American English Coonhound

The American English Coonhound is a fast, loud-voiced American scent hound bred to run raccoon through the night, often in the ticked coat that gives it the name Redtick.

History

It descends from English Foxhounds brought to Virginia and the Carolinas in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, adapted by American hunters for rougher ground and for a quarry that climbs. The coonhound family split into several registered breeds in the twentieth century, and this one kept the speed and the endurance of its foxhound side.

Temperament

The breed is known for being sociable, easy with people and other dogs, and single-minded once it has a line — with a bawling voice that carries for a very long way.

Care and training

It needs a great deal of exercise and secure ground; recall competes with a nose it was bred to obey. The voice is not a fault to be trained out, which makes it a poor fit for close neighbours. The short coat is easy, the drop ears want checking.

Health

Generally robust, with ear infections and hip dysplasia among the known tendencies. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.