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Australian Staghound
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The Australian Staghound is a type of dog used in Australia for various kind of hunting, for example hunting for wild pigs or kangaroos. They are also used for rabbits if needed. The staghound is not regarded a race as much as a type of dog much like the Alaskan husky, as is the case with several other native 'breeds' of Australia and some other 'breeds' in the rest of the world; i.e., the staghound has not been recognised as a distinct breed, nor are there efforts of trying to make it recognized as such. Description The staghound is best described as a dog resembling a cross between the Greyhound and the Scottish Deerhound. The Australian Staghound is a distant cousin of the American Staghound, with a distinct bloodline that is native to Australia. The staghounds would be regarded as "lurchers" in the United Kingdom (this cross is properly known as a longdog, but the term is not widely known). As the dogs were - and are - bred for function over looks, the dogs may differ much from different bloodlines, but may still be regarded as 'staghounds'. History The staghound was used for hunting in Australia dating back to the late 18th century. The first dogs to be bred as staghounds were brought to Australia by European settlers. The general consensus is that the 'breed' was a Greyhound/Scottish Deerhound hybrid. From then on, the breeding of the dogs have differed depending on what the breeders was trying to achieve. The original purpose is regarded to have been primarily to hunt predators and rabbits, as well as bigger prey. As the original purpose was to be a good hunting dog, there were probably infusion of different breeds as well, partly to make it a better dog for hunting, but also because one used what was available at the time. Therefore, some lines of today may be infused with Foxhounds, Bloodhounds and other breeds of dogs. That is often more obvious in older pictures of the dogs, as today's bloodlines are often infused with newer additions of sighthound breeds. 
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