American Foxhound

AKC Group: Hound

Club: American Foxhound Club, Inc

Corresponding Secretary : C Petrick
Address: 1648 FM 2144, Weimar, TX , 78962
Website: www.americanfoxhoundclubinc.com
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

Should be fairly long, slightly domed at occiput, with cranium broad and full. Ears --Ears set on moderately low, long, reaching when drawn out nearly, if not quite, to the tip of the nose; fine in texture, fairly broad, with almost entire absence of erectile power--setting close to the head with the forward edge slightly inturning to the cheek--round at tip. Eyes -- Eyes large, set well apart, soft and houndlike--expression gentle and pleading; of a brown or hazel color. Muzzle --Muzzle of fair length--straight and square-cut--the stop moderately defined. Defects --A very flat skull, narrow across the top; excess of dome; eyes small, sharp and terrier like, or prominent and protruding; muzzle long and snippy, cut away decidedly below the eyes, or very short. Roman-nosed, or upturned, giving a dish-face expression. Ears short, set on high, or with a tendency to rise above the point of origin.

Size:

Dogs should not be under 22 or over 25 inches. Bitches should not be under 21 or over 24 inches measured across the back at the point of the withers, the hound standing in a natural position with his feet well under him.

Coat:

A close, hard, hound coat of medium length. Defects --A short thin coat, or of a soft quality.

History:

According to well-known authorities, the first mention of hounds being imported to America dates back to 1650, when Robert Brooke sailed for the Crown Colony in America with a pack of hounds. These hounds were the basis of several strains of American Hounds. Hounds from France and England were brought in to further develop the breed in the middle to late 1700's. The pioneers of the American Foxhound were located in Maryland, Virginia and Tennessee with strains that included Walker, Trigg and Goodman hounds.

While the American Foxhound was in the developmental stages, there were four basic purposes that the breed was being used for: a field trial hound (for competition where speed and a jealous nature were important), a hound for hunting fox with a hunter (a slow worker with a good voice), trail or drag hounds (speed being the only factor) and pack hounds (numbering fifteen to twenty or more, used by hunt clubs and farmers).

Interesting Facts:

• The American Foxhound's origins date back to the early 1700's in Virginia and Maryland.
  
  
• The American Foxhound is an ideal choice for those who live in rural areas or on large farms.
  
  
• It was in November 1852 that a black and tan hound was stolen out of Tennessee and taken to Madison County, Kentucky. This hound was called "Tennessee Lead" and he became the foundation sire of all Walker, Trigg and Goodman foxhounds. These three strains make up the major portion of what is called American Foxhounds by AKC today.
  
  
• According to well-known authorities on the American Foxhound, the first mention that we have of hound importations to America appears in a diary of one of DeSoto's retainers.
  
  
• The Foxhound in this country is used for four purposes, all of them quite different from each other, and thus calling for hounds of a different characteristic: field trial hounds, fox hunting hound, "trail" hounds, and pack hounds.
  
  
• The types of hounds in America vary widely, but in the last few years the American Foxhound Club and the hunts which are members of the Masters of Foxhounds Association have made great strides in developing a more standard type.
  
  
• George Washington, the father of our nation, is also the father of American Foxhounds. In 1770, Washington imported a number of hounds from England and in 1785, he received a number of French foxhounds from the Marquis de Lafayette. These hounds, carefully bred and maintained by Washington, are the founders of today's American Foxhound. More than 30 hounds were listed in Washington's journals, including "Drunkard," "Tipler," and "Tipsy."