Stalhound

Stalhounds are the distinctly skeletal dogs that emerge from the ground in various locations of Hyrule Field, but only at night time. Introduced in, these monsters are similar to the Stalchildren that appeared in and  in terms of how both monsters are encountered and of their dog-like faces. These monsters can be killed with any conventional attacking weapon in Link's arsenal. However, it is easiest for Link to simply slash them with his sword. They will generally appear in pairs.

An exception to this is when Link must bring memory back to Ilia, so he can discover the secret to reaching the heavens. At some point, a peculiar Wooden Statue was stolen from a doctor who originally had the statue. Link will use his wolf form to track down the scent to find Telma's cat, Louise, who will admit to taking it, but states that it was stolen by skeleton-like dogs out in the field south of Castle Town. It is here that Link must fight a horde of Stalhounds in order to rescue the stolen statue.

In the Cave of Ordeals. some Stalhounds can be seen wandering around in few rooms, sometimes accompanied by other foes. However, in such cases, landing on the floor where these Stalhounds are wandering will cause a much larger pack of Stalhounds to emerge from the ground.

Trivia

 * Stalhounds may have been designed as a canine counterpart to Link's new canine form that also made its debut in Twilight Princess, not unlike how Ganon seems to take on a more bestial form in the same game.
 * They may have been modelled after the extinct Enteledont family of pig-like omnivores, in particular the large lower teeth and head.