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A foxhound is a type of large hunting
hound A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey. Description Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. ...
bred for strong
hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In
fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...
, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usually on horseback—by the hunters, sometimes for several miles at a stretch; moreover, foxhounds also sometimes guard sheep and houses. There are different breeds of foxhound, each having slightly different characteristics and appearances, and each often called simply ''Foxhound'' in their native countries: *
American Foxhound The American Foxhound is a breed of dog that is a cousin of the English Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent. History In 1650, Robert Brooke sailed from England to Maryland with his pack of hunting dogs, which were ...
* Dumfriesshire Black and Tan Foxhound (extinct) *
English Foxhound The English Foxhound is one of the four foxhound breeds of dog. It is a cousin of the American Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent. Description Appearance The breed standards' guidelines for showing English Foxh ...
* Welsh Foxhound The American Masters of Foxhounds Association recognizes these breeds of foxhounds: American, Penn-Marydel, English, and crossbred foxhounds. The
International Foxhound Association The International Foxhound Association (IFA) is incorporated as an NGO since 2012. IFA is an extension of the International Dianna Club (Oxford University Society created in 1991 under the patronage of Capt. Ronnie Wallace, long-standing former Chai ...
was created in 2012 for the international promotion of the Foxhound as a breed


Characteristics

Foxhounds are medium-large dogs and males typically weigh 29-32 kg (65-70 lb) and females 27-29 kg (60-65 lb). Height for males measures 55-63 cm (22-25 in) and females 53-60 cm (21-24 in). Foxhounds have a short coat, and long, strong legs, as well as deep chests for lots of lung space.


Disposition

Foxhounds generally display a gentle and affectionate temperament. Foxhounds are highly active and energetic, and therefore require activity and exercise. Foxhounds are sociable and these dogs have great stamina, sense of smell, and enjoy being in a pack, as they are bred for hunting in packs.


Fox hunting

In
fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...
, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track and chase fox while hunters follow along on horseback. Fox hunting has shifted over the years and may differ depending on the country. Some changes over time include focusing on chasing rather than killing, and chasing other creatures, such as the coyote, instead of only the fox.


Most common causes of death

Most common causes of death among Foxhound puppies are respiratory disease, anorexia and dehydration, skin disorders, gastrointestinal disease, and myocardial infarction (heart attack).


Respiratory disease in foxhounds

A kennel of working, hunting English Foxhounds in the south of England, had an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) that impacted 180 dogs in late 2016 and early 2017. The kennel housed Foxhound puppies to adults, up to 8 years old. The Foxhounds work among six counties and some of the six counties are in the "Edge Area" that is impacted by bovine tuberculosis. An investigation occurred which consisted of testing the dogs and looking deeper into the regional area, diet of the dogs, and even more factors while conducting tests and gathering information. The dogs eat raw meat and there was speculation about the diet containing the M. bovis that causes TB as the meat comes from areas impacted by M. bovis.


Registrations

In 2005, the
American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Ke ...
reported that the English and American Foxhounds were their least and fourth least registered breeds in North America with 22 and 44 registrations, respectively; the top registered breed, the Labrador Retriever, had 137,867 registrations during the same year.


Notable foxhounds

* Sweet Lips and the Virginia Hounds -
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
bred foxhounds and enjoyed fox hunting. He called his pack of dogs the Virginia Hounds. Sweet Lips was a female foxhound, a product of his vision to breed his pack to produce a "superior dog" who is fast and intelligent. *The state of Virginia's "state dog" is the American Foxhound. * Old Drum - said to have been the inspiration for the phrase "Man's Best Friend", which arose from an 1870 court case regarding him. * Mountain and Muse - In 1814 the
Duke of Leeds Duke of Leeds was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1694 for the prominent statesman Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen, who had been one of the Immortal Seven in the Revolution of 1688. He had already succeeded as ...
gave two Irish foxhounds, Mountain and Muse, to a visiting guest, Bolton Jackson. This famous pair of hounds changed hands several times before going to Charles Carroll at his Homewood estate. Descendants of Mountain and Muse still hunt territories in
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
that were once hunted by George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, Charles Carroll, and the
Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...
. * Colonel - In 2011, Baron von Pfetten's Colonel was Champion of the World Dog Show in Paris and was the first ever English Foxhound invited to compete in the final Champion of Champions competition in Bruxelles that same year.


See also

*
American Foxhound The American Foxhound is a breed of dog that is a cousin of the English Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent. History In 1650, Robert Brooke sailed from England to Maryland with his pack of hunting dogs, which were ...
*
Anglo-Français and Français (hound) Anglo-Français and Français hounds are a general dog type of hunting dog that include ancient French hounds and breeds created by mixing the French dogs with English (Anglo) Foxhounds. There are seven dog breeds that are described as Anglo-Fra ...
*
English Foxhound The English Foxhound is one of the four foxhound breeds of dog. It is a cousin of the American Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent. Description Appearance The breed standards' guidelines for showing English Foxh ...


References


External links


Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, US

Masters of Foxhounds Association, UK
*
International Foxhound Association The International Foxhound Association (IFA) is incorporated as an NGO since 2012. IFA is an extension of the International Dianna Club (Oxford University Society created in 1991 under the patronage of Capt. Ronnie Wallace, long-standing former Chai ...
* * {{Hounds Scent hounds Dog types Hunting dogs Hunting with hounds Fox hunting