Spotlight Breed: English Foxhound

Welcome to our Spotlight Breed article of the week.  This is where we feature a one-of-a-kind dog breed from around the globe.  We are excited to spotlight the English Foxhound today!  This breed was originally bred to pursue foxes in the English countryside.  They are very intelligent and possess some great hunting skills.  There are so many more traits about this breed.  Please continue reading on to learn more!

The English Foxhound is the definition of a true hunting dog.  They have so much energy and will need an adequate amount of mental and physical stimulation throughout the day.  Unfortunately, this breed does not adapt well to apartment living.  They need a larger space to fulfill their needs.  We do not recommend that a novice owner adopt an English Foxhound.  The reason being is that they are highly sensitive, independent thinking, and assertive.  This may pose some challenges for a new dog owner!

One of the good things about the English Foxhound is that they can tolerate being alone.  They do not always need someone by their side 24/7.  Their overall level of friendliness is high.  They enjoy being affectionate with their family.  They enjoy being around children, other dogs, and sometimes strangers.  Forming strong bonds with their packs is extremely important to this breed and it shows!

Given the fact that the breed is very intelligent, they are easy to train…for the most part.  English Foxhounds are more adept at forming an association between a prompt, an action, and a consequence very quickly.  It is important to be aware of their strong prey drive though.  Dogs who are bred to hunt have an inborn desire to chase.  If they see something that they want, they will try and go after it!

If you are looking for a high-energy, intelligent, and fun-loving dog breed, the English Foxhound might be for you!  We will leave you with our favorite quote about the breed: “If I could be half the person my English Foxhound is, I’d be twice the human I am.”