Ratings

Breed Introduction

Originally brought to England by the Normans during their invasion in 1066. In the 1770s, George Washington played an important role in the improvement of the Foxhound breed, mixing the established breed with French hunting dog bloodlines to produce his own American breed of Foxhound. Later, the Foxhound also mated with the Irish Island Foxhound and British hunting breeds to produce a breed with faster foot speed than the American Foxhound. Compared to the British breed, the American Foxhound has a lighter build, narrower chest, and longer ears. They are used for hunting in the United States.

The Foxhounds we come across in dog shows or elsewhere in the United States are referred to as English Foxhounds, although it’s hard to understand why it is named that and not called the Fox Terrier, which should be called the English Fox Terrier. The English Foxhound has been meticulously bred for over 150 years. The excellent breed registry published by the Foxhound Owners Association (UK) can be traced back to over 1800 years ago, and for every owner of an English Foxhound, tracing its lineage is a very easy task. The breeding of the English Foxhound is overseen by the hound’s owners, who keep the most meticulous breeding records.

In appearance, the English Foxhound is far sturdier than its American relatives, and possibly no description can better portray the general appearance of this hunting dog than a passage quoted in Caspar B. Bradley’s ‘Memoirs of Frank Gillard’, where he describes “Bailey’s Gambler,” one of the largest Foxhounds he once raised.