Breed library

American Foxhound

An American Foxhound.
File:American Foxhound.jpg by Canarian, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Foxhound.jpg. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Breed overview

The American Foxhound is a breed of dog, closely related to the English Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent. United States Founding Father George Washington was key to the breed's early development.

  • Breed classification: houndBreed reference breed group.
  • Breed type: dog breedBreed reference breed kind.
  • Country of origin: United StatesBreed reference country of origin.

Breed facts

  • In 1650, Robert Brooke sailed from England to Maryland with his pack of hunting dogs, which were the root of several strains of American hounds.
  • The American Kennel Club credits George Washington as the Father of the American Foxhound.
  • Washington is said to have had a strong love for dogs that grew from his love of hunting for foxes.
  • Washington bred the American Foxhound in hopes of breeding faster speed and tracking of foxes into the breed of hounds he already owned.
  • He received French Foxhounds, Grand Bleu de Gascogne, (which look much like an American Bluetick Coonhound) as a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette.

Size and appearance

While standards call for the American Foxhound to be about 21 - 25 in tall to the withers, and weigh anywhere between 55 - 71 lb, many of them are larger in structure (especially the show strains), with males standing 26 - 29 in and females 25 - 28 in and smaller in weight, typically between 45 - 65 lb. The legs of a Foxhound are long and straight-boned. The foxhound's chest is rather narrow. It has a long muzzle, and a large, domed skull. The ears are wide and low-set. The eyes are hazel or brown, and are large and wide-set.

  • Body mass reference: 24.948 - 32.205 kgAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 55 - 71 lb. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Body mass reference: 30 kg or moreBreed reference body mass. minimum, adult.
  • Body mass reference: Up to 34 kgBreed reference body mass. maximum, adult.
  • Height reference: 53 cm or moreBreed reference height. female, minimum.
  • Height reference: Up to 61 cmBreed reference height. female, maximum.
  • Height reference: 53.34 - 63.5 cmAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 21 - 25 in. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Height reference: 56 cm or moreBreed reference height. male, minimum.
  • Height reference: Up to 63.5 cmBreed reference height. male, maximum.
  • Coat length: short
  • Coat length: medium
  • Height category: medium
  • Height category: tall
  • Weight category: large
  • Weight category: medium

Personality and behavior

The American Foxhound has a very docile and sweet demeanor. A typical dog is gentle, easygoing, and gets along with children and other animals.

  • Attachment and attention seeking (C-BARQ mean): 1.70 / 4Owner-reported attachment and attention seeking factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Chasing (C-BARQ mean): 2.05 / 4Owner-reported chasing factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Dog-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.81 / 4Owner-reported dog-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Dog-directed fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.69 / 4Owner-reported dog-directed fear factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Energy (C-BARQ mean): 2.11 / 4Owner-reported energy factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Excitability (C-BARQ mean): 2.04 / 4Owner-reported excitability factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Familiar-dog aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.90 / 4Owner-reported familiar-dog aggression factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Non-social fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.98 / 4Owner-reported non-social fear factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Owner-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.43 / 4Owner-reported owner-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Separation-related problems (C-BARQ mean): 0.82 / 4Owner-reported separation-related problems factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Stranger-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.60 / 4Owner-reported stranger-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Stranger-directed fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.46 / 4Owner-reported stranger-directed fear factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Touch sensitivity (C-BARQ mean): 1.01 / 4Owner-reported touch sensitivity factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.
  • Trainability (C-BARQ mean): 1.82 / 4Owner-reported trainability factor mean for US reference population American Foxhound.

Exercise and activities

The American Foxhound is a very active breed with very high energy. With longer legs bred into them, they are a very fast dog. They require a lot of exercise and do best in habitats where they have room to run.

  • Activity guidance: high energy
  • Activity guidance: active

Training and enrichment

Care planning: choose one everyday skill to practice and keep a record of each session. Note the cue, the reward your dog enjoys and what went well. Rotate familiar games and new activities, and use your notes to choose the next small step.

Coat and grooming

Care planning: use the coat details above to discuss a grooming routine with your groomer. Record brushing sessions, baths and appointments in the app. Add the tools you use and your preferred schedule so the whole household can follow the same routine.

  • Coat length: short
  • Coat length: medium
  • Grooming frequency: weekly brushing

Health and lifespan

Care planning: keep your dog's veterinary records, health-check dates and agreed care plan together. Add reminders for appointments and record changes you want to discuss at the next visit. Use the linked breed organizations and original references to explore their current health resources.

  • Lifespan reference: Up to 13 yearsBreed reference lifespan years.
  • Lifespan reference: 11 years or moreBreed reference lifespan years.

Living with this breed

Care planning: compare this profile's adult dimensions, coat care and available activity information with your household's routine. Make a shortlist, plan who will handle daily care and save the questions you want to ask a breed club, rescue or breeder.

Compare breeds

Compare supported adult height and weight ranges, matching research measures and sourced coat and care categories.

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Breed history

In 1650, Robert Brooke sailed from England to Maryland with his pack of hunting dogs, which were the root of several strains of American hounds. The American Kennel Club credits George Washington as the Father of the American Foxhound. Washington is said to have had a strong love for dogs that grew from his love of hunting for foxes. Washington bred the American Foxhound in hopes of breeding faster speed and tracking of foxes into the breed of hounds he already owned. He received French Foxhounds, Grand Bleu de Gascogne, (which look much like an American Bluetick Coonhound) as a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette. Around two years later, Washington acquired eight regular hounds from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and two “Slow Pace” hounds from England. The combination of those dogs, the French Foxhounds, and the dogs Washington kept, which were descended from Brooke's, create the present-day American Foxhound.

Clubs and further reading

Sources

  1. American Foxhound - WikipediaWikipedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted excerpts from Wikipedia contributors, American Foxhound, revision 1366476622. CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting, citations and selection changed. Source history: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Foxhound&action=history
  2. Wikidata structured breed dataWikimedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC0 1.0. Wikidata contributors (CC0).
  3. National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.PLOS ONE / Figshare Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY 4.0. Bohland, Kyle R.; Lilly, Meghan Leanne; Herron, Meghan E.; Arruda, Andréia G.; O’Quin, Jeanette M. (2023). National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.. PLOS ONE. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289356.s003 CC BY 4.0. Selected rows and field names adapted; values unchanged.
  4. File:American Foxhound.jpgWikimedia Commons Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY-SA 4.0. File:American Foxhound.jpg by Canarian, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Foxhound.jpg.
  5. Palipaws everyday care planningPalipaws Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: Palipaws original factual summaries. Palipaws. Original care-planning text, separate from breed measurements and licensed article summaries.