The American Foxhound is good-natured and gentle with people of all ages. His temperament is easy-going and carefree. If he was bred from show lines, he will usually be well-behaved in the house as opposed to hunting lines which may be harder to live with. However, this is highly dependent on his needs being met – most Foxhounds that don’t get enough exercise will oftentimes become destructive, no matter their bloodline. A well-exercised and well-taken care of Foxhound can theoretically live in an apartment (as long as the neighbors don’t mind howling), but few people are able to provide what he needs in order to pull it off.
Howling is normally referred to as baying when speaking about the Foxhound, and is not the normal sound most people expect. Baying is incredibly loud and melodic and is more akin to singing (very, very loudly). Foxhounds use their voices frequently and many people have a harder time dealing with it than just a normal bark. The sound will often carry farther and has the tendency to annoy neighbors several houses away. It is very important that prospective owners are aware of this fact, and are living in a situation where this won’t be a problem, less they get served with noise complaints!
Bred to work in packs, American Foxhounds are great with other dogs. There may be a scuffle or two while they work out their rank (usually seen with un-altered males), but afterward they will rarely hold grudges. They are some of the friendliest and outgoing dogs around! In fact, the breed does much better when living with others, human or canine. If the owner works long hours, a Foxhound will greatly benefit from the addition of a companion dog. Many get along fine with cats and even smaller animals, although you’d never want to leave them alone with a very small pet (like a hamster).
Having a fenced yard is highly recommended so that they can run free on a regular basis. They are very unlikely to stick by the house if the yard isn’t fenced because of their high prey drive, so this is a safety concern. Hounds in general are not known for following obedience commands blindly, and if they had the choice between sniffing out a rabbit or coming to your call… they will usually choose the former. Since these athletic hounds can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, they need to be kept on a leash when not in a fenced yard. If well-secured by means of a fence, the Foxhound is one of the few breeds that is okay living outside… as long as they have companionship.
Incredibly stubborn when they want to be, Foxhounds are not the first choice for people who want a very obedient dog. This is not to say that they cannot be trained, only that their independent nature doesn’t lend itself well to following orders. This said, obedience training is an important part of dog ownership and a factor that should never be skipped. Not only does training help you to bond with your dog, but it sets down boundaries and limits, and ultimately leads to respect. With this goal in mind (and a lot of patience), keep persevering and you will begin to see progress!
American Foxhounds have a lot of energy that will need to be expended, particularly those bred from hunting lines. While show-line hounds can be okay with a vigorous jog or two every day, most hounds from hunting lines need to live in very specific situations in order to be happy. Those dogs need to be out running almost all day in order to wear them out, and ideally they should be taken out to hunt on a very regular basis. If thinking about purchasing a Foxhound as a pet (and not a hunting dog), it is almost always recommended to buy from show lines.
Photo CC BY-SA 3.0