English Foxhound

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English Foxhound

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Here comes a English Foxhound. What an affectionate and gentle dog when accompanying their favorite human indoors, yet this breed can be stubborn and independent in training, competitive and energetic in all-out running. Good companions for active owners to hiking and running together.

Other Names FoxHound Ingles
Color Black, White & Tan, Lemon & White, White
Height Males: 22-25 inches. Females: 21-24 inches.
Weight Males: 65-70 pounds. Females: 65-70 pounds.
Life Span 10-13 years
Personality Affectionate, Gentle, Sociable
Exercise Energetic
Origin
Popularity #193
Groom Needs Occasional Bath/Brush and Regularly Shedding
Kids Friendly Yes
Dog Friendly Yes
Watch Dog
Family Dog
Litter Size 2-8 puppies

English Foxhound Pictures

English Foxhound Video

Introduction

An English Foxhound is ready to hit the road running, literally, at any point in time. They are well-built for it– level-backed, with straight and muscular legs, and a deep chest. The English Foxhound gets along with all that lives, people and animals alike, little wonder they hunt in packs! An active breed that was meant, obviously, for hunting foxes, but today has migrated to being a good friend to the children and a loyal member of the family. They come in a short, shiny coat which is weather-resistant. English Foxhounds appear in all hound colors, including tan, red, black, and white, with tricolors also acceptable.

Generally, English Foxhounds are roughly 23-25 inches tall, measured from shoulder to paw, and they normally tip the weighing scale towards 65 or 75 pounds. They live up to 10-13 years, on average.

Living with English Foxhound

English Foxhounds have short and dense hairs. Their cleaning requirements are very low with this kind of hard and glossy coat. It’s advisable to groom them with a soft brush once a week. Hound glove can be also applicable to them, removing dust and dirt at the same time. If owners find dogs have greasy coat, it’s good idea to bath them with a shampoo, washing skin oil away, keeping them odorless. Trimming can be of great importance as long nails keep dogs uncomfortble. This breed shed moderately, so it takes little efforts for owners to clean the floors, furniture and clothing. Owner also need to check dogs’ ears regularly using ear-cleaning gauze. Their hanging ears should be clean and dry so that bacterial and yeast irritations will hardly exist. Brush dogs’ teeth to keep gum in good health. Never should owner hesiate to ask vet for advice, if owners find it difficult.

English Foxhounds are fond of exercising and playing. As one of hound breeds, the Foxhounds need vigorous exercise everyday. So a responsible owner will choose to take them out for exercise with a dog leash. It’s also advisable to have them playing in your rural fenced backyard. A excitable fetch game can run off their energy. This breed is not suitable for living in an apartment, where the living and playing space is too confined. Owners need to offer them enough running space to work off their energy. They love all-out running, so owners need to meet their need to offer them enough amount of exercise everyday. Exercise in an open area will make them mentally healthy. Gentle as the Foxhounds are when they accompany family members indoors, they can be fanatic about running and jumping outdoors. So an active owner will be happy to have companions who are also fond of hiking and running. Long brisk walks are of great importance for the Foxhounds. This breed is interested in exploring scent, so owners should make sure they are under control using dog leash.

 

English Foxhounds are not critical about food. They have a good appetite, since they have vigorous exercise every day. It’s advisable for the Foxhounds to be fed on nutrient dry food. Either commercially-manufactured or home-made food can be applicable. Owners should check the food formula when buying commercially-manufactured kibble. If owners want to offer home-style food, it’s a good idea to ask vet for advice. Owners can choose to feed them 2-3 cups of food twice a day. What counts is the appropriate amount of food. Owners should make a distinction of food amount between puppy and adult dog. Different dogs have different amount of exercise. When it comes to amount of exercise, dogs should be fed on food which is appropriate to their amount of exercise. Responsible owners will learn about what certain human food are not allowed to be fed to dogs, such as high-fiber food, onions, and etc. As we all know, chocolate is definitely a risk to dogs as chocolate do harm to dogs’ brain. Some chicken bones are too sharp to swallow for dogs, resulting in injury to intestine, throat and stomach. Certain salty and oily human food can make dogs’ kidney and liver under burden. If owners have any concerns about all above, it’s advisable to ask vet or breeder for suggestions. Last but not the least, owners should make clean and fresh water always available.

English Foxhounds are basically in good health. As careful and responsible breeder has screen some serious diseases beforehand. However, owners still need to get aware some common health considerations among the Foxhounds. If the chest of a Foxhound is very deep, gastric dilatation-volvulus might occur, which is sometimes life-threatening. They also tend to suffer torture from chronic hip dysplasia, renal disease, and epilepsy. Owners are supposed to learn about the symptoms and measures of certain health issues. In order to keep them overall healthy, owners should check their ears regularly, avoiding any signs of irritations, infections and wax build-up. As this breed have low-hanging ears, so their ears are more likely to get infected. If owner delay in visiting the vet when dogs are abnormal, the checkups influence on dogs is little. Generally, this breed can live up to 10–13 years if owners offer them moderate exercise, appropriate food and regualr checkups. 

Total Annual Cost: $2870

Cost is estimated for the first year and may vary depending on many factors, such as dog food, health care, leash, collar, licensing, possible fencing, crates, training and obedience classes, dog-walking, grooming, treats, toys, flea, tick, and heart-worm meds, microchips, etc.

As one of scent hounds, English Foxhounds are sensitive about scents. Many trainers will choose to train them to participate in activities about tracking and coursing. However, independent and stubborn as the Foxhounds are, it takes some efforts to train this breed. Treats can be a good aid to guide them in training process. Trainers need to be consistent and patient enough, using positive-reinforcement training method. It’s the firm leadership of trainer that makes them pass obedience tests. This breed once assisted hunters as part of a pack, so they enjoy living in groups, intimate with their favorite family members and other dogs. It’s advisable to offer them early socialization and puppy training courses, contributing to the well-adjusted, well-mannered grow-up. They are also good at some certain canine sports and activities after proper training, such as agility and rally.

History

It is widely accepted that the English Foxhound had been developed in the 1700s due to the depletion and scarcity of deer in England. Before that time, deer formed the target prey for hunts and sports, enjoyed by the sportsmen and the British Royals. The popular hounds for such a sport were the Deerhounds and Staghounds. But then, as the deer was gradually disappearing, there was a growing concern as to which prey was to be considered for gaming and sporting while the deer regained its former glory. That was how foxhunting became famous in 18th century England, birthing several breeds that were indispensable to hunting foxes. Amongst these, was the English Foxhound, widely believed to have descended from crossing Fox Terriers, Greyhounds, and Bulldogs, although a few other breeds have entered the gene pool over the years. 

The Greyhound was probably bred in for its speed, the Fox Terrier for its hunting instinct, and the Bulldog brought its unwavering tenacity into the mix. The breed later became popular for sports and gaming, even in the royal kennels. During the British Raj, English Foxhounds were taken to India to participate in jackal coursing, but they were soon decimated by the sultry weather condition. The importation of English Foxhounds into America by British travelers began the history of some native American breeds, including a few coonhounds and foxhounds. The breed remains quite rare in America, being overshadowed by the native American Foxhound.  The English Foxhound was recognized by the AKC in 1909.

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