It has been said that the history of the English Coonhound is the history of all coonhounds, which is true, save that of the Plott Hound, all coonhounds have a common ancestry. The English Coonhound originated in the United States, its closest ancestor being the English Foxhound.
Three groups of foxhounds were imported from Europe which were the foundation for the first coonhounds, in 1650 by Robert Brooke, 1742 by Thomas Walker, and in 1770 by George Washington. While it is true that these were European dogs it was the Americans and the land that created the hounds we see today. The dogs had to adapt to the rougher
terrain and to the game of the colonies, including raccoon, opossum, cougar, and bear.
Colors of the short coat of the English Coonhound can vary, including redtick, bluetick, tricolor ticks, and a wide variety of other colors including, reds, white, black, and lemon shades. These color variations hold another part of coonhound history. In 1945 tricolor fanciers succeeded in separating them into another breed, known as the Treeing Walker Coonhound, a year later the blueticks also separated into the Bluetick Coonhound. At the time of the split it was simply the color that separated the breeds, but in time each has become more distinctive. Their color variations are still found in the English Coonhound, however.
English Coonhounds are energetic dogs, highly intelligent and make excellent hunters. They are fast and competitive coonhounds, and yet devoted to their families and make good companion dogs. Living indoors does not bother them; however they do best with older children. Make sure you socialize them to other dogs at a young age, and never let them off leash outside; a scent could send them off running. Of course, English Coonhounds have a strong instinct to tree smaller animals.
