Coonhound
Dogs
Coonhound
A
Black and Tan Coonhound with a typical soulful expressionA Coonhound
is a type of
scent
hound and a member of the
hound group.
Coonhounds are an
American style of
hunting
dog that was developed for the unique quarry and working conditions found in
the United States.
In the
colonial period,
foxhounds
were imported for the popular sport of
foxhunting.
Various breeds of foxhounds and other hunting hounds were brought in from
England, Ireland, and France, making up the initial composition of the dogs that
were later to be called Virginia Hounds.
Foxhounds were found to be inadequate for hunting animals that didn't "go to
ground", but instead took to the treetops to escape, such as
raccoons,
oppossums,
bobcats and
even larger prey like
cougars and
bears. They were
often confused or unable to hold the scent when this occurred, and would mill
about.
Treeing
dogs were developed, chosen for a keen sense of smell, the ability to track,
chase and corner any manner of animal independent of human commands, and, most
importantly, to follow an animal both on the ground and when they take to the
trees. A good coonhound will bark and keep their prey treed until the hunters
arrive.
Bloodhounds specifically were added to many coonhound lines to enhance their
ability to track. Some dogs have webbed toes to deal with the rivers and swamps
so common in their hunting grounds.
Coonhounds can be hunted individually, or as a pack. Generally, hunters don't
chase their quarry along with the hounds, unlike organized foxhunting, but wait
and listen to the distinctive baying to determine if a coon or other animal has
been treed. Besides raccoons, coonhounds are excellent at handing all manner of
prey if trained properly.
Besides hunting, Coonhounds are wonderful family dogs that are known to be
good with children. They also make good watchdogs with an impressive loud bark.
There are several individual
breeds of
Coonhound:
External links
Home | Up | American Foxhound | Basset Fauve de Bretagne | Basset Hound | Bavarian Mountain Hound | Beagle | Black and Tan Coonhound | Bloodhound | Bluetick Coonhound | Coonhound | Dachshund | Finnish Spitz | Foxhound | Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen | Grand Bleu de Gascogne | Hamiltonstövare | Harrier | Norwegian Elkhound | Otterhound | Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen | Plott Hound | Redbone Coonhound | Rhodesian Ridgeback | Treeing Walker Coonhound
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