English Foxhounds

Description

The English Foxhound is a dog breed with earnest eyes that just seem to connect with yours as soon as you come upon it. Intelligent and able, the English Foxhound is a dog that's easily identifiable. Athletic looking, this dog breed has a clean look that has a wide skull and a long muzzle. The strong hindquarters and the long neck allow this breed to look graceful and strong at the same time. But this only makes sense as they are hunting dogs by nature.

The shoulders of the English Foxhound are long and should be covered in muscle. And the way the shoulders lead into the rest of the body should be sloped, but also not heavy at the same time.

The bottom edges of their ears are generally rounded in order to prevent problems in the hunt itself. Problems like cuts and nicks can be avoided with this new shape. The paws are almost cat like in nature and are extended from the long and straight legs. And their tail is held up most of the time. The eyes are large and brown and the ears are in a pendant shape.

The English Foxhound breeds that are made for shows will be slightly larger than the ones that are brought into a home to be pets.

An active breed, the English Foxhound is a hunter by nature, these are dogs that want to be obedient to a master or an owner as well as to be loved by the family around them. Training this dog can be difficult, but it's well worth the effort and creates a loving relationship between owner and dog.

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Coat Description

The English Foxhound has a short and hard coat that is easy to maintain. This coat is light, so extremes in temperatures will not be tolerated well. There are a number of colors (listed below) that the English Foxhound can have.

History

The English Foxhound actually originated from the breeding of various hounds and then continued with the intermixing of the Bulldog, the Greyhound, and the Fox Terrier to finally produce today's breed. Originally used in pack hunts by British Masters, the English Foxhound has a great nose for hunting as well as the stamina to keep up on longer hunts. Their speed helps them catch the things they hunt and they are passionate about finding what they are told to seek as well as everything else.

Considered to be the rarest breed in the United States. According to the American Kennel Club, there are only 17 registered at the present time.

Temperament

As a natural hunter, the English Foxhound is inherently active and passionate about things around it. This is a dog that wants to move around and learn new things. The English Foxhound is simply a dog that has been hunting and searching for new things its entire life, and continues to want to do that.

This curiosity can make the English Foxhound a bit harder to train. You have to interact a lot with a English Foxhound in order to appease its nature. This is a dog breed that does not tire out easily. They will run and run and run until they fall over before they decide to actually stop whatever they are doing. Their impressive ability to run for hours without changing their pace can be tired for a less active owner, but those that are already active will have found their match in this energetic breed.

Friendly around children and most people, the English Foxhound are an enjoyable breed to have in a family setting. These are dogs that aren't going to bark at someone they don't know, instead they will want to nose around them to see what this person is all about. Just like so many other dogs, they will need to be around people and children as puppies to maintain their sense of comfort.

In this friendly nature, it would seem like the English Foxhound is someone that would be more comfortable around people than other dogs, but it is the opposite case for this particular breed. This is a dog that's quite comfortable, if not more so, with other dogs as well as other animals. Again, this might be a part of their natural hunting instinct and being around animals more often than they are around humans in their lifetime.

What you might want to consider is that if you want a English Foxhound as a household pet, you will want to choose the show lines as they are not as active as the field lines-and this is much better in that smaller and more confined settings.

Most of their energy is used up in their youth, making those English Foxhound dogs that have hunted can be retired when they are only seven or eight years of age.

Health Problems

Generally a quite healthy breed, the English Foxhound does have some issues that you might want to become aware of:

Chronic hip dysplasia-As with many dogs, the wearing down of the hip joint is a common problem for the English Foxhound. This condition occurs over time, often showing up as problems with mobility and with pain. Often, this condition can be remedied with Exercise, pain medications, and sometimes surgery.

Renal disease-Just as in humans, the English Foxhound can have troubles with processing wastes that run through the body. Renal dysfunction can keep wastes in the bloodstream, building up to unhealthy and often fatal levels. The inability to process these wastes may be remedied by medications and sometimes surgery.

