American Foxhound
History
Originating in Maryland in the 1600s by George Washington crossing his French Foxhounds and English hounds, the American Foxhounds were believed to of been bred for searching for Indians on private territory, however many believe this to no longer be true. What is factual about the American Foxhound is their history that still lives on today of their amazing hunting capabilities. This breed is used most commonly for a gun dog, however they are great watchdogs and also excel at agility competitions due to their endurance.
Appearance
Both males and females measuring between 21-25 inches in height and weighing in 65-75 pounds in weight, the American Foxhound is built tall and lean. This breed has a single layer, smooth coat of hair that is typically a tri color of brown, white and black, but can be white and brown or any pattern. Their skull demonstrates a longer, thinner triangular shape with very large pendant shaped ears that hang along side of their face. Two large, round eyes that are dark brown or black in color and a long, thicker tail that is curved upwards and away from their body.
Temperament
The American Foxhound is an incredible breed of choice to add to any family with children of all ages as well as elderly and other dogs. Not recommended for households with any non canine pets due to their extreme sense for hunting. This breed has a very strong sense of smell and will pick up on many things while outdoors, so be sure to be within a safe enclosure with your pup if he or she is off leash, and while on walks, a proper harness and leash is highly recommended. This breed is generally friendly with everyone; however they can be picky when it comes to strangers coming onto their property so please note this when considering an American Foxhound as a companion. This breed requires a firm, but calm owner who only uses positive reinforcement training methods only. This breed requires a daily walk or jog as well as other outdoor activity to ensure a healthy well being mentally and physically.
Grooming
This breed requires daily brushing and bathing when needed.
Special Notes
Please note that it is highly recommended that potential owners of this breed have a properly installed fence to maintain safety for the dog, due to the excellent sense of smell the American Foxhound has and their ability to wander. This breed can gain weight easily so be sure to use portion control. Please fully educate yourself about the American Foxhound prior to adding one to your family to ensure this is the correct breed for you and that you are able to make a life long commitment to your new pup.
All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”.
The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.