The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Pets & Working Animals => Dogs => Topic started by: jacob and Georgina on May 21, 2011, 08:58:46 pm

Title: English foxhound
Post by: jacob and Georgina on May 21, 2011, 08:58:46 pm

I went to the Devon county show today and found a pen with English foxhounds in and i fell in love and a bonus was the keeper said they are brilliant on smallholdings! However after doing a bit of research on the internet they seem to be quite hard to train and can be unpredictable. I just wanted to get some more opinions on this and if anyone has or knows someone with one what are their temperaments like and are they hard to train any help or info would be great help!

Title: Re: English foxhound
Post by: Sandy on May 21, 2011, 09:27:06 pm

I think they look and appear to be brilliant dogs BUT, I have also heard they are hard to train as they are hounds and will go off when they catch a smell and nothing will stop them!! maybe I am wrong but we lived near a hunt kennel and we had the oppertunity on several occasions as I do love them but NO, not for me, stubborn hunters, thats why they were chosen for use with the hunt¬¬

Title: Re: English foxhound
Post by: SallyintNorth on May 22, 2011, 01:06:05 am

Well we puppy walk hounds for our local pack.

They are loveable and loving, goofy and fun, energetic, beautiful creatures.  They are trainable to an extent but you are unlikely to ever see one in an obedience trial. 

I adore the hounds we rear and did threaten to join the pack with the last one, she had got under my skin so, but as Sandy says, once they get to adulthood the nose takes over.

They are pack animals and you would definitely need other dogs to keep them with.  Once they are grown up they will go off hunting, no fence or wall will stop them, and they will use roads to travel to and from hunting grounds.  So unless you live many many miles from roads with fast traffic, it would be nerve-wracking to own an adult foxhound, to say the least.

I have a friend who is looking into adopting a 'failed' trailhound.  This might be a slightly better option - and if you fancied hound trailling then a trailhound would be a very good option!  (But not a failed one if you wanted to have a go.)

The only other thing you could try is to ask your local pack(s) whether they ever get hounds who simply don't want to hunt. 

Any hound is going to need a huge amount of exercise - and if you don't give it then they will take it, ie, run off and exercise themselves for tens and tens of miles cross country.

I don't like to preach but having reared foxhounds and having now got working collies, I have to say that my own view is that dogs bred for working need to be doing the job for which they were bred, and do not really make suitable pets.

Title: Re: English foxhound
Post by: Sylvia on May 22, 2011, 05:07:04 pm

Take it from me, they do not make good house-pets ::)

Title: Re: English foxhound
Post by: jacob and Georgina on May 22, 2011, 08:11:42 pm

thanks everyone for your help i think i have decided that for what i want foxhounds would not be suitable!