ENGLISH COONHOUND
Scenthound Group
Official U.K.C. Breed Standard

Revised January 1, 2003
Copyright 1980, United Kennel Club, Inc. .............^(1)(1)(1)(1)View Registration Requirement

This standard has been framed for two real purposes: first, to act as a guide for the Judges at Bench Shows, and second, to furnish suggestions for breeders in their aims toward improving the breed to higher ideals in their breeding.

A person could almost say that the history of the English Coonhound is the history of all coonhounds — and he wouldn’t be too far wrong. With the exception of the Plott Hound, all the UKC breeds of coonhounds have a common ancestry that is deeply rooted in the English Foxhound.
The English was first registered by UKC in 1905, under the name of English Fox & Coonhound. In those days the dogs were used much more on fox than they are today. The name also reflected the similarity that the breed had to the American Foxhound and the English Foxhound.

The variation in color brings us to another aspect of the English Coonhound history. Both the Treeing Walker and the Bluetick Coonhound were originally registered with UKC as English. The Walker was recognized as a separate breed in 1945 and the Bluetick a year later. To this day there are still tri-colored and blueticked English hounds, though redticked dogs predominate.

The first mention we have of hounds in America appears in the diary of one of the men of the explorer DeSoto. He also mentions that the hounds were used for the hunting of Indians rather than fox, raccoon or rabbit.

In 1650, the Englishman Robert Brooke brought his pack of hounds with him. Thomas Walker of Virginia imported hounds from England in 1742, and in 1770 George Washington, an avid fox hunter, had hounds imported from England. These dogs were the foundation of the “Virginia Hounds”, from which our present day English Coonhound developed.

It was, however, for the Americans to adapt these animals to the much rougher American terrain and climate. And it was the Americans that, through careful breeding practices, adapted the hound to American game, the raccoon, opossum, cougar and various species of bear.

English hounds have excelled in both performance and conformation. The first major coonhound Field Trial of all time, the first Leafy Oak, was won by an English dog called “Bones”, owned by Colonel Leon Robinson.

Ears hung a little low, fine texture and soft feel, reach nearly to end of nose if drawn out. Not flat and stiff or half cocked. Muzzle good length, square, stop nearly medium. Flews enough to look square. Large open nostrils. Skull very slightly domed. Eyes wide apart, dark, never pig-eyed or drooping.

Scissors bite preferred, even bite acceptable.

Slightly higher at shoulders than at hips, never lower at shoulders than at hips.

Males: 22 to 27 inches

Females: 21 to 25 inches

Deep, broad chest, strong back, slightly arched. Not roached back. Thighs and shoulders up and muscle strong. Good barrel, plenty of lung room. A strong, racy type body.

Forelegs having good bones, straight, strong, set well apart. Feet, cats paw, strong arched over toes, pads deep, set directly under legs. The nails should be strong. Feet well padded, stifles stout, well down. Hocks just a little bent. Hind legs, strong, showing drive, power push. Never cow hocked.

Carried gaily, set high, but not hooked over back. Just a little brush shown. Medium length. Not rat tailed.

Hair hard, medium length, of good hound type for protection.

A good hound bawl.

This English Coonhound may be redtick, bluetick, tricolor with ticks, white-red, white-black, or white-lemon; any hound with too much black, too much red or any brindle is not acceptable.

Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or extreme shyness. Albinism.