The tolerance for other dogs and people is one of the pluses of hunting dog ownership for the average owner. However if you are contemplating a dog from the hunting dog breeds, you need to realize that the tolerance is due to a supression of intra-specific aggression. Working hunting dogs must be physically fit. Breeds used on very small game, such as rabbits, may weigh as little as 20 pounds, however. In general hunting dogs have medium to high activity levels and are driven to employ their hunting skills.
Scent hounds sniff the ground at every opportunity.
Gun dogs are active and eager to look for birds, windhounds tend to run after anything that moves rapidly away from them. In contrast to the high energy of the bird dog breeds, scenthounds and windhounds, are frequently fairly low energy in the absence of stimulation to hunt. As with wild carnivores, if they are not hunting they tend to lie around and sleep. The retention of the hunting instincts is one of the drawbacks to the person who is looking to own a dog solely as a pet and companion. Most owner dissatisfaction with hunting dog breeds relates to the desire to roam to hunt and with the effectiveness that unsupervised dogs have in successfully hunting things that the community feels should not be hunted.