The Medium-Sized Anglo-French Hound was developed in 16th century France to hunt small game such as hare and fox. This scenthound is the result of crossing various French hound breeds with English hounds. He is considered a French breed himself as this was his country of origin. He is known for his swiftness and stamina in the hunt, as well as his tenacious yet generally agreeable temperament. He is a hunting dog through and through, and can be quite adaptable at the sport when need be – even being used for hunting wild boar!
The Anglo-French is a pack hunting dog and thus gets along quite well with other dogs. His medium size also makes it easy to fit him into a multi-dog household with any size dogs. While he is easy to integrate into a group of dogs, he isn’t easily integrated into city (or even suburban) living. This is an active hunting breed that needs lots of room to run! Like many scenthounds, he needs very little training to do what he loves to do (hunt!) but won’t flourish in the typical 9-5 family home. A prospective owner who doesn’t plan to hunt with this dog should prepare to spend lots of time exercising the dog and giving him plenty of mental stimulation!
Each Anglo-French Hound comes in one of three coat colors: tricolor, white and orange, or white and black. The coat is always smooth and tight to the skin, and requires only a quick weekly brush-down to keep healthy except during heavy shedding seasons, when he’ll require a bit more although nothing extreme. This is a low maintenance breed in terms of grooming which should not require professional assistance. Despite having a low level of oil in his coat, he doesn’t require frequent bathing either unless desired. Make sure to brush teeth regularly and trim nails weekly.
The Medium-Sized Anglo-French is an intelligent yet independent breed who can be a challenging to train in anything other than “the nose sports”. For this reason he is not recommended for novice owners. He can be very willful when he wants to be, especially when distracted by an interesting scent. After all, hunting is the number one passion of this breed! The owner that takes the time to train him, however, will be rewarded when a strong bond forms between person and dog – a beautiful side effect of training that often occurs when the barrier of communication is bridged.
The Medium-Sized Anglo-French Hound is social and friendly towards everyone he meets, whether it be small child or older adult. Aggression towards people is not seen in the breed as long as the dog has been even moderately socialized. This said, they are often less friendly to small animals which means they are not the best match for those with smaller non-dog pets. With their owners, they are loyal and affectionate.
The Anglo-French does have a strong “bay” that he often uses freely. For those who have never heard the call of a scenthound, it can be alarming at first in terms of sheer volume! Those who are bothered by loud and frequent noise may have an issue with this inborn trait. The breed also has a tendency to wander, as as such requires an owner who can keep the dog from roaming the neighborhood. A fenced yard is a must! Despite his quirks, he can make a great companion when placed in the right home.
Photo by Jwh at Wikipedia Luxembourg