Harriers are affectionate and sweet, which is part of the reason that people love them as much as the Beagle or the English Foxhound. Their coats are strikingly similar, even though the breeds are incredibly different.

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With their friendly nature as a pack hound, these dogs can be highly energetic. They love to run, making them ideal companions for individuals that like to jog and engage in different ports. However, they also like to freely follow any scent that might attract their attention, so keeping a leash on them while in public areas is crucial.

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The first pack of the harriers is believed to have been started to breed in the 1200s. Even though these dogs are known to have been originated in England, they are not recognized in England as an official breed. Harrier dogs are extremely popular in Ireland, but they are rare to find in the United States of America.

Harrier vs. Beagle

Though the Harrier and the Beagle look fairly similar, they are much different. While the pups both originate in Europe, the harrier typically is double the weight of the beagle, even though they are only 3-4 inches longer. Both animals have white, black, tan, and red in their coats, though Harriers have some yellow hues as well. While the Beagle has a dense coat, the Harrier has a thicker and shinier coat.

With similar personalities, families that want a quieter dog should adopt the harrier; the beagle can be quite vocal and noisy. Due to the need to train and acclimate the dogs to their surroundings, harriers are thought to be a better fit for individuals that have not owned a dog before. Beagles require a bit more experience to take care of properly.

Health and Entertainment for your Harrier

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3 Pros and Cons of Owning a Harrier

Before owning any pet, you would always need to establish whether or not they are right for you. Consider these pros and cons to determine if the Harrier is the right dog for your family.

Harrier Size and Weight

The Harrier is a medium-sized dog, and their size is about the same for both males and females. This dog is about 19 to 21 inches in length, weighing about 45 to 60 pounds.

Harrier Common Health Issues

Like all the other living creatures, Harriers are generally healthy but still have some issues that could be potential concerns with regards to their health. Hip dysplasia is incredibly painful, due to the misalignment of the hip bone in the socket.

There are a few genetic diseases that impact the harrier, including hypothyroidism. Left untreated, it can cause weight issues and other hormonal concerns. However, this issue can be uncommon. These dogs sometimes face eye diseases, but the cases are minimal.

OverallA, some of the common health problems that harriers are prone to include:

• Hip Dysplasia
• Eye diseases
• Genetic disorders

Harrier Temperament

Temperament wise, the harriers are known to be very energetic and are often very playful. They love to be around people and other dogs. However, they might not get along too well with other pets that you might have. They do not feel warm towards any other animal and see cats and other small pets as potential prey to be chased and caught hold of.

These dogs are known to be great with children and are intelligent and independent. Harriers often make their own decisions.

How to Take Care of Harriers

For you to be able to know how to effectively take care of Harriers, it is essential that you know what needs to be done to extend proper care to them. Here are a few tips to ensure that any Harrier adoption is a good experience.

The Best Dog Food for Harriers

Harriers should be fed premium dog food, including both wet and dry textures. If you want to feed them a fresh diet, they can safely consume bone-out chicken, turkey, and beef, as long as it is cooked without oils and has minimal fat. They’ll also willingly consume salmon and duck, if available.

Puppies need to be fed in a similar way, though their protein intake will increase as they get older. You would also need to check for any allergies and avoid feeding your harrier dog foods that could harm them.

At A-Z Animals, we find that the best dog food for Harriers is Stella & Chewy’s Wild Red Classic Kibble Dry Dog Food.

The chicken, duck, and turkey in this formula account for 81% of the high protein content. With wholesome grains and absolutely no potatoes, lentils, peas, artificial colors or preservatives, this food is rich in glucosamine for joint support. And the taurine nourishes Harriers’ eyes for clear vision.

See if your dog thrives eating Stella and Chewy’s Wild Red Classic Kibble, available on amazon.

Stella & Chewy’s Wild Red Classic Dry Dog Food – Wholesome Grains, Protein Rich – Prairie Recipe, 3.5 lb Bag

• Help Your Pet Thrive: Our Wild Red Classic dog food offers the protein-rich taste dogs crave with the nutrition they deserve
• Feed Your Dog’s Wild Side! Our Classic Prairie Recipe includes three animal protein sources: cage-free chicken, duck and turkey
• Whole Prey Ingredients: Give your pet a diet similar to what their ancestors enjoyed in the wild; 81% of the recipe’s protein comes from animal muscle meat, cartilage and organ meat such as chicken liver
• Wholesome Grains: With nutritious grains such as barley and millet, our recipe is designed to be easily digestible for all life stages, with no unnecessary fillers and only the finest ingredients
• Supports Whole Body Health: Fortified with vitamins, minerals and amino acids, our Classic kibble formula helps improve your dog’s entire well-being, with natural fiber sources such as oatmeal to support healthy digestion and taurine to support heart health

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Harrier Maintenance and Grooming

Harriers have a short and dense coat, decorated in red, tan, brown, yellow, and white. You would need to brush their coat once every week in order to remove any dead hair that they might have. The shedding is these dogs is usually moderate, but regular grooming helps exponentially.

Make sure to bathe the harrier if they become dirty, trimming their nails, and brushing their teeth to ensure their health. They’ll also need to have their ears cleaned out, but all of these types of grooming can be done with a professional instead.

Harrier Training

Harriers are stubborn at times, which could cause problems while training them. To ensure that this pup is kind with other animals, expose them when they are young to prevent conflict. Plus, early exposure to new people will reduce their anxiety and defensiveness, helping them to get used to the people that often visit their family.

Harrier Exercise

Harriers were originally bred for hunting purposes and, thus, need a lot of exercise on a daily basis. They can spend hours chasing after a potential prey.

A lack of a high amount of exercise daily could turn the dog’s behavior destructive. These dogs enjoy jogging, long walks as well as several other outdoor activities and games. It keeps them in check, and they are usually found happy after these exercises.

If their exercise requirements are met, the dogs can be very adaptable to any kind of environment. Keep them on a leash when they are in a heavy traffic zone as they can easily wander off if they find a desirable scent.

Harrier Puppies

Finding a purebred harrier puppy can be quite a task because they are very rare to find. The needs of the puppies are different from that of an adult.

You would need to give the harrier puppies adequate amounts of proteins which would be different from the protein requirements that an adult Harrier dog has.

Harriers and Children

Harriers are known to be great with children. They are tolerant of the excited and playful nature of kids, joining in their antics energetically. If you want a pup to keep in a big family, the harrier would be a great choice to make. However, you would still need to supervise them when they are around children.

Dogs Similar to Harriers

Since Harriers aren’t always the right fit for someone, here are a few other breeds that could blend well in the family.

• Bloodhounds: These are large dogs that were originally bred in France. They are also helpful companions while hunting.
• American Foxhound: American foxhounds were originally bred in the 1700s. These dogs are very muscular and have great stamina.
• Beagles: This breed is both energetic and friendly. They are very loyal too. They make great family pets.

Famous Harriers

There is little known about any famous harriers in history or cinema. However, since the dog has only been recognized in certain parts of the world for the last few decades, it is possible that they’ve been mislabeled as beagles or foxhounds in the past.

Popular Names for Harriers

Here are some of the popular names for harriers:

• Molly
• Tasha
• Sammy
• Cleo
• Baby

Last update on 2022-07-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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