There’s a lot of confusion about American Foxhounds. They are both a rare breed and a common breed. There are plenty of purebred American Foxhounds in various parts of the country, but finding an AKC-registered American Foxhound can be like looking for hen’s teeth. It doesn’t help that shelters seem to think that any smooth coated spotted dog larger than a beagle is an American Foxhound. A quick search for Foxhounds on Petfinder revealed these dogs:
I’m sure these dogs are lovely dogs and probably all of them would make wonderful companions.
None of them are Foxhounds.
Some of them don’t have any Foxhounds in their family tree.
The sixth picture (of the black and white puppy play-bowing) is said to have been DNA-tested to reveal that he is a Foxhound-Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever cross– which only serves to illustrate what a charade those tests are and that you shouldn’t waste your money.
Then there are the breeds frequently confused with the American Foxhound:
The Beagle
The Harrier
The English Foxhound
The American-English Coonhound
And the dog most frequently mistaken for the American Foxhound (and in fact, a distant cousin to the breed)
The Treeing Walker Coonhound.
Though there are some specific differences to look for– English Foxhounds are stouter, with a much blockier head and a considerably shorter ear; Treeing Walkers have a different head, a different coat pattern (similar, but different) as well as somewhat different structure. The truth is that over time, you learn to know them when you see them.
If you wonder if the dog you have is an American Foxhound, feel free to send a picture and whatever biographical information you have on the dog and we’ll give you our best guess.
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