These sleek and racy, lean but muscular dog breed is descendent of the English Foxhound. The American English Coonhound is known for their endurance, speed, and loud voice while they are in the field. The American English Coonhound tends to bark and bay when they are at home, too. That is why before you make him your house pet, make sure that you don’t have any nearby neighbors who easily gets annoyed. There are a lot of things to find out about this courageous and loyal dog breed. That is why in this article, we are going to talk about its history, characteristics, and how to care for them.
History of the American English Coonhound
The American English Coonhound was first bred in America, but it has English ancestry. They are one of six AKC coonhound breeds that frontiersmen trained to specialize in treeing and rambling North America’s perfect source of fat, fur, and food, which is the raccoon. Experts say that the American English Coonhound descended from the English Foxhounds that were brought to America during the early 1800s. Back in those days, foxhunting is one of the most popular pastimes in the southern colonies of Great Britain in America. In fact, George Washington gained so much interest in English-style horse-and-hound foxhunts that he even commanded the U.S army that they would deprive England of its American colonies. Imports of English Foxhounds on America’s formative years managed to refresh the gene pool that is used by Colonial breeders in order to create America’s own coonhound dog breeds.
Backwoods breeders in the United States crossed foxhounds with other dog breeds in order to create the American English Coonhound. At first, this breed was once known as the Coonhound and the English Fox, because they have the ability to hunt foxes during the day and hunt raccoons during the night. As they started to specialize in hunting nocturnal raccoon, they acquired their current name, American English Coonhound. Ever since the Colonial times, this dog breed had been vastly popular among the tight association of coon hunters. Today, experts consider that the American English Coonhound as one of the fastest coonhound breeds.
Characteristics of an American English Coonhound
Height: 24-26 inches in male, 23-25 inches in female
Weight: 45-65 pounds
Life Expectancy: 11-12 years
Hypoallergenic: No
American English Coonhounds can grow as high as 26 inches at the shoulder. They have a deep-chested, and sweet-faced appearance. This breed is popular with athletes and sportsmen because they have amazing speed and endurance. The American English Coonhound’s medium-length athletic frame is covered with a coat of various patterns. It has a broad with a domed skull, along with soft and low-hung ears that are matched with dark-brown eyes, which gives out the impression of kindness.
American English Coonhounds tends to be more mellow whenever they are off duty. However, they can also be stubborn and dogged, especially when they are in pursuit of a raccoon. The American English Coonhounds have incredible drive and energy. Aside from that, they also have enough patience to finish their training compared to other dog breeds. Their loud and ringing bark somehow makes it a bad fit for being house pets. Some fans of American English Coonhounds feel that if you’re not going to give them an outlet for their houndy virtues, you’re wasting a good dog.
Caring for American English Coonhound
The American English Coonhound is a loyal, loving, and eager to please dog breed. They do well around children of different ages, just as long as they are familiarized from an early age. Because the American English Coonhound has a pack history, they are one of the most sociable breeds in the world. Because they can give out a loud howl, they make an fantastic watchdog but don’t expect it to perform just as good when they are a guard dog because they tend to be friendly with other people. However, they can be aggressive when they are directly challenged. This is because they have an instinct to protect their family when they are threatened. But don’t worry because they usually won’t attack without any provocation. The American English Coonhound is packed energy to burn; that is why they need plenty of daily exercises. So if you’re an active owner, you can bring your American English Coonhound out as biking or jogging partner, and you can also take them with you for long brisk walks. You can also enjoy playing games with them, such as hide-and-seek and fetch. You can also consider the idea of getting active in competitive outdoor canine sports such as tracking, agility, and obedience, as well as field trials.
If you want to train your American English Coonhound yourself, then you’ll need to have a kind but firm approach towards them. As we mentioned, they are the leader of the pack, which is why you should always remain confident and calm. Aside from that, it would be best if you also asserted consistent authority when t you are training them. Take note that this dog breed gets easily distracted, and they like to learn at their own pace, which is why you may find that can take a lot of repetition, time, and patience to train them.