Epilepsy-The English Foxhound is also sometimes prone to Epilepsy, which is a seizure disorder that originates in the brain. Though there isn't a cure for this disorder, it can often be managed with medications and with constant monitoring by a vet that's trained in brain disorders.

Eye concerns-There are some problems with vision and eye disorders in the English Foxhound.

Grooming

The English Foxhound has a short hard coat of fur that is easy to maintain. Perfect for those who don't want to spend a lot of time grooming, this dog breed only requires regular care with a firm bristle brush on a weekly basis. Not only will this give their coats a nice glossy shine, but it will also allow you to prevent major problems with this average shedding breed. The more loose fur you remove during the brushing action, the less fur you will have around your home and on your furniture and clothing.

In addition, you don't need to bathe a English Foxhound unless they have gotten into a particularly dirty mess. And in that case, you will want to shampoo your dog to make sure they are healthy and clean of any dirt or other grime.

Regular grooming allows you to also make sure your dog isn't in the midst of a dangerous infection. When an English Foxhound is properly bathed and they still smell badly, that can be a sign of a bacterial infection. Check with your vet to see whether your dog has something else that might be wrong. They will check the dog's teeth, mouth, ears, and nose to see what might be going on.

You will also want to check the skin of your English Foxhound often to be sure they haven't picked up any ticks or fleas in their outdoor adventures. And since this is a particularly adventurous dog, you will also want to check to be sure they haven't scratched themselves along the way. Even the smallest of cuts can turn into something more serious if not monitored. If a cut should look deep or infected, just talk to your vet.

Exercise

With all of their energy, the English Foxhound needs to have plenty of time for exercise and running around. To maintain its health and its body structure, this dog breed will want to have plenty of time to exercise as often as possible, in fact. If you are unable to provide them with this time, this may not be a good fit for you as a dog owner.

This is a dog breed that wants to run around as much as possible, so you will want to take this dog out for long runs whenever possible. If you are the kind of person that likes to go for runs, this might be something you can train your English Foxhound to come along with you. However, they can be troublesome if they find something to chase after or they smell a scent that they find interesting. To help curb these chasing behaviors, you will want to always have your English Foxhound on a leash until you know they are in an area where they will be safe.

Exercise needs to be consistent and constant as the English Foxhound that does not get a chance to run around will become destructive. Try plan regular times for you and your dog to play together. At least an hour a day will be sufficient will help you interact and to allow your dog to maintain a high level of health.

Training

What you need to realize right from the start is the English Foxhound is an athlete by nature and wants to work on those qualities in a training scenario. They want to run and to hunt and to be successful in what they do but all in an active way. Sometimes it can be confusing to watch this particular breed because they can seem to be calm and docile before launching into a full out sprint to something that your eyes can not see.

In order to control this type of dog, you will need to assert your authority. The English Foxhound has a strong idea of what a pack order is and looks to you to establish your position in it. If you are unable or unwilling to become the authority for this dog, you will have trouble training it as it will not look up to you for guidance. If this dog doesn't feel like you are in control, it may not trust your commands or feel they should be enforced.

To assert your authority, you will need to be consistent in your training skills as well as consistent in punishments and rewards. This will show that you are looking out for the dog as well as that you are outlining the 'right' and the 'wrong' for the dog in your eyes.

But another thing to keep in mind is that the English Foxhound really wants to have fun during training times. This might be a good time to engage the natural hunting abilities of this dog by having 'hunts' or taking this dog on actual hunts if they are still able to keep up. You need to have the creativity to keep training sessions fun for your dog and if you do not, the English Foxhound will hate the training sessions, making them unproductive and ineffective.

This will require a lot of energy on your part to keep up, but once the English Foxhound is trained, they are more than happy to listen to commands from their authority figure(s).

Another thing to consider about the English Foxhound is that it is not a naturally focused dog that will necessarily give you all of their attention naturally. This hound likes to run after things it finds interesting, so it can become distracted quite easily. You will need to keep this breed on task, though once you've established your relationship; this dog will look to please you at every turn.