The American Foxhound is an American breed that is descended from the English Foxhound. The American version of the Foxhound has traditionally been used to hunt predators like coyotes and foxes, however, they have also been used for hunting deer. Today this breed is used as a hunting dog and as a family pet.
This is a medium sized dog that stands between 21 and 25 inches tall and weighs between 65 and 75 pounds. It has a short coat that is hard. This breed can be found in just about any color. This dog has a very friendly personality that makes it a great family pet and companion.
The English Foxhound is a British hunting dog that can be traced back to at least the 16th century. They were originally bred to hunt in packs. This breed was the result of mixing several hounds including the greyhound, with a bulldog and a fox terrier. Today these dogs are still used for fox hunting, however they also are used for family pets.
The English Foxhound stands between 23 and 27 inches tall and they weigh between 55 and 75 pounds. Their hair is short and hard, like the American Foxhound, and their coat comes in black, white, tan, bicolor and tricolor coats. In order to train this dog you need to be firm and consistent. They are a smart dog, however, they get distracted easily by fresh scents.
The thoroughbred hunting dog, accompanying the Red Coats on horseback or America’s first president, could only be the Foxhound, a distinctive, regal breed of scent hound derived from the old breeds of France.
Foxhounds have two distinct varieties; the American and the English. American Foxhounds are lighter and taller than their English relatives. They have a large build and handsome facial features. Their limbs are lanky, long, and straight-boned, and they are extremely agile and fast. On the other hand, the English breed has a heavier build. But both are noted for their endurance and have been trained to hunt foxes and other game
The history of the English foxhound is well documented. In fact, pedigrees of this breed have been kept longer than any other breed, since the late 1700s. However, the precise origin of this dog is still somewhat of a mystery. It is believed that at the beginning, around 1750, the English foxhound was developed by men who envisioned a dog that could track the faint scent of a fox while the dog was on the run and maintain that chase for an indeterminable amount of time.
The American Foxhound dates back to the early 1700′s in Virginia and Maryland. It is an ideal choice for those who live in rural areas or on farms. George Washington is the father of the American Foxhound, he ran a breeding program and often referenced his hounds in his journals.
Foxhounds somewhat resemble large beagles. These lovely dogs are friendly, kind, outgoing and courageous in the field. Considered to be a bold and passionate hunter, the English foxhound is a very active dog that does best with other dogs.
Foxhounds are bred to run. If you can provide your hound with adequate exercise, apartment living is fine but rather tricky. If not, you’re hound is likely to become bored and destructive. Exercise the dog regularly. Bred for hunting, Foxhounds have nearly limitless energy and need to be exercised often. A simple walk through the park will not be enough for your Foxhound; it will need to run far and fast on a regular basis.
They make considerable noise when baying. Like all hounds, the Foxhound is musical. Hounds are described as having bell-like voices, and their baying can carry for miles. It’s best not to bring one home unless you’re sure your neighbors will appreciate the concert or live far enough away that they won’t be disturbed.
They are well suited to living in the country and outdoors in kennels with a pack. The Foxhound is an easygoing dog that needs plenty of exercise. If you are lazy, the Foxhound is not the dog for you.
There are accounts that they are difficult to housebreak but with consistent house training they can eventually adapt.
They are very affable dogs, however if a particular dog is allowed to see itself as a pack leader above humans, it may become over protective and mistrustful of strangers.
The smooth, short-haired coat is easy to groom. Comb and brush with a firm bristle brush, and shampoo only when necessary. This breed is an average shedder.
Hello I have a few question. I have an american Foxhound and we are having a lot of issues with her. She is 3 years old and she is just out of control. She won’t listen even when we are being assertive with her. She is in a pack of 4 dogs. We have a 13 year old Shih Tzu, a 7 year old Miniature Poodle, and an 8 and a half month old Husky, they are all female. Our Foxhound Lily, she is the one we have problems with, we walk her everyday and even a couple times a day. But she is still so excited and hyper. We have tried taking her to dog parks and running with her but she seems to have never ending energy. If she is not leashed up to something inside the house, as soon as the door is open she takes off. If she is not tied up even in our backyard, (that has a 4 foot brick wall in the back) she will take off. She is constantly howling when our room mate is outside. She gets into the garbage and is almost always getting into something. Her howling is something we also have an issue with. If we leave her in a cage and walk away she will howl and not stop until somebody comes to get her. Like I had said earlier we have to keep her leashed up inside the house and she is attached to our living room table and her leash is always wiping things off the table and breaking things. She gets into our food that is on the tables, and counters and on the stove even. If you have any tips for us to help with her it would be great if you could send me an e-mail back !
Thank you so much
Alex
laura_leo96@hotmail.com
Hi Alex,
You’re falling into the same trap that a lot of people fall into where you are confusing being assertive with training. Assertiveness is a mindset that is often accented by firm tones but there is very little training technique behind it.
What you need is a training program that addresses how to get her to come, wait, stay, etc. The best way to exhaust a dog is not through the body but through the mind. I’ve had numerous clients who can’t seem to tire their dog through running or dog parks but CAN tire the dog through a half hour of focused walking (walking perfectly on leash by your side with no wandering or pulling) combined with training around the home.
