Secret
Appearance
Pups
Presentation

Harriers in Britain
•Harriers Today

•Temperament
•Maintenance
•General Health

Availability

Resources

Harriers were bred to chase large hares (not "bunnies" or "rabbits" - we're talking a 20lb English hare) over miles of fields, through thorn hedges and thickets. Born athletes, they need daily exercise. Sensitive and people-oriented, they need to be involved in the family and are not "yard dogs." Their agility, athleticism and intelligence means they don't want to play by themselves and if you coop them up, they'll find a way out to find friends and adventure.

They tend to bond closely with their people, can be very competitive in obedience and agility rings, and grow to 40-50lbs. A scarce breed, only about 30 Harriers are registered with the AKC every year. Contact us if you're interested in a Harrier pup, as we occasionally have one available as a pet.

We love Harriers, the dog world's Best-kept Secret!

Loving and loyal, Harriers are strong enough for vigorous exercise, quick to excel at agility, yet their temperament is quieter than their busy cousin, the Beagle. Easygoing and easy-care, Harriers are the quintessential canine companion.

The photo shows Jaunty, an international Champion. In addition to numerous wins in the show ring, she also earned her CD (Companion Dog- first level of Obedience), and showed at the Westminster Dog Show in Madison Square Garden in 1996.

We were with her at the Westminster again in 2002, when at the age of eight (8) years, and shown by Junior Handler Ashley Albro, she won Best of Breed.

Appearance
Harriers should have lots of bone and substance for their size -- they should appear willing and able to work all day long, no matter the terrain. The muzzle should be square, of good length, with a well-developed nose and open nostrils. Eyes should be dark, alert and intelligent.

Since pure speed was not part of their job description, their front and rears are only moderately angulated, which is better suited to providing stamina for long hours of work. The ribs should be well-sprung and extend down past the elbows to provide lots of heart and lung room.

The feet on the Harrier should be tight cat-feet with well-developed thick pads that will hold up to rough terrain and lots of work. The tail is set on high and carried up; a brush of hair should be seen on the underside. The hair on the rest of the body is short, and on the ears is fine and soft. Dewclaws are removed from the front feet, and from the rear if they happen to be born with them.

Coat color is not regarded as important in Harriers, so no color is preferred over another. The typical Harrier is tan, black & white, with a black saddle blanket, tan on the head, ears & legs, and white on the feet, muzzle, chest, underside, blaze and on the end of the tail. However, tan, brown & white, or open-markings with lots of white are also fairly common.

Pups

These are our photos of our first Jackpot-whelped Harrier litter (2/24/2004), Baron and Triumph!

Baron

Triumph

Our Feature Presentation...

If you'd like to view our detailed Harrier presentation (in PowerPoint), click the link below to download it to your computer.

Warning: This is a 6MB file- it's very big! If you dial-up to connect to the Internet, DO NOT attempt to download this!

Click here to download the presentation.