Treeing Walker Coonhound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Treeing Walker Coonhound | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Country of origin | ||
| The United States of America | ||
| Classification and breed standards | ||
| AKC: | FSS | Stds |
| The AKC Foundation Stock Service (FSS) is an optional recording service for purebred dogs that are not yet eligible for AKC registration. | ||
| UKC: | Scenthound Breeds | Stds |
The Treeing Walker Coonhound is a breed of dog descended from the English Foxhound. The breed began when a stolen dog of unknown origin, known as "Tennessee Lead", was crossed into the Walker Hound in the 1800s. Thomas Walker had imported the English Foxhound to Virginia in 1742.
Numerous types of walker hounds exist, with the Treeing Walker being the most prominent. They are excellent hunting dogs, very capable in the art of treeing game. Known to climb the tree or stand upon a tree to hold their prey for the hunter, walker hounds commonly hunt rabbit, fox, raccoon and sometimes are known to run bear in the Northern climates.
By nature, each hound has several distinctive bays which signals anything from prey on scent, visitors at your door to their most distinctive repetitive staccato bugle cry of prey being treed. This breed is not a quiet hunting breed and are among the fastest and most agile dogs known.
[edit] Temperament
Treeing Walker Coonhounds are great with children and get along well with other dogs. They love to nest and cuddle and getting a walker hound out of your bed will be a feat in itself. Generally easy to train with little trouble, they make excellent pets if well exercised.
Because they are eager to please, loving, intelligent and confident, they make a splendid companion for an active owner.
Most walker hounds are capable of scaling fences in excess of 6 feet so a proper yard system whether fence or electric fence is a must. They do bury bones and dig if they are on scent. In general, they are oblivious to commands when trailing a scent, much like a beagle or basset hound so it is imperative for a walker hound to have serious training and a safe running area free of cars or other potential dangers.
[edit] Appearance
Walker hounds stand between 20 and 27 inches at the withers, weighing between 50 and 70 pounds and their markings are bicolor or tricolor with smooth short haired coats. They are extremely powerful, especially throughout the shoulder region, and have large ears compared to head size. Their legs are straight and lean, yet well muscled.
