Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound
| Country of origin | America | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Black And Tan Virginia Foxhound is an American dog breed and one of four foxhound breeds. In the 18th century it was crossbred with the Bloodhound, and gave rise to the Black and Tan Coonhound. It is also good for fox hunting.
History
The Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound is an American foxhound breed. It resulted of a cross breed with Bloodhounds in the 1700s. The breed was developed by the landed gentry in order to get a dog suitable for fox hunting. Besides the Black and Tan there are the Walker, Calhoun, Penn-Marydel, Goodman, July and Trigg, which all developed from similar crosses. The Black and Tan is believed to descend form hunting dogs imported to America by Robert Brooke in 1650. These hunting dogs were the ancestors of several varieties of American hounds and stayed with the Brooke family for more than 300 years. Afterwards French Foxhounds were bred in after George Washington received them as gifts from the Marquis de Lafayette. Much later, the breed's speed and stamina were improved introducing Irish Foxhounds.[1]
Characteristics
The American foxhounds are lighter, taller and more agile than the English ones. They can grow to a height of 21-25 inches and can weigh between 65 and 75 pounds. These dogs have a keen sense of smell and are faster than other hounds. They are large dogs with long, straight-boned front legs and a large skull with pendant ears which frame the face. The ears are wide and flat to the head. The eyes are wide set and large with a friendly and intelligent expression. The tail is set moderately high with a slight upward curve and the coat is hard and short, and as the name suggests, a combination of black and tan on a white base. These dogs are not suitable to apartment living because they need a lot of exercise and also tend to put on weight easily. Otherwise, they are fairly healthy and not plagued by genetic disorders involving the hip and bones. Their life span is about 10–12 years. This breed has a friendly, pleasant, loyal and reliable temperament.[2]
Care
Due to the Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound's energetic temperament, it requires a lot of exercise and room. If this is not provided, it could become destructive in order to entertain itself. This can also be prevented with careful, patient training. These dogs also need socialization outside, and are not suitable for apartment living.[3]
