American Foxhound

Mild and friendly at home, tireless in the field.
An American Foxhound
Photo: Peter Wadsworth
Adult male
29–32 kg
65–70 lb
Adult female
27–29 kg
60–65 lb
Lifespan
11–13 yrs
Class · Field
also Sport

What it's like

At home it is mild, friendly and easy with other dogs, traits often credited to pack life. In the field it is tireless and single-minded, and hunters value its musical, far-carrying voice as one of the breed's defining traits.

Day to day
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Easy-going, simple routines
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Friendly with everyone
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Very vocal
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

It has a coat of medium length. It sheds through the year rather than in big seasonal moults. Plan on brushing a few times a week. It needs plenty of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

An American Foxhound is a large dog, about the weight of a grown Golden Retriever. Males end up a little heavier than females.

Next to the English Foxhound it is lighter in bone and longer in the leg, with a rangy frame, a long head, low-set ears and large, gentle eyes. The close, hard coat is of medium length and can be any colour, though tricolour is common.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male American Foxhound puppy is already as heavy as a grown Border Collie. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
12 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
0102030402m4m6m9m12m18m
0102030402m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
6.2–6.7 kg 13.7–14.8 lb
6.5–7.1 kg 14.3–15.7 lb
3 months
9.3–10.0 kg 20.5–22.0 lb
9.3–10.1 kg 20.5–22.3 lb
4 months
13.8–14.9 kg 30.4–32.8 lb
13.2–14.4 kg 29.1–31.7 lb
5 months
17.7–19.0 kg 39.0–41.9 lb
16.8–18.2 kg 37.0–40.1 lb
6 months
21.1–22.7 kg 46.5–50.0 lb
19.6–21.3 kg 43.2–47.0 lb
7 months
23.8–25.7 kg 52.5–56.7 lb
21.8–23.6 kg 48.1–52.0 lb
8 months
25.8–27.8 kg 56.9–61.3 lb
23.3–25.2 kg 51.4–55.6 lb
9 months
27.1–29.2 kg 59.7–64.4 lb
24.3–26.4 kg 53.6–58.2 lb
10 months
27.9–30.1 kg 61.5–66.4 lb
25.1–27.2 kg 55.3–60.0 lb
11 months
28.4–30.6 kg 62.6–67.5 lb
25.6–27.8 kg 56.4–61.3 lb
12 months
28.7–31.0 kg 63.3–68.3 lb
26.0–28.2 kg 57.3–62.2 lb
15 months
29.2–31.4 kg 64.4–69.2 lb
26.8–29.1 kg 59.1–64.2 lb

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long American Foxhounds live yet. The 11–13 years shown is a reference range, not a measured one.

Where it comes from

The American Foxhound was bred by Virginia's colonial planters, who rode to the fox in the English manner. George Washington, a key figure though not its only maker, kept a pack bred from British stock, recorded his breeding and crossed in French hounds given by the Marquis de Lafayette. Southern breeders went on developing their hounds after the Revolution until they formed a breed separate from the English Foxhound9.

The American Foxhound later split into regional strains, among them the Walker, Trigg, Goodman and July hounds, developed in Kentucky and elsewhere in the South during the nineteenth century. Most were named after the breeders who kept them; the July took its name from a hound. The American Kennel Club recognised the breed in the eighteen-eighties, and in the twentieth century Virginia adopted it as its state dog. It was bred to hunt the fox by scent over rough country, and in some places other quarry too. It is still used with mounted packs, in field trials that test speed and drive, and by hunters who follow the chase on foot or listen to it from a hilltop at night.

Breed standard

The American Foxhound is judged against standard no. 303, in group 6, Scenthounds and related breeds4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured American Foxhound figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a large breed is most likely at the later end.

Compare with related

English Foxhound
Scent hounds · Large
Beagle
Scent hounds · Medium
Black and Tan Coonhound
Scent hounds · Large
Bluetick Coonhound
Hound · Large
Or compare the American Foxhound with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·