Developed as a working pack hound, Harriers are by nature a gregarious, friendly hound that gets along well in large numbers. They should never be aggressive to either people or other dogs. They usually fit in nicely with other pets - dogs, cats, horses, etc. They are very affectionate, sweet and loving hounds that tend to view every stranger as just an old friend that they haven't yet met. As such, they do not make good guard dogs.
Harriers are, however, good watch dogs.
They will most certainly notice anything unusual and will sound the alarm with a loud, alert voice. However, Harriers are generally not recommended for novice or first time-dog owners. The biggest problem seen in raising Harriers is the lack of consistent discipline and leadership. The majority of Harriers surrendered to HCA Rescue are hounds that have become unmanageble to the family. When retrained in our rescure program it is abundantly clear that these Harriers had been raised without effective discipline or a clear leader to set firm house rules and enforce them.