American English Coonhound

The American English Coonhound is unique amongst coonhounds for its hot-nosed speed and its athleticism. A scent hound, this dog was bred to trail for miles over any terrain. This breed is often called simply the "English Coonhound"�, and often the "Redtick Coonhound"�, although its coat is not always red. The American English Coonhound's loud bark and howling bay can be heard for a long distance, and owners are usually able to recognize the sound of their own dog's "voice"� amongst the others during the hunt. Dogs are generally leashed until they can locate the scent, and then are released to track the prey to the tree, where they are expected to hold the raccoon until hunters arrive, sometimes for hours. In "night trials"� competitions, dogs are given points for each phase of the process. The American English Coonhound has a muscular, lean build. It averages 21 to 27 inches in height at the shoulder, depending upon the sex of the individual. The coat is short to medium length, dense and rather coarse, but glossy in appearance. The coat color varies in this breed it is said that more emphasis is placed on hunting ability and the hot-nosed instinct that on coat color and it may actually be blue, black and white, red, tan, or red ticked. It has kind, expressive "hound eyes"� and pendulous drop ears. The coonhound originated in Louisiana, where French settlers kept a hound native to southwest France that was used to hunt large game, the Grand Bleu de Gascogne also known as French Staghound. This dog was an excellent cold-nosed scent hound that worked slowly, diligently and determinedly. American hunters crossed the Grand Bleu de Gascogne with English and American foxhounds, hoping to create a breed that was more hot-nosed, could work faster, and was more suited to American terrain and to the coon hunting style that had become popular. The resulting dog was hot-nosed, and covered the trail much more quickly. It initially became known as the English Fox and Coonhound. At the turn of the 20th century, all coonhounds were called "English,"� except for the Redbone and the Black and Tan, which for their coloring had been recognized as separate breeds by then. Those puppies of the English Fox and Coonhoun with blue ticking were considered "American"� and those with more red ticking were called "English"�. In 1945 fanciers of the Bluetick which had by then been bred to be more cold-nosed than its cousins - petitioned the United Kennel Club to recognize that breed as distinct from the others, and in 1946 it did and dubbed the Treeing Walker Coonhound, and the Bluetick Coonhound. In more recent decades there has been a movement to revive and preserve the older cold-nosed hunting style and some breeding programs again emphasize the style of the original Grand Bleu Gascon (from this effort comes the variant American Blue Gascon, for example), and there is more distinction between the traditional "old-fashioned"� cold-nose hounds and the faster, more hot-nosed hounds such as the American English. This means that the coonhounds have gone from being all very similar in hunting style and appearance, to over time being more distinguishable according to both. This trend will undoubtedly increase in the future.The American English Coonhound is not a breed to live successfully in a small space; this dog needs to keep physically and mentally occupied. Without a regular outlet for its mental energy it can become high-strung and destructive. Boredom can result in fence-climbing and digging up the yard. The American English Coonhound generally does best with the company of another dog. This breed, when not confined, should be kept leashed unless it is being used to hunt; its prey drive is extremely high and it will give chase to smaller non-canine animals such as cats, other pets, and other small animals which cross its path. The coonhound is said no have little to no road sense: its mind will be solely on the prey when it crosses that busy street! Leash training needs to start early, since its strong nose predisposes it to pull excessively while on leash, and daily walks are absolutely essential. These walks should be brisk and cover a fair distance. The American English Coonhound is always behind its own nose: garbage, food, anything with an odor will be irresistible. Owners must be ever vigilant to keep this dog out of mischief. The American English is very vocal and is naturally given to communicating with its "voice"� which involves not only barking but howling, baying and yodeling to communicate its point of view. For this reason, this breed needs to live where there are not neighbors nearby. Given plenty of space, exercise and mental stimulation, the American English is an exceptional family dog. This dog will almost never bite, even when provoked it is statistically the least likely breed to inflict a bite on a human! Although it is a useful watchdog that will always announce a visitor, it will not attack or bite an intruder. The American English Coonhound is known to be excellent with even very young children. Because of its bred-in instincts the American English is an independent problem solver, and is naturally highly intelligent. Training may initially be challenging as the dog second-guesses the owner; but an owner who can establish a benevolent leadership position early in the relationship will find that this breed is a joy to train, and is ever-after devotedly obedient. The American English Coonhound is people-oriented almost to a fault. It will need frequent affection and assurance. This dog will be closely tuned in to family activities and will want to be included. But it settles into the life of an active family like a glove, ever-devoted, ever-loyal, kind, calm and sweet-natured. For the owner with a little land, time to put into initial training, and a family that is outdoors-oriented, the American English Coonhound can be an excellent companion. Aside from using this breed for hunting, owners of the American English Coonhound may enjoy participating in tracking competitions or search and rescue training with their dog.

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