American English Coonhound - Top 10 Interesting Facts

The American English Coonhound, sometimes called the English Coonhound or Redtick Coonhound, is a direct descendant of the English Foxhound.

There are Top 10 interesting facts about American English Coonhound.

1) History

The American English Coonhound was first brought to the United States by European settlers during the 17th and 18th centuries. First called “Virginia Hounds, the American Coonhound was bred to adapt to a more rigorous terrain. These dogs were used to hunt raccoons and the American Red Fox. The American Coonhound was also used to hunt opossums, cougars, deer, boars, bobcats and bears.


2) George Washington

Many of today's coonhounds can trace their origins to the French Blue Gascon Hounds. There is evidence that George Washington was one of the first people in North America to own an American English Coonhound. George Washington was an avid foxhunter and definitely owned and bred foxhounds.



3) Hunting Racoons

The word "coon" in the breed's name refers to raccoon. But the American English Coonhound has been used to hunt raccoons and foxes. Some coonhound breeds hunt both, while others specialize in raccoons.



4) Tree Climbing

The American English Coonhound has a unique ability: he can climb trees. Coonhounds assist their human hunting partners by tracking and chasing raccoons and then running them up into trees.



5) Personality

The American English Coonhound Dog Breed has a personality and temperament that is loving and loyal. They interact well with children as long as they and the kids are all properly socialized early in the relationship. These are sociable dogs, in part due to their history of living and hunting in packs.


6) Coat

The hard, medium-length coat can be several different color combinations: Red and white ticked, blue and white ticked, tricolor with ticking, red and white, or black and white.


7) Weight

A medium-to-large-sized breed, American English Coonhound males stand between 24 and 26 inches tall and females range from 23 to 25 inches in height. The dog’s weight should be proportional to its height, typically weighing somewhere between 40 and 75 pounds.


8) Around Children

The American English Coonhounds are friendly with everyone and children especially. They are kind, loyal and affectionate and have the energy levels to keep up with the younger members of the family, running around in the yard and never refusing a game of fetch.


9) Health

Due to its size, the American English Coonhound’s most common health issue is hip dysplasia. Other health problems that may occur include ear infections, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) and polyradiculoneuritis.


10) They are Very Talkative

A survey of American veterinary professionals ranked the American English Coonhound as one of the top 12 most "talkative" dog breeds.



Source:
http://www.petguide.com/breeds/dog/american-english-coonhound
http://dogsaholic.com/breeds/profiles/american-english-coonhound.html