Your dog is a perfect candidate for e-collar training. I’d recommend these programs-
http://www.dogbehavioronline.com/foundation-obedience-p/
http://www.dogbehavioronline.com/advanced-ecollar-obedience-p
Hello, Thank you for the reply. The thing is we have tried getting her to walk beside without the pulling and tugging. We have a halty that we use on her too. It helps a little but she’s still too strong for me to walk. My boyfriend has a lot of troubles walking her too. I will take a look at the links that you sent me. I have a question though. If I were to order your training books, for both, how much would they cost me?
Alex
I have a foxhound. I use a prong collar for more control during walking and run-just a quick flick of the wrists. I also use a bark collar when I need to (mostly in the car or in social situations). He is super high energy and could run for hours on end. He also runs away.. But I just have to keep an eye on him until I can get an invisible fence.
I’m 18 and I’m interested in learning to fox hunt. Any helpful advice?
Sorry, that’s an aspect of dog training I’ve never been involved in. Hopefully someone else will be able to respond to your comment.
I got Boe from a shelter and he came from a horder/breeder situation. He is about 4 years old and about 70lbs. We brought him home yesterday and he’s not eating or drinking. He is relatively easy to walk except for his occasional lockups where he doesn’t want to move or walk at all. He seems to be sleeping a lot. We really want to make him a housepet but were not sure if he would be suitable for that or even if he is trainable because if his past. I have an acre fenced in with a 6 ft fence so I’m wondering if it would be better if we just made him an outdoor dog in a kennel/run situation and let him out daily to run the backyard. What is your opinion?
I’ve met very few dogs in my lifetime who are happy and fulfilled while living a backyard life.
I have a treeing walker coonhound–but seh looks a lot like an american fox hound. We’ve had issues with her running/escaping. While these instances are isolated, I always say each time that I will train her with an e-collar. She got out on Christmas even this time and I am about to make a purchase. . . The worst thing about having her get out of our yard this time was how happy she was when we finally got her back. . She was free, and it made me sad we didn’t have more land. . Do you think, with consistency and training and a lot of time, I could use an e-collar to let her free in the woods. . I am looking at the Sportdog (1 mile range) and the tri-tronics, but I want to make sure we do everything correctly. I don’t want to alarm the dog or freak her out at any point–and she is a bit skiddish to begin with. . . What would you recommend for training and should we bring in a professional (ps. every professional I”ve spoken to says not to use the collar that it’s cruel, but for me, having her killed by a passing car is worse). Also, she does know basic obedience, sit, stay, etc. in the house–but is inconsistent when scents are near her. . She sits before crossing the street on leash–but will not do it off leash. Also, I’ve been told that you usally only need to shock her once and that a sound (before the shock) will actually be more humane. . She is about 60 pounds? What level does she need?
Any trainer that says that an e-collar is cruel has no idea what they are talking about. Is a hammer cruel? Is a knife cruel? Of course not, they are tools and what is done with them can be either humane or cruel. The same is true for the e-collar.
I’m a big fan of the e-collar WHEN it’s used correctly. Tri-tronics is a better brand than Sportdog generally speaking. We use Dogtra at our company here.
It can be very good for dogs that are nervous because you can use such low, harmless, non-invasive levels of stimulation that it is very helpful.
We’ve got a program on e-collar training- http://www.dogbehavioronline.com/advanced-ecollar-obedience-p/
I am fostering a foxhound that I have placed twice with poor results. The biggest problem was that the two homes were out in the country and the families wanted a dog they could just let run without training. I want to find a good home but need some information on certain behaviors to make sure the future family understands how to deal with him. He gets on well with people and dogs but will kill anything else. Can he be trained, maybe with an e-collar, to control this behavior? He is very powerful and has cleared a fence that is at least 6 ft. He doesn’t run away, but won’t listen off leash. He does understand basic obedience when he is inside. On leash he obeys, but will try to escape when an prey animal is near if the person walking him doesn’t keep control. I have never had any type of hound so thanks for any information that will help in getting him a permanent home.
Can he be trained to control his behavior? Absolutely. But never with the parameters that these folks are setting. No dog, with or without training, should be allowed to roam an area, neighborhood, etc. When you allow a dog to roam with zero structure past training has very little bearing on what the dog will do. The best trained dogs in the world will do foolish things if allowed to roam.
Thanks. I completely agree and with a dog that attacks prey animals, training is what will save his life. I haven’t worked with any animal with such strong prey drive so I am unsure what is possible as far as off leash training and what the limitations are.
Yes, training can be more challenging with a dog with strong prey drive. Still very doable, best of luck.
My wife and I adopted two 11 year old brother and sister American Foxhounds. They seem to have a few bad habits from the previous owner. Some habits are pulling at the leash and when together they get aggressive towards other dogs. At 11 are they too old to get the behaviors trained out of them and what techniques can be used to stop the lead pulling, lunging at other dogs and aggressiveness?
Unless there are health reasons that would preclude their training then, no, they shouldn’t be too old to train.
Went through a lot of leash pulling with my foxhound. What w
What worked in the end is never allowing the dog to win. Pull forward, stop, turn around wall in the other direction untill the dog follows, then turn around and walk in the original direction. Stubborn breed, they will test you, never let the win. In the beggining, there have been days when it takes 45min to cover a 10min walk. Best treat is allowing them to sniff things. Come up to a firehydrant without pulling, ,they can sniff it.