American English Coonhound

The American English Coonhound is a sleek, racy American scenthound bred to chase raccoons through the night woods — lean but muscular, built for blazing speed and endurance, and famous for a lusty, musical bawl that hunters call 'night music.' Also known as the English Coonhound or, after its most common coat pattern, the Redtick Coonhound, the breed is what houndsmen describe as 'hot-nosed': a fast specialist in fresh trails that pushes hard and trees its quarry quickly, in contrast to the slower, methodical cold-trailing coonhounds.

Despite the name, the breed is thoroughly American — the 'English' refers to the foxhound stock it was developed from. At home these are sweet, sociable, people-loving dogs that adore their families, but their dusk-to-dawn working heritage means they need serious daily exercise and an owner who finds the famous voice charming rather than maddening. The American Kennel Club granted the breed full recognition in 2011.

The American English Coonhound traces straight back to the 'Virginia Hounds' — the foxhounds brought from England to the American colonies by Robert Brooke in the mid-1600s, Thomas Walker of Virginia in 1742, and the avid fox hunter George Washington in 1770. Colonial terrain was far rougher than English hunt country, so these hounds were bred over generations into a tougher, more versatile dog that could run the American red fox by day and trail raccoons by night. With the exception of the Plott Hound, every American coonhound breed shares this Virginia Hound ancestry, which is why the American English is, in a sense, the trunk of the coonhound family tree.

The United Kennel Club first recognized the breed in 1905 as the English Fox and Coonhound. Two of its descendants later split off as separate breeds: the Treeing Walker Coonhound in 1945 and the Bluetick Coonhound in 1946, leaving the English as its own line — today registered by the UKC simply as the English Coonhound. The American Kennel Club recognized the breed as the American English Coonhound in 2011, its 171st breed, and it began competing in the Hound Group in 2012. The breed remains a top competitor in coonhound field events across the country.

This is the racehorse of the coonhound family: medium-to-large, lean but strongly muscled, with a deep chest, strong back, and an effortless, ground-covering gait. Males stand 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder, females 23 to 25 inches, with most dogs weighing 45 to 65 pounds. The head is broad with a domed skull, the soft hound ears hang low, and the expression is kind and earnest.

The short, hard, protective coat comes predominantly in three patterns: redtick (the most common, giving the breed its Redtick Coonhound nickname), bluetick, and tricolor with ticking. Red-and-white and blue-and-white dogs also occur. The heavy ticking — small flecks of color across a white ground — gives the breed its distinctive freckled look and excellent visibility in the field.

American English Coonhounds are sociable, sweet-natured, and people-oriented — bred for generations to hunt in packs and ride home in a truck full of dogs and hunters, they are typically excellent with other dogs and openly friendly with people. With their families they are affectionate, playful, and slightly mischievous, with a patient, mellow side that emerges once they have burned off the day's energy.

The other side of the temperament is pure working hound. They are tireless, driven, and headstrong on a scent — an American English that strikes a trail will ignore its owner completely — and they possess one of the loudest, most carrying voices in dogdom. The breed is slow to mature, staying puppy-like well into its second or third year. Prey drive is high, making cats and small pets a poor mix, and a bored, under-exercised dog will serenade the neighborhood. This is a wonderful breed for active, hound-savvy homes and a frustrating one for owners expecting biddable obedience.

Train an American English Coonhound with patience, food, and realistic expectations. These are independent thinkers bred to make their own decisions a mile ahead of the hunter, so they learn fast but comply selectively, and they bore quickly with repetitive drilling. Keep sessions short, rewarding, and varied; harsh handling gets you nowhere with a sensitive hound.

Prioritize three things: crate training and house manners early (the breed's exuberant adolescence is long), socialization (easy — they like everyone), and management of the nose. True off-leash recall is unrealistic for most individuals, so a leash and secure fencing are permanent equipment. Give the instincts a legal outlet: AKC scent work, tracking, or actual coonhound field trials and nite hunts, where this breed remains one of the most competitive. A trained American English is a delight; an untrained one is a 60-pound siren with a motor.

