I hope this is okay to ask here. I apologize to the Mods in advance if it’s not. I am considering adopting a hound from a local hunt. We think she is about 6 yrs old. She has not hunted in 2010 and has so far adapted to a “house” lifestyle. Since I am not very familiar with the life of a hound, what can I expect? I live on a fenced farm with many horses. Can I take her on a trail ride? Take her to the ring with me while I ride a horse? What should I be patient with? How strict will she allow me to be with her? Will she instinctively go after the barn cats? She is extremely quiet and submissive. She follows me around like she “owns” me and seeks attention at all times. If I’ve had enough I can tell her to lay down and she does. My horse loves dogs so I hope this is a good future relationship as I have wanted a dog for a while since losing mine. I am used to retrievers and various hunting breeds but not a hound. Thanks!
Go for it! Retired Hounds make good farm dogs/couch potatoes.
I have had several through the years, and never had one go after my cats. Foxhounds are taught from an early age not to bother pets. Doesn’t bode well with the landowners if a pack of hounds eats Fluffy on the front lawn.
Mine would go trail riding with me and sometimes scoot off on a hot fox scent but always came back.
And they loved to just lie in the sun in front of the barn while I was doing my chores and grooming horses.
I have a fox hound and he is the best dog ever. He was a stray who refused to leave. The shelter told me that hounds are very hard to adopt out and that likely he would be PTS, so we kept him.
He was difficult to house train (sounds like your guy already is) and on the difficult side to train in general, but once he gets it, he’s very obedient. He’s now a regular couch potato. Really, he’s curled up on the couch right now.
Occasionally mine will go off after a rabbit, but he’s comes back right away. Never chases horses or my neighbors cattle. Just an all around good dog.
I have a retired foxhound who lives with my two adult dogs. Currently he is being the long-suffering uncle to my now 10 week old puppies. They have been interacting with him since they were about 4 weeks old. I have pictures of one of them sitting on Artful’s head. Artful settled very well into my house and has shown no interest in leaving the property or hunting. He’s always been a bit shy but has been okay when he’s had to go to the vet. Going to Petsmart is not on his agenda however.
Nix- if the hound you are asking about has a name that is similar to Artful and is a little brownish bitch, please PM me. If so, I know and adore her!
We have a hound that just wouldn’t hunt. We got her when she was two or so. She never wanders far from the farm and on occasion she goes off on a hunting run. She is a good trail dog, great with the horses and never harms the small wildlife. She was easy to housebreak and is very easy on a leash.
I will warn you that not all hounds are like this. I know of one person who adopted a former hound and is now looking re-home it. The hound just won’t stay home and is always hunting. It always comes back home but it likes to hunt on its own.
Go for it.
Hounds are houndy- that can sometimes make you think they are stubborn or onery. When our whippet (sight hound) decided he was done (doing an obedience or agility lesson) that was it. He would tune the kid out, you could see the curtain come down over his head. Otherwise, he was an awesome hound and a delight to have in our home.
Thanks everyone! Now that the holiday is over I think I will take her for an afternoon at the farm to see what she’s like. She was very “sweet” and attention-seeking toward me so far. I would love to say she “liked” me but she seems to like everyone! Ha!
iechris I am sending you a PM. I’m SURE you know her. 
On the subject of hounds, have you ever read this blog: http://houndwelfare.wordpress.com/ It is my FAVORITE place to escape to with a cup of coffee and no time limit. Wonderful blog!
Hey, thanks for the plug, SLW! And speaking of hunting hounds up for adoption … we’re taking in another beagle from the pack we hunt with! We already have one from them that we got in 2005. His adjustment period to living as a house hound wasn’t very long, maybe three weeks, and he’s perfect now. Surprisingly quick and easy to house train. That’s Mr. Box. More of him at the blog, with a brief profile here.
20 years ago we got a Beagle for a family dog when our daughters were little. We were living in South Carolina on the beach. We named her Sloopy, not for the famous horse but because our youngest daughter couldn’t say Snoopy, so Sloopy it was. Sloopy was miserable in our fenced back yard. We renforced the fence to rival Fort Sumper across the water from us but still, Sloopy would escape. I would ride my bike and take her for runs through the neighborhood hoping to tire her out. I would be tired but not Sloopy. She was just warmed up.
