Other names/Nicknames:
- Virginia Hound
Country/Date of Origin:
- United States
- 18th century
Height:
- Females: 21 to 24 inches
- Males: 22 to 25 inches
Weight:
- 65 to 75 pounds
Personality:
- A sweet nature but not particularly people oriented. This is especially true of dogs raised in a pack. They tend to bond with others of their own kind instead.
- Not homebodies. American Foxhounds will roam if given the chance.
- Extremely active.
- Do not adapt well to confined quarters.
History:
The ancestry of American Foxhounds can be traced back to the hounds owned by Robert Brooke in the 1650′s. He brought English Foxhounds with him and bred them to be more suitable for hunting in the rolling hills of Maryland and Virginia. Later, fanciers blended in strains of other English, French, and Irish hounds. The result was a lighter-boned hound with a keener sense of smell than its English counterpart. The American Foxhound is considered a dog of the Southeastern states, where fox hunting was considered a gentleman’s sport.
Body Type:
- A substantial hound with lines that reveal its great athletic ability.
- Hanging ears are not altered.
- Tail is carried erect with a slight curve and is not altered.
Coat:
- Short and harsh to the touch.
- Any of the hound colors are acceptable.
- The most commonly seen are black, tan, and white tricolors or piebald marking of tan or lemon on a white background.
Health and Wellness:
- Hip dysplasia.
- A blood disease found only in this breed is sometimes fatal.
- Some genetic deafness.
What you should know:
- The sweet music of the American Foxhound has been incorporated into popular songs.
- American foxhounds exhibit two unique traits in the field. They do not give tongue on the fox’s trail unless they are taking the lead or challenging the leading hound, and they have an uncanny homing sense.
- The Guinness Book of Records list an American Foxhound as having the largest recorded litter—Lena produced 23 healthy pups.
