Harrier

Outgoing and good with other dogs; follows its nose.
A Harrier
Photo: Evforce
Adult male
20–27 kg
44–60 lb
Adult female
18–25 kg
40–55 lb
Lifespan
12–15 yrs
Class · Field
also Sport

What it's like

In temperament the Harrier is friendly, outgoing and active. Bred for pack life, it usually gets on with other dogs. It has a strong voice, and once it picks up a scent it follows its nose independently.

Day to day
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs steady training
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Friendly with everyone
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Very vocal
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is a Harrier right for you?
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Living with one

It has a short coat. It sheds through the year rather than in big seasonal moults. Plan on a brush once a week. It needs plenty of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Harrier is a medium dog, heavier than a Border Collie and lighter than a Golden Retriever. Males end up a little heavier than females.

In size and build it sits between the Beagle and the English Foxhound. It is a strong, well-boned hound with a level back, a deep chest, a broad head and hanging ears. The short, dense coat may be any colour, often white with black, tan or lemon markings.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Harrier puppy is already as heavy as a grown Cocker Spaniel. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
11 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
01020302m4m6m9m12m18m
01020302m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
4.4–5.9 kg 9.7–13.0 lb
4.3–6.0 kg 9.5–13.2 lb
3 months
6.4–8.7 kg 14.1–19.2 lb
6.1–8.5 kg 13.4–18.7 lb
4 months
9.3–12.6 kg 20.5–27.8 lb
8.8–12.2 kg 19.4–26.9 lb
5 months
12.0–16.1 kg 26.5–35.5 lb
11.1–15.4 kg 24.5–34.0 lb
6 months
14.3–19.3 kg 31.5–42.5 lb
13.0–18.1 kg 28.7–39.9 lb
7 months
16.0–21.6 kg 35.3–47.6 lb
14.4–20.0 kg 31.7–44.1 lb
8 months
17.3–23.3 kg 38.1–51.4 lb
15.4–21.4 kg 34.0–47.2 lb
9 months
18.1–24.5 kg 39.9–54.0 lb
16.1–22.4 kg 35.5–49.4 lb
10 months
18.7–25.2 kg 41.2–55.6 lb
16.6–23.1 kg 36.6–50.9 lb
11 months
19.1–25.8 kg 42.1–56.9 lb
17.0–23.6 kg 37.5–52.0 lb
12 months
19.4–26.2 kg 42.8–57.8 lb
17.2–23.9 kg 37.9–52.7 lb
15 months
19.9–26.8 kg 43.9–59.1 lb
17.8–24.7 kg 39.2–54.5 lb

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long Harriers live yet. The 12–15 years shown is a general figure without a published source.

Where it comes from

The Harrier is a hound bred to hunt hare - some called it the "Hare Hound" - and the Kennel Club traces its history to at least the 13th century. It was first hunted on foot; 19th-century crosses with the Foxhound made it quicker and lighter, so packs could be followed on horseback as well. Far fewer Harrier packs exist than a century ago8.

The Harrier is a British pack hound, and its later history has been shaped more by hunting kennels than by the show ring. Most working Harriers in Britain are recorded in the stud book of the Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles, founded in the late nineteenth century, rather than with the Kennel Club. After hunting wild mammals with dogs was banned in England and Wales in the early twenty-first century, most packs there turned to trail hunting, following a laid scent. Show Harriers are scarce on both sides of the Atlantic. It was bred to work as part of a pack, tracking hare by scent across open country and keeping up a steady pace over long distances.

Breed standard

The Harrier is judged against standard no. 295, in group 6, Scenthounds and related breeds4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Harrier figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a medium-sized breed is most likely somewhere in the middle.

Compare with related

Beagle
Scent hounds · Medium
Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound
Scent hounds · Medium
Hamiltonstovare
Scent hounds · Medium
Basset Hound
Scent hounds · Medium
Or compare the Harrier with any breed you choose
Track your own Harrier
Log a minute a day and watch them sit on these curves. Free.

Sources

Uncited on this page: Lifespan — no reviewed source yet, so it is a general reference figure rather than a published one.
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Parts of this page were written by AI ·