English Foxhound - Temperament & Personality
Dog Breeds
Introduction
The English Foxhound Dog Breed has a personality and temperament that is friendly and social and they make great family dogs. Foxhounds are high energy, and while they have a friendly and obedient personality, they require a great deal of exercise and training in order to develop an even temperament.
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Personality
Foxhounds are an excellent dog for an active family. They love being outdoors and have the endurance to stay active all day long. Foxhounds get along great with children and other animals, and in fact do best when they are part of a large pack (human or canine). They are versatile enough to spend all day hunting with dad, only to come home and romp around with children. Foxhounds are adaptable and easy going and are an excellent choice for rural families.
Activity Requirements
Foxhounds need a lot of exercise, and their overall temperament is shaped by how much daily exercise they receive. A Foxhound who does not get enough daily activity can become reserved, anxious, or begin to exhibit dominance, whereas a Foxhound who gets plenty of exercise will be even tempered, social, and obedient. 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.
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. 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