English Coonhound Dog Breed

Coonhound facts abound in books and online alike, and if you have the attention of a true Coonhound breeder or veteran hunter, you will learn a lot more! These hard-working dogs demand a lot of resources, and when they are properly provided, the payout is huge and wonderful. They are good first-time dogs for people with these resources and who desire a challenge. They are great family dogs but may not be good guide dogs for those who might need assistance. For the seasoned hunter who has a lot of space to chase game, these are the perfect dogs.

Below is Coonhound information you should consider before adopting one of these fine dogs:

If you're looking for a way to get some quick Coonhound dogs 101 information, it's easy if you want an overall view of all six breeds and a bit tricky if you want more details on a specific breed. To the lay eye, all Coonhounds seem to be alike, but there are a lot of differences with this Coonhound dog breed.

As these dogs are appreciated less for their looks and more for their skills, they have long been bred to be very smart dogs, and they have the brains to track game. If you are wondering how to train a coonhound to track, then you will want to take your dog to a seasoned trainer. They are excellent at performing field trials too.

They don't go to ground but they will pursue prey in tight and thorny places. They are also grand at treeing, which makes them formidable in the field. Then there's the bark, which can be loud and bawling. There are lots of little quirks with these dogs, and there is a lot of American English Coonhound information in many books that can help you learn about them.

The English distinguishes itself by being the fastest of all six breeds. They are strong and able to work day and night, and they are happy to be kept hunting or in some other role. They will certainly enjoy long walks, hikes, and runs with you.

The English Coonhound is not so much English as American. Coonhound history is rife with the contradiction that built America. Like the USA, the "English" — as it is often called — has distant roots in England even as it was developed in the newly minted USA. These dogs were first conceived from Virginia Hounds which were developed from English Foxhounds (imported to America in the 18th century) in the early 19th century. The people primarily responsible for the initial importation were the first U.S. president, George Washington, and two other men: Thomas Walker and Robert Brooke.

The English Fox and Coonhound was trained to hunt foxes by day and raccoons at night. The unusual nocturnal task was what ultimately gave the dog its name, "English Coonhound," first by common recognition and then in a formal manner. Prior to this, they were also called the Redtick Coonhound and even the present name, the English Coonhound.

Four of the six Coonhound breeds come from the English. Throughout the early part of the 20 century, most of the other Coonhounds were given separate breed status. The first two were the Black and Tan and the Redbone in the late 1800s. In the 1940s, the Bluetick and the Treeing Walker came into their own. The Plott Hound is the one breed that did not come from the the English.

Although the UK recognized the American-bred breed early on, it was a long and arduous process for the dog to be granted the same status at home. In an apparent attempt to correct the perception that the English is exclusively English, the breed has been somewhat re-named the American English Coonhound and was accepted into the Foundation Stock Service (FSS) under that name by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1995. It took several more years for a full and formal recognition, in 2011, by the AKC.

The English Coonhound is a long, tall, and lean dog breed whose overall height and weight is in the medium range. They are almost perfume cutely proportioned dogs. The tight skin allows the taut muscles to be seen, and they should indeed be well-toned.

The moderately sized, somewhat long, and essentially square muzzle may not seem so large because of the hug, floppy ears that, if gently stretched forward, can reach to the nose. Their big, round eyes are always looking up and seeming to eternally ask, "What's next?" The back is strong, the chest is deep and the front legs are long. The rear legs have more power than may appear as they are significant in size when viewed from the side even as they seem small when viewed from in front or behind. The tail is of medium length and tends to curl upward.

This breed has a short, coarse coat that comes in all colors, an these colors are discussed elsewhere on this page. if you are looking for information on a "Red Nose Coonhound," these are actually a different breed called the Redbone Coonhound.

In the beginning, the English Coonhound included a great many variations even as the Coonhound breeds list was short. Over the last 150 years, however, that list has lengthened. Many of those varieties have broken off and become formally recognized as their own separate breeds of Coonhounds. There are also color variants that are identified by the coat patterns (often the ticking). Those "variations" and the confusion that can cause are discussed in the Coloring section. Two of the now six types of Coonhounds that were originally considered a subtype of the English Coonhound are the Bluetick Coonhound and the Treeing Walker Coonhound. Due to a lack of records in the 19th century, when the dogs were being developed, there remains some controversy about a couple of other breeds, the Black and Tan Coonhound and the Redbone Coonhound.

These days, there are no properly recognized variations of the English Coonhound, although this dog remains the Coonhound breeds' representative species.

These dogs are hard-wired to hunt, and they come from a hardcore background that demanded working, literally, day and night, in rough wilderness and against a great many odds. Nonetheless, the Coonhound temperament is an amicable one. They love to play are keen for new friends, seek adventure and are open to so much! For the most part, typical Coonhound characteristics mean these dogs can never have too many tasks or too much work.

There are some features of the American English Coonhound personality, however, that can all too well come to the fore. They are not so much aloof as indifferent to some strangers and even family members, and their devotion to the master or a single family member can mean they tend to only listen to that person. They are rarely aggressive, and this can sort of behavior mean that while they are born and bred hunters, they are not good guard dogs.

The American English Coonhound is a wonderfully healthy breed that nevertheless has particular problems. As they have been carefully bred and somewhat interbred with other similar breeds over the last couple centuries, they have shed as well as escaped many typical dog health issues. Unfortunately, there are some cons to the breed that come along with the pros, and one is their deep chest which allows for greater oxygen intake for their incredible speed and endurance. Another are the field injuries that occur, either by the environmental features or by the trapped prey.

Below is a list of the problems the English can encounter:

• Bloat
• Cataracts
• Hip Dysplasia
• Ear Infections
• Elbow Dysplasia
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy

The English has an average lifespan of 10 to 12 years.