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Dog Articles
Past and Present: Foxhound
The
English Foxhound for more than 300 years has been one of the
principal factors in the great English sport of Fox-hunting. Perhaps
no other single sport has done so much to mold the national
character. The dogs in packs follow the fox across country, and the
fox-hunters, under the direction of a ‘Master of Foxhounds’ ride
after them.
The fine
qualities developed by hard riding, by facing all kinds of weather,
and by the dangers incident to jumping high fences and wide ditches,
coupled with the sportsmanly behavior which constitutes the
etiquette of the hunting field, were just the traits required to
make gallant soldiers and successful colonists.
The
English Foxhound, while of ancient lineage and highly standardized
in England, has not been found to meet exactly the requirements of
the rougher sport in this country. Thus, through the efforts of a
few assiduous Fox-hunters, there has been produced a somewhat
rangier, lighter, and more courageous dog, known as the American
Foxhound.
The
lighter built and more speedy American Foxhound is used either in
packs, followed by mounted hunters, as in England, or singly, or in
couples, to drive the fox within range of a gun.
The
development of this breed has been largely due to the initiative and
energy of a few men, notably Mr. Harry W. Smith, of Worcester,
Massachusetts, in the North, and Brigadier General Roger D.
Williams, of Lexington, Kentucky, in the South.
In
essentials the American and English breeds are, of course, very
similar. The English dog is a little squarer and more pointer-like
in the head, with shorter ears and straighter, longer legs. Our dog
seems more like a hound to us, with its fuller leather and more
elastic pastern and hock and stifle. The English dog looks rather
stiff and stilty in comparison, though undoubtedly just what the
Englishman wants. And surely the, English huntsman knows just
exactly what he wants.
The hound
is a very primitive type of dog, and one of the proofs of this is
his unvarying and rigid adherence to his pattern of color. White, of
course, is not natural, but the result of ages of domestication, and
may occur anywhere on a dog, as partial albinism, without regard to
symmetry or rule.
It will be
found, however, that through all the ages nothing has been
able to upset the fundamental pattern on all the hound-like dogs,
which we see preserved in its purity in the black and tan
Bloodhound. White may supplant it anywhere, but if there is color it
will invariably fall according to this design. Thus Beagles,
Foxhounds, and many other dogs with hound blood in them will without
exception have their black marks in the proper area for black to
come, and their tan marks likewise, whether they come in large
patches or as ticks or flecks of color in a white ground.
Source:
National Geographic 1919
Recommended Reading
Dog Training
Mastery - An Owners' Manual
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