English Foxhound: photo, breed description, standard, content features, owner reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

English Foxhounds are strong hounds adapted for long-term pursuit of prey and suitable for pack work. They are extremely rare to see in city parks, so it's not surprising that many of you have never heard of them. In today's publication, we will talk about the main features of these animals.

Origin

These animals have a very long and rather confusing history. According to one version, they are descended from Bloodhounds and were brought to England during the Norman invasion in 1066. According to another theory, they were bred by British breeders in the 16th century specifically for the destruction of foxes. According to this version, old southern hounds, who specialized in deer hunting, were used to obtain the English Foxhound breed. They were crossed with different types of northern greyhound. It is possible that speedy Greyhounds were also used to breed new dogs.

In the 17th century, the fruits of British selectionwere brought to the USA and aroused genuine interest among local breeders. In 1909, the breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club and quickly spread throughout the world.

Specialization

The English Foxhound, whose photo is posted in today's publication, is a very hardy and active working dog. It is ideal for long hare, rabbit or fox chases. The Americans and the British use it for riding and pack hunting. In the absence of the possibility of using these dogs for their intended purpose, they will become excellent partners for long cycling trips and hiking trips. They can also be occupied by artificial trail hunting.

Description of the breed

The English Foxhound is a fairly large dog, whose height is 53-63 cm, and its weight reaches 29-34 kg. On an elongated head with high cheekbones with a flat forehead, a well-defined occiput and strong jaws, there are oval dark eyes and long hanging ears.

The graceful elongated neck of the animal smoothly flows into a prominent withers, a straight strong back and a moderately sloping croup, ending at the base of a lowered saber tail. A lean, stretched body with well-developed muscle tissue is covered with a fairly short smooth awn with a sparse undercoat. As for the color, it can be tricolor, piebald and black-backed.

Character traits

The English Foxhound is a pack dog that does not tolerate loneliness. Prolonged separation from ownersand limiting the ability to communicate with other dogs can lead to destructive behavior. This friendly and temperamental animal enjoys playing with children and is not wary of strangers. The dog greets guests with a loud welcome bark, so you need to immediately wean him from this habit.

Because foxhounds have highly developed hunting instincts, they can conflict with their relatives and chase street cats. Therefore, in crowded places they need to be kept on a strong short leash.

Maintenance and Care

The temperamental and agile English Foxhound is completely unadapted to life in a city apartment. It is desirable to keep such a dog in a private house with a spacious fenced area and a large insulated aviary. The dog should be able to run freely to throw out the accumulated energy. Therefore, it is advisable to regularly take it out to fields or parks. Any representative of this breed will be happy to accompany the owners on morning runs or bike rides.

In general, the Foxhound is a rather unpretentious dog that does not require special care. You need to bathe it as it gets dirty using special shampoos. In addition, you need to regularly clean his coat with a brush-mitt or rubber scraper. Hanging ears of the animal require no less attention. If they are not freed from accumulated dirt and dust in a timely manner, then they may begin to developinfection. In addition, trim the dog's nails as needed.

Education and training

Representatives of this breed are very stubborn and willful creatures. Therefore, education should begin from the first days of the appearance of an English Foxhound puppy in your home. After the little dog adapts to the new place, it can be taught to the nickname. As soon as he remembers his name and begins to joyfully run to the master's call, you need to complicate the task and gradually introduce the main commands. The first classes are held in the form of a game, and their duration does not exceed fifteen minutes. Otherwise, a tired puppy will quickly lose interest in the process and become distracted.

It is important that training is consistent and systematic. And it should be based on the principle of positive reinforcement. In the process of education, it is strictly forbidden to resort to physical punishment of the dog, since cruelty does not contribute to establishing close contact between the owner and his ward.

He alth

English Foxhounds are tough animals. They have excellent he alth and are not prone to any specific diseases. But their body can sometimes fail. Occasionally, they are diagnosed with thrombocytopenia, thyroid dysfunction, hip dysplasia, epilepsy, vision and kidney problems.

To keep your pet he althy, you need to regularly undergo routine vaccinations and do not neglect preventive visits to the veterinarian. Alsoit is necessary to carry out deworming and treatment from external parasites in a timely manner. Since fleas, ticks and worms are carriers of many dangerous diseases.

Feeding advice

A dog's he alth is affected not only by genetics, but also by what he eats. Therefore, any responsible owner of the English Foxhound should take care of a balanced diet for his pet. You can feed such an animal with both industrial and natural food. In the first case, you should purchase products manufactured by trusted manufacturers who have proven themselves in the world market. Dry food should be super premium or holistic. Because only in this case you can be completely sure that your pet is eating a complete food, which contains all the vital vitamins and minerals.

Those who prefer natural products should remember that the basis of the dog's diet should be meat (beef, turkey, chicken or lamb). Also, the menu of the animal can be varied with a small amount of vegetables, cereals, fish, offal and sour milk. Long bones, chocolate, sweets, smoked meats, pickles, legumes and bakery products should be excluded from the list of allowed components.

Owner Reviews

People who were lucky enough to become owners of English Foxhounds assure that they are wonderful animals with good-natured character and active temperament. They are very cheerful, sociable, affectionate with children and absolutely non-aggressive towards strangers.

At the same time, experienced owners draw the attention of beginners to the fact that foxhounds are prone to excessive barking, are hostile to other animals and are not suitable for keeping in city apartments. These dogs do not need special care and do not require special nutrition. They have strong he alth and well-developed hunting instinct.