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Houndour is a quadruped, canine Pokémon with short, black fur and a red underbelly and muzzle. Its ears and tail are both short and pointed. Two fangs protrude from its upper jaw, and its triangular nose is black. There are white bands on its ankles, and rib-like ridges on its back. Houndour appears to have a simplistic, stylized skull on its forehead with the eye orbits creating eyebrow patterning above its actual eyes. It also has circular, red paw pads on each of its three-toed paws.
Houndour is an intelligent Pokémon that forms packs to hunt for prey, and shows unparalleled teamwork. As seen in the anime, it will not abandon a sick pack member. It communicates using various barks and howls. Barks are used to determine the location of a pack member during a hunt, while howls are used as declaration of ownership over a territory. Houndour can typically be found around rough terrain.
In the anime
Houndour in the anime
Major appearances
Houndour made its anime debut in Hour of the Houndour(ow-er uh-v th-uh hown-dow-wer). A pack of these Pokémon were stealing food to aid their sick friend. Ash helped the ailing Houndour to a Pokémon Center.
This Houndour is later used against Lt. Surge during his battle against the Masked Man, where its howls summon a herd of wild Houndour to aid it in battle. Although their constant howling prevented Lt. Surge from moving, he is able to have multiple Electrode use Selfdestruct to knock them down, allowing Surge to flee during the confusion.
Houndour hunt as a coordinated pack. They communicate with each other using a variety of cries to corner their prey. This Pokémon's remarkable teamwork is unparalleled.
Houndour hunt as a coordinated pack. They communicate with each other using a variety of cries to corner their prey. This Pokémon's remarkable teamwork is unparalleled.
The only three games so far in which Houndour can be captured by the player before viewing the end credits are Pokémon XD, Pokémon Platinum, and Pokémon X.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.