Did you know that all Foxhounds are black and white when they’re born? The red color comes in “under” the black color, and when you brush the black hair backwards, you will see the reddish tone underneath.
(Treeing walker coonhounds are also black and white at birth– but they retain a lot more black through their adult lives. Both of my TWCH were ONLY black and white at in their later years- no tan at all.)
Traditionally, the tri-color is referred to as “black, white and tan” even though the black is sort of transient. The old time Foxhound people in the show world got to be very good at keeping those saddles very black with the help of Lady Clairol. It would be very rare to find a mature foxhound with a solid black saddle, particularly one that showed no red underneath.
If the saddle fades out completely what you have left is generally a red and white hound. (Though Penn-Marydels are often just red and white their whole lives.) There is also lemon and white, and lemon-ticked. Lemon is a very pale tan.
In this picture (English foxhounds) the dog on the left (who might initially appear white) is lemon and white.
Beagles, Basset hounds, Harriers, English Coonhounds and Foxhounds all come in a lemon and white variety.
Little pale brown spots are lemon ticks and little black spots are “blue ticks.”
The stag hounds that contributed to George Washington’s work in developing the American Foxhound were Grande Bleu de Gascogne which bear a striking resemblance to the American Bluetick Coonhound– and the ticking that we see on some hounds is probably a genetic nod to that ancestry.
You will occasionally see a Foxhound that is all white– particularly in the south, where they are a favorite in trailing packs. I just don’t know what to say about this particular foxhound!
Hound Music 