Breed Priorities – The Harrier

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262 – May, 2025

By Nikki Riggsbee

The Harriers are scent hounds that were bred to hunt hare (hence its name) in packs primarily, but can also hunt alone and on other small game. At 19–21”, the Harrier is taller than the Beagle which has a maximum height of 15” and smaller than the English Foxhound at about 24”. Records show Harrier packs existing in England as early as 1260. In early times, it was more popular than the Beagle.

The Harrier came to North America in colonial times and was one of the first breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885. It is also recognized today by FCI, the Canadian Kennel Club, and some other smaller registries. The breed was re-recognized by the Kennel Club in 2020, but in England, many Harriers are owned today by hunting organizations and registered with the Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles.

The Harrier Club of America was founded in 1992 and recognized as the breed’s parent club by AKC in 1996. There were two earlier attempts to form a national breed club. The breed is one of the rarer breeds, ranking 183rd out of 201 breeds in AKC’s 2024 registration statistics.

We found twenty Harrier experts to invite to take a survey on their breed’s priorities in conformation evaluation. Thirteen agreed to do so, and eleven completed surveys were returned. Those who contributed have been in the breed nearly twenty-one years on average. Those approved to judge Harriers have been doing so for thirty-two-and-a-half years on average.

Harrier Virtues

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262 – May, 2025

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