Terminology

Trying to define such terms as lurcher, longdog, staghound, coldblood etc. can lead to confusion, arguments, or worse, and it’s no help to go to the dictionary because the words aren’t there. Nonetheless, for the sake of coherent communication, it would be helpful if houndmen in the English-speaking world could agree on a basic glossary of terms commonly heard in the coursing fields and hunting grounds of North America and the UK. Here’s my stab at it:

Hotblood – A hotblood could be any purebred, registered sighthound, but it generally refers to a tattooed, racetrack (NGA), greyhound. Also, track dog.

Coldblood; also “grade” hound – A coldblood is by appearance (i.e., the phenotype) a purebred hound – one of a breed – so far as is known, but he is without papers or tattoo to prove it. Usually refers to an unregistered greyhound.

Hybrid – A hybrid would be the offspring of two purebreds of different breeds; e.g., greyhound x saluki, etc.

Mixed breed – A mixed breed is a hound whose pedigree and status as a breed was lost generations ago. He’s a sighthound all right, but ages beyond the coldblood or even hybrid state.

Coyote hound – Any hound, registered or otherwise, which hunts coyotes may be called a coyote hound; however, the term usually means a mixed breed hound bred from a long line of unregistered stock all used to hunt coyotes; thus the term implies a type though not yet a breed of dog.

Staghound – Any rough-coated sighthound of mixed parentage is commonly called a staghound. It may be a hybrid or a mixed breed and if you go back far enough you would likely find Scotch deerhound, borzoi or Irish wolfhound in the blood. The rough coat is the key; it matters not if the dog has ever hunted deer. In some portions of the West the term “shag” is used to describe the same type of hound.

Lurcher – A British term describing the offspring of a cross between a sighthound and a working or sporting dog, or terrier. The most common lurcher is greyhound crossed with some type of herding dog and the ¾ x ¼ mix is often favored for the right blend of speed, tractability, and retrieving instinct. I currently own a pup who is 5/8 sighthound x 3/8 trailhound. I think he may be fairly called a lurcher.

Longdog – An inclusive term describing the offspring of a cross between two sighthounds of different breed, strain or background.

Admittedly, even defined, these terms can be confusing. For example, there is a photo on this website of a handsome, black, rough-coated gazehound named Sport. Now Sport’s known ancestry was lost long ago, so he’s a “mixed breed.” But some would call him a “staghound,” (or a “shag”) because he’s rough-coated like a Scotch deerhound. Still others would say “coyote hound” because Sport hunts coyotes and strongly resembles numbers of hounds of similar type and usage. He could also be called a longdog. But he’s not a hotblood, hybrid, or coldblood, if that’s any help!

Phoebe, a classic coldblood greyhound. Frank Morales photo.