Activities For Harriers

Of course, the obvious choice for your Harrier is hunting because they were bred to do this, so it is in their genes. They have the nose to find and follow just about anything, so you won’t have to do much to train your poochie to hunt. However, they will need to get used to being around loud noises like gunshots and working with other Harriers if you plan to hunt with a pack. This sport is done in any kind of weather. Although hunting in the rain or snow is not as fun as hunting when it is warm and sunny, the hunting season is usually during the cooler months of the year, so you will have to get your hound used to all temps. To train your dog to hunt properly, you will need to purchase a good hunting gun and some kind of prey animal to train them with. Most people use rats because they are cheap and more available than rabbits. 

Even though the tracking instinct is built into the Harrier just like any other hounds, you have to practice to keep your dog’s tracking skills sharp. Tracking trials are the perfect sport for this as all the hounds involved use their nose to follow a trail. This is good for search and rescue training since the dogs in the trial are following the scent of a human who is “lost.” A scent trail is laid out for your pooch, and you and your Harrier have to follow the track to find the lost person. This activity is typically done in good weather as rain or snow can cover or wash away the scent. To train your Harrier for this sport, you won’t need to buy anything at all except treats, which you probably already have in your cabinet. If you don’t have a harness, you should get one of these as it is easier to train that way. The amount of time to train your dog depends on your dog, but it usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour a day for several weeks for your pup to get the tracking perfected. 

All dogs love the park, and your Harrier is just like any other dog when it comes to this type of fun. Even though they love to work, playing is great too. To find the best dog park for your buddy, do some research and check out a bunch of them. Your fur baby will love it as you try out different parks with the various amenities and random furry friends to meet. This can be done on any day with any weather but, of course, it is much more comfortable for you both if it is not raining or freezing cold outside. This is a free activity, so that makes it even more pawesome! Spend an hour or two a day, several days a week visiting different parks until you find the best one for your dog.