Dogs Breeds for Rabbit and Hare Hunting

Rabbit and hare hunting are among the most popular games for American hunters, in fact there's not a single hunter who have chased at least once rabbits and hares and to do so there's nothing better than have a good canine companion.

Dogs are able not only to track a elusive hare on the bushes up to its burrow, but are also very capable to force the animal out and chase it until it's on your fire range.

The best known breed to go behind hares and rabbits are Beagles, in fact it seems that hare hunting and hunt with beagles are synonymous!

And such reputation is not for free! These middle sized, robust, energetic dogs will run all day long barking and yowling to help you on your hunting expedition and will not stop until you reach your game.

Considered the classic breed for hare hunting, their size allow these dogs to go behind an elusive rabbit or hare even on the most intrincated vegetation; moreover they are able to go almost inside hares burlows.

But Beagles are not the only breed able to do this extenuating job, so if you are considering to do something different about hare hunting it's possible to try with different but very effective breeds to make the job.

One option is the Mini Beagle. This small dogs weighing no more than 10-12 pounds will do the job as good as their big cousins but need less space once they are back home, additionally because of their size there's virtually no place for rabbits to hide from them, so if there's a mini beagle behind a cottontail it will be just a matter of time for the hunter to finish it.

Basset Hounds are another breed capable to to this job but on a completely different way than Beagles and Mini Beagles.

Instead of the energetic, barking and yowling  Beagles style, Basset Hounds will perform something completely different. These hounds will track a rabbit from far behind and will begin to move quiet and slowly to their position without being detected. Suddenly a cottontail will pop up from nowhere just ready to be shot.

If you are behind rabbits with a Basset Hound be prepared to shoot at any moment because rabbits will jump unexpectedly. 

Another option to hunt cottontails are Dachshunds. This small, fast and intelligent german breed was originally developed to hunt badgers (dach in german), so they count not only with the skills but also with endurance for long hunts.

As a plus Dachshunds count with thick cover to protect them from thorns once in pursuit among bushes.

Probably Beagles have a proven, well gained reputation and will continue to be the preferred breed for hare and rabbit hunting, but there's some other breed able to make a wonderful job on this field too.