Months passed by then during one of those bike outings I stopped and talked to a neighbor. A rabbit hunter no less. I asked him “would you be interested in taking our Beagle? I think I’m killing her by keeping her in the neighborhood because all she wants to do is be doing something fast.” He said he would take her out hunting that Sunday to see if she “had any hunt in her.” On that morning he stopped by the house and picked her up. That afternoon he came back by and said “Sloopy is a hunting fool” and so he kept her. It was bittersweet. We keep our companion animals for life but that Beagle was miserable with us. On the other hand, I knew it was the right thing to do because she was sleeping in his truck. For the first time in her 9 months of life she was tired after spending a grand day out hunting. Beagles are the cutest stinking dogs.
Good story! We hope the new beagle will settle in all right. He was the kennel pet but then committed the cardinal sin: he ran deer twice! He’s still the kennel pet, but he looks like he’s not going to be a good pack member. Fingers crossed he’ll make a house dog in our little house pack instead. He’ll come to us in the new year, and until then he’s hanging out with the puppies at the kennel.
Obviously, we’re fond of beagles, too!
Hi - please give her a try ! We have had 3 retired foxhounds. They have all been a little different, but ALL were sweet natured and LOVE individual attention ! Never even thought about bothering our cats. We have had 1 or 2 that had to go back to the kennels cause they still wanted to hunt and we did have one who was hit by a car when he took off on his own, so I can’t go thru that again ! But our current hound is older and has NO desire to go anywhere - she loves to run around on our walks and will wander a little but never far. None of ours have bothered the horses - most learn that when hunting - stay away from horses feet. Our dogs all live outside, so I can’t comment on housebreaking, but 1 or 2 have had accidents in the garage, maybe cause it’s cement like their kennel ? They do love to be comfortable - they all claimed their cushy beds immediately. I hope you will find it very rewarding as we have.
I adopted a hound from our hunt 1 year ago - she was 2 at the time and had shown little interest in hunting with the pack, so was due to be culled. I regularly walk puppies at the kennels so I knew her disposition already (as well as both of her parents) and I was pretty sure she would be laid-back enough for a house dog. On top of that, I had named her as a pup so I felt a bit more attached to her than some of the others… On the plus side, she came already trained to voice commands and the shock collar.
A year later I am SO glad I adopted her! She is incredibly sweet, very well-behaved in the house, loves the couch and the lap. She has very little hunting drive (for a hound); she will occasionally wander off but a quick tone on the collar reminds her to come back. She does love to chase squirrels but will back off deer or anything else if I tell her to leave it. She loves to follow me on trail rides and is better than my other dog at staying with me. She has an incredible voice but doesn’t use it much (thank goodness - the neighbors wouldn’t appreciate that …) As far as housebreaking, it took ONE DAY (not kidding). She does need daily exercise, otherwise she gets a bit wild in the house. We have a big property so that is not a problem.
Bottom line - go for it! You won’t find a sweeter or more loyal companion!
Hounds- can I ask why running deer is a cardinal sin?
Sorry for hijacking!!
Good Luck!
LBR
ladybugred: Hounds are trained to chase specific game. Ours will chase red/grey foxes and coyote. Other hunts may expand or shrink their list of acceptable game as they see fit.
I don’t know of any hunts that intentionally chase deer. When hounds chase inappropriate game they are said to be running “riot”. Out of control. Not paying attention to the huntsman or their training. You do not want a pack that will chase whatever it comes across. God forbid that that pack comes across a landowner’s pet.
During cubbing season, our hounds were working a hill side when two deer popped up from the underbrush and took off. Not a single hound even lifted its head to look at the deer.
What do you call it when they tree the cable guy? It sounded like a riot but he was not amused.
Hi, Ladybugred. It looks like your question has been answered. As with the foxhounds trained to chase foxes and/or coyotes, beagles are also trained and expected to chase particular game, in this case cottontails. Not deer!
Mine is the sweetest (and probably the smartest) dog we have. He plays roughly with the lab, plays very gently with my senior collie and when my cocker was still alive, just curled up with her (that’s all she wanted). He just seems to be very intuitive. Best dog ever (well, actually my cocker was the best dog ever).
:lol: Does that include DirectTV? Cuz I really hate that obnoxious bill every month!
This is GREAT feedback. Thank you. I do plan to “try” her in our home setting and hope that she fits in. I’m glad someone brought up coyotes because that was my other “worry”. What if we are on a trail ride and she scents one? She clearly prefers the couch right now but I’d love to keep her exercised with the horses if I can. We never go too far from home but I know there is a coyote pack nearby because I hear them regularly.
Thanx for the response Hunttolive and Hounds. I hadn’t thought of it that way, obviously if you are after bunnies, you don’t want the dog haring off after deer!
LBR