This is one of the better hound breeds for family life: American English Coonhounds are playful, tolerant, and genuinely fond of children, and their pack-dog sociability extends naturally to a busy household. They make patient companions for school-age kids with energy to burn. As always, supervise with toddlers — these are fast, exuberant dogs that crash through space at full speed and can bowl a small child over without meaning to — and teach kids not to disturb the dog while eating or sleeping. Their friendliness toward strangers makes them poor guard dogs but easy hosts for children's friends.

The American English Coonhound is a generally healthy breed built on centuries of working stock. The conditions to screen for are hip and elbow dysplasia (OFA evaluations on both parents), eye conditions including cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy, and hypothyroidism. As a deep-chested breed, they carry a meaningful risk of bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus): feed multiple smaller meals, avoid exercise right after eating, and know the emergency signs. The long drop ears need weekly attention to prevent infections, and ticks are an occupational hazard for dogs that work in brush. Typical lifespan is 11 to 12 years.

Day-to-day care is simple; lifestyle fit is everything. The ideal home is suburban or rural with a securely fenced yard — this breed is fast enough that an open door and a fresh scent end badly — and an owner who genuinely exercises daily. Apartments are a poor match given the voice and energy. They are pack animals that hate isolation: left alone for long stretches they become loud and destructive, so they suit households where someone is usually around or where a second dog provides company. Weekly ear cleaning, monthly nail trims, routine dental care, and tick checks after field time cover the maintenance basics.

The short, hard coat is about as low-maintenance as coats get: a weekly once-over with a hound glove or rubber curry removes dead hair and keeps the coat gleaming, with baths only as needed — expect a touch of classic hound odor between them. Shedding is moderate. Concentrate the effort on the ears, which hang low and trap moisture: clean weekly and after swimming, and check daily during tick season. Nails grow fast on a dog this active, so trim monthly.

The American English Coonhound was bred to run from dusk to dawn, and it shows: this is one of the highest-energy breeds in the hound group, needing a solid 1.5 to 2 hours of hard exercise daily. Running, biking (with a hands-free leash and conditioning), long hikes, and all-out sprints in a fenced field are ideal, layered with nose work — scent games, tracking, drag trails — which fatigues a hound brain like nothing else. Under-exercised dogs reliably become barkers, diggers, and escape artists. For runners and outdoors families wanting a tireless partner, few breeds are better.

Feed a quality dog food suited to age and activity — typically 2 to 3 cups daily for an adult, split into at least two meals to reduce bloat risk, with portions adjusted to keep a visible waist and easily felt ribs. Hard-working field dogs need performance formulas in season. Avoid vigorous exercise for an hour after meals, use slow-feeder bowls for gulpers, and resist the pleading hound expression at the table: lean body condition is the cheapest health insurance for joints and longevity in an athletic breed.

American English Coonhound puppies in the US typically cost $800 to $1,200 from reputable breeders, with well-bred pups from titled field champion or show champion lines reaching $2,000. Pet-quality puppies in the breed's Southern strongholds can sometimes be found for less. Coonhound-specific rescues regularly have American English and English Coonhounds available, with adoption fees of $50 to $300. Ownership costs are moderate — minimal grooming, average food bills for a 50-to-65-pound athlete, plus ear-care supplies and solid fencing.

Decide first which kind of American English you want: field-bred dogs from competitive nite-hunt lines carry maximum drive and are best left to hunting homes, while show- and companion-focused breeders produce somewhat more moderate dogs. Either way, expect OFA hip (and ideally elbow) clearances on both parents, a recent eye exam, and honest answers about energy level, voice, and how their dogs do in pet homes. AKC or UKC registration and involvement with the breed's parent club or coonhound field events are good signs of a serious breeder.

Visit if you can, meet the dam, and look for confident, outgoing puppies raised with household exposure. Be candid about your fencing and exercise plans — a responsible coonhound breeder will ask. You can find American English Coonhound puppies from breeders on Lancaster Puppies' American English Coonhound listings page.