American Foxhound - Temperament & Personality
Dog Breeds
Introduction
The American Foxhound Dog Breed has a personality and temperament that is friendly and companionable. These are wonderful family dogs; they play well with young children and other animals. While they have an open and friendly personality, American Foxhounds can be difficult to train.
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Personality
Foxhounds are an excellent dog for active, rural families. They love being outdoors and have the endurance to keep moving all day long – and then move some more. Foxhounds get along great with children and other dogs (cats should be kept away, however), and if possible, should be raised alongside other dogs. Foxhounds are incredibly versatile – after spending all day in the field hunting with the guys, they'll come home and romp with the kids, then sleep at mom's feet when it's time to go to bed.
Activity Requirements
Foxhounds were designed for stamina in the hunting field, and modern Foxhounds still have that never-ending energy reserve. Expect to vigorously exercise this breed at least one hour per day. Those who are not hunters or who do not already jog, hike or bike daily should look to another breed, as should apartment or condo dwellers. If a Foxhound isn't getting enough exercise he'll let you know. Destructive behavior, excessive barking and baying and neurotic tendencies are all red flags that a Foxhound needs more activity.
Foxhounds are hard working hunting dogs and can be utilized as trackers in the field. They can move for hours on end without getting tired, and once they catch a scent they become 100% focused on tracking it. This trait can backfire in home life, so when Foxhounds aren't in the hunting field they should be kept on a leash or in a fenced-in area to keep them safe.
Foxhounds do best in multiple-dog homes. While they enjoy the company of people, they only truly thrive around other dogs, so adopting two at a time would be the most ideal situation for a Foxhound.
Trainability
Foxhounds are moderately easy to train, as are most hound breeds, but the trainability of individual Foxhounds varies. Some are easier to train whereas others are downright difficult. In general, they don't have the longest attention spans, so training should be conducted in short spurts and should not be overly repetitive. Patience is the key ingredient needed when training any type of hound, and calm-assertiveness is also important. Treating a Foxhound harshly will only lead to avoidance behaviors and flat out stubbornness.
Once leadership is established and basic obedience is mastered, Foxhounds can be graduated to advance obedience, tracking, or agility activities.
Behavioral Traits
Foxhounds will bay and howl, especially at night and when left alone. This is just part of their hound dog nature and can be difficult, if not impossible to train out of them, and suburban neighbors might not be understanding of this behavior.
If a Foxhound is not properly exercised, separation anxiety is almost guaranteed to develop. It is imperative that this breed be properly exercised and left with interesting activities when alone to stave off boredom and anxiousness. Companion dogs can help, but if the Foxhound has pent-up energy to burn off, the companion won't do a thing to save your furniture.
Appearance & Grooming
History and Health