Treeing Walker Coonhound breed guide

The Treeing Walker is very intelligent and eager to learn. AKC says these hounds love to please their people but also have a stubborn, independent streak that can make them seem difficult to a trainer who does not understand the coonhound brain.

Around the campfire after a night's work this sweet-faced hound will look up with a gentle, pleading expression.

Treeing Walker Coonhounds live 12 to 13 years. AKC calls the breed quite healthy. Breeders screen for hip dysplasia and eye anomalies and since ticks love to burrow beneath the floppy ears, check them when the dog comes in from outside.

Removing excess ear wax and debris and checking the ears at least weekly helps avoid common ear infections.

The Treeing Walker is a very low-maintenance breed whose short, smooth coat repels dirt and mud. It needs only an occasional bath and wiping it down with a damp towel or hound glove keeps it shining.

A high-energy breed that delights in a good, long run, the Treeing Walker Coonhound suits a running or hiking companion. Most coonhounds can happily become couch potatoes but still appreciate long daily walks at a minimum.

AKC unpacks the name a word at a time: treeing refers to a hound trailing its prey's scent until the prey climbs a tree, then waiting below barking vigorously until the hunter arrives and Walker is Thomas Walker of Virginia, a pivotal figure in the breed's early development in the mid-1700s.

A coonhound is a dog developed to tree raccoons and sometimes bigger game.