English Foxhound breed guide

AKC calls the English Foxhound the epitome of what serious breeders strive for: beauty, balance and utility. A poet wrote that there are few combinations of grace and strength like a fine English Foxhound, next to an old Greek statue.

Like many hounds, the breed has an independent nature and may be stubborn, so training takes consistency, patience and an understanding of scent hound temperament. It responds to calm, loving but firm leadership.

English Foxhounds live 10 to 13 years. Large, deep-chested breeds are susceptible to gastric dilatation-volvulus or bloat and owners should learn the signs and what to do. Low-hanging ears are prone to infection.

The short, hard, dense, glossy coat needs minimal maintenance: a weekly brushing with a soft-bristle brush or hound glove, with an occasional gentle-shampoo bath to avoid doggy odor.

An easygoing dog, the English Foxhound still needs plenty of daily exercise and outdoor activity and suits an active family with plenty of acreage. AKC does not recommend it for city or apartment living because the space is too confined.

In medieval England, aristocrats and their hounds hunted stag in the vast forests that overtook Britain after Rome fell and killing foxes was a chore for lowly farmers and groundskeepers. That changed as the Middle Ages waned, the population grew, forests receded and deer dwindled.

The British gentry, wanting to keep their ritualized horses-and-hounds pastime, slowly phased out stag hunting in favor of new prey, the red fox.