaf to recall once the nose engages, says the overview, so the goal is management plus manners: secure areas, long lines, an emergency response and excellent household skills taught in short, reward rich sessions. Food motivation is total. Group training suits the pack brain beautifully. Harsh methods produce a hound that simply leaves; kindness, clarity and excellent pay produce a polished, devoted companion.
The Harrier suits very active rural households, ideally with other dogs, space, secure fencing and serious daily mileage. Calm, sociable and musical in the record's words, good with children, exceptionally good with other dogs and friendly with strangers, it rates apartments as not ideal because exercise, voice and pack needs push outward. Expect a companionable, musical dog that treats the household as its pack and every walk as the day's main event. Owners describe the Goldilocks pack hound: all the foxhound nobility at beagle adjacent scale, with an athlete's invoice and a singer's voice.
About $34 per month for a typical 52 lb adult eating roughly 3.2 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Plan 60 to 90 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Typical US range $36 to $65 per month for accident and illness cover. Estimate only, based on market ranges for this breed's risk profile; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $405 for food and $432 to $780 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
How weight typically builds with age for a medium breed, and when full size arrives.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 6 to 8 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 14 to 19 lb |
| Young | 6 months | about 23 to 31 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 33 to 44 lb |
| Adult | 12 months | about 40 to 53 lb |
| Adult | 18 months | about 45 to 60 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 45 to 60 lb (standard range) |
| Senior | From about 8 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth pattern follows the size class growth curves published by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, applied to the adult weight range in the breed standard. Individual puppies vary; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Puppies need socialisation beyond the pack, ear care habituation, gradual exercise building and secure fencing audited before the nose fully engages. Adolescents are at maximum stamina and curiosity, and structured running plus scent work carries the household through. Adults enjoy a long, vigorous prime: twelve to fifteen years. Keep weight measured monthly, ears clean and the mileage honest. Senior status arrives around ten: twice yearly checks, joint friendly exercise and continued rambles with the pack. Old Harriers stay sociable, musical and devoted.
Hip screening and eye checks are the standards for scent hounds, and the long ears need watching for infection. Keeping this food loving type lean is itself a health measure.
Facts follow the Harrier breed standard (AKC, The Kennel Club and FCI standards agree on the essentials for this breed). Health notes summarize the conditions breed clubs and veterinary bodies most often flag for this breed. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet.
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A typical lifespan is 12 to 15 years. Weight control, dental care and screening for the breed's known conditions give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
Food for a typical adult runs about $34 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance usually falls between $36 and $65 a month in the US. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Good with children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
Plan on 60 to 90 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
The Harrier is the middle size of the three classic pack hounds: bigger than a Beagle, smaller than a Foxhound, bred for hare. Same family character, three sizes of exercise invoice.
Yes, once exercised: calm and sociable at home in the record's words, pack loving and affectionate. The challenges are serious exercise, the voice and the nose outdoors.
They live mostly in hunting packs, like foxhounds, so pet Harriers are uncommon and exercise expectations surprise people. Those who keep them describe a wonderful, musical, demanding companion.
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