American Foxhound
A pack hound bred in colonial Virginia, with George Washington among the people who shaped it. Lighter and faster than the English foxhound, and much louder.
Overview
The American Foxhound was developed in Virginia from English hounds, with French and Irish blood added, and George Washington kept and bred them. It is taller, lighter and faster than the English Foxhound, built to run fox across open American country rather than through hedgerow.
It is a pack hound first and a pet second, and almost everything difficult about keeping one follows from that.
Temperament
Gentle, tolerant and completely nose driven. American Foxhounds are good natured with people, children and other dogs, and they are not guard dogs in any sense.
The difficulty is independence. This is a dog bred to work miles from its handler on its own judgement, so recall is poor and a scent trail beats any command. They are also loud: the bay carries a long way and it is the sound the breed was selected for.
Care and grooming
A short hard coat that needs a weekly brush and very little else. They shed moderately.
Ears need checking, as with any drop eared hound. The breed is generally healthy with a broad working gene pool, though hip dysplasia and thrombocytopathy occur. Eleven to thirteen years is normal.
Living and exercise
A great deal. This is a dog built to run for hours, and an hour's walk does not touch it. Without real exercise a foxhound becomes destructive and vocal.
A secure fence and a lead are non negotiable, because a hound on a scent is genuinely gone. They do best with another dog and poorly as a solitary pet in a small garden.
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