I think my Beagle/Basset Hound might actually be a Tree Walking Coonhound

[LauraGB]

If you are familiar with either coonhounds, beagles or bassets, please come in here. Okay, here are pics of my Huck (the shelter pup we got a few weeks ago). The shelter said he was beagle/basset hound, but I've been googling and I think he's one of these dogs . I'm doubtful he's what they said he is - he just doesn't look the description, what with the long legs and dark spots that keep showing up in his coat and on his skin as keeps getting older. What do you think?? If you think he is one of these dogs, do you have any advice for me (poor dog isn't living in a hunting family :o)?

 

(either way, I'm really, really happy with him :D)

Edited June 19, 2011 by LauraGB

[Tarreymere]

I think you are right. I grew up with a beagle/basset and my guy didn't look anything like your dog.

[laundrycrisis]

I think you are right. Your dog does not look anything like a beagle or a basset hound to me, and he does look like the other breed. BTW he's adorable !!!

[Heatherwith4]

I've had a basset and a beagle, and your pup doesn't look like either. He looks somewhat like a beagle in build, but nothing like a basset (IMHO). Don't worry about not taking him hunting, we've never taken our hounds hunting, and they don't mind. ;) They just like to run and exercise a lot. He's a cute puppy. :)

[Kebo]

I think your guess is a lot better than the shelter's :001_smile:

[astrid]

ADORABLE puppy, but seriously NOT a basset/beagle mix.

 

Just the length of the legs and the angle of his hock make it impossible. He's much more finely-boned than either a basset or a beagle. I'd wager you've got yourself a TWC! HERE is a link to the breed standard.

 

Just for kicks, email someone from the national Treeing Walker Coonhound Club (every breed has a national parent club) and ask if they can ID him for you. They will be very familiar with the breed at all ages and stages and will most likely be very helpful in terms of health concerns of which to be aware, exercise requirements, other TWC owners in the area, etc.

 

I just checked the AKC website, and there's precious little there in terms of a parent club. No website, nothing but this guy's contact info:

Randy G Hall

3820 Line Oak Hog Co. Rd.

Deep Run, NC 28525

 

Weird....there should be more info there; the TWC is an FSS breed which means its headed into full recognition.

 

He's sweet though; good luck with him!

 

astrid

[Shelly in IL]

Nt

[Shelly in IL]

Nt

[LND1218]

Oh! He looks like a Walker to me! I hope you have a lot of energy! We had one. We were told he was a beagle puppy too. Somewhere on the way to 75 lbs we discovered he was a Treeing Walker Coonhound.

 

They need a lot of exercise - both physical and mental. They are dogs who will high strung if not challenged enough. The love to work.

 

They also are very affectionate - they think they are lap dogs. Ours would literally lay on us. He's lay on my feet when I was cooking, climb in my lap when I was on the couch. They need a lot of attention and affection. He would also lay on the kids. They are very gentle in spirit and never aggressive in a mean way. But they are strong. Our dog knocked me over many time and twice he pulled me off my feet when we were walking. (I am not a petite lady either at 5'11") He was hard for the kids to walk, but he loved the kids. They are great with other pets - dogs, cats.

[astrid]

OP--- don't let this scare you--- train, train, train! No reason your TWC can't learn to walk nicely on a leash and observe basic house manners. You're the human, he's the dog! :D

 

astrid (sorry, the trainer in me just had to get that in!)

[LND1218]

OP--- don't let this scare you--- train, train, train! No reason your TWC can't learn to walk nicely on a leash and observe basic house manners. You're the human, he's the dog! :D

 

astrid (sorry, the trainer in me just had to get that in!)

 

I agree TWC must be trained well! They have a lot of energy and strength that must me channeled for good!

[ChrissySC]

I have a Walker Hound. Looks a lot like her.

[DarlaS]

Definitely some kind of walker coonhound. Did you post pics of him before? Don't know how I missed that. I would have said something--there's a few of them around here.

[MariannNOVA]

We looked at a Walker Coonhound (as a companion for our blue tick coonhound) a couple of years ago -- he was wonderfully sweet, quite large, and very strong. We didn't get him only b/c we were in such a state of transition house-wise, we just didn't think it was a good idea. He was amazingly sweet tempered.

 

Our coonhound was a rescue dog who had apparently been 'let go' by a hunter (when they get to be more than a year old, the hunters don't want them anymore and they let them loose in the woods - sad).

 

Well, suffice to say we are not a hunting family - b/c I am sure that hunting for bargains at Nordstrom's Rack and HomeGoods doesn't count ;), and our hound couldn't be happier. He sleeps - ALOT -- loves to go on long walks and runs, loves to sit leashed on the front porch and watch squirrels and birds (chipmunks p*ss him off - :lol:) and he loves to go on the back porch at night and participate in the 'twilight bark' that goes on around here. He loves to 'bay' at deer, chipmunks, owls and foxes. He is really incredibly quiet, amazingly sweet and good tempered and good mannered, smart, obedient, loyal, and it's hard not to just plain old LOVe him.

 

His stomach is sensitive and it took me about 18 months to find out how to feed him and have him avoid diarrhea -- he is now grain-free (pinnacle brand trout and sweet potato) and his stomach is perfect.

 

He goes to doggy day care every once in awhile and the people there LOVe LOVe LOVE him -- he is just sweet and obedient, not aggressive at all.

 

HTH.:)

[LauraGB]

ADORABLE puppy, but seriously NOT a basset/beagle mix.

 

Just the length of the legs and the angle of his hock make it impossible. He's much more finely-boned than either a basset or a beagle. I'd wager you've got yourself a TWC! HERE is a link to the breed standard.

 

Just for kicks, email someone from the national Treeing Walker Coonhound Club (every breed has a national parent club) and ask if they can ID him for you. They will be very familiar with the breed at all ages and stages and will most likely be very helpful in terms of health concerns of which to be aware, exercise requirements, other TWC owners in the area, etc.

 

I just checked the AKC website, and there's precious little there in terms of a parent club. No website, nothing but this guy's contact info:

Randy G Hall

3820 Line Oak Hog Co. Rd.

Deep Run, NC 28525

 

Weird....there should be more info there; the TWC is an FSS breed which means its headed into full recognition.

 

He's sweet though; good luck with him!

 

astrid

 

That's a great idea! I'm going to do it! The more I read and compare to his behavior/temperament, the more I think he's more TWC than anything else in the world.

 

Oh! He looks like a Walker to me! I hope you have a lot of energy! We had one. We were told he was a beagle puppy too. Somewhere on the way to 75 lbs we discovered he was a Treeing Walker Coonhound.

 

They need a lot of exercise - both physical and mental. They are dogs who will high strung if not challenged enough. The love to work.

 

They also are very affectionate - they think they are lap dogs. Ours would literally lay on us. He's lay on my feet when I was cooking, climb in my lap when I was on the couch. They need a lot of attention and affection. He would also lay on the kids. They are very gentle in spirit and never aggressive in a mean way. But they are strong. Our dog knocked me over many time and twice he pulled me off my feet when we were walking. (I am not a petite lady either at 5'11") He was hard for the kids to walk, but he loved the kids. They are great with other pets - dogs, cats.

 

He is so super sweet...and surprisingly strong for being such a small guy! I've been trying to determine whether to get him a harness or a gentle leader (over the nose). What do you think? The collar bit is not going to be a great training tool for walking with him; he pulls and is perfectly happy to run along side at the end of his rope (poor critter, he has no idea :tongue_smilie:).

OP--- don't let this scare you--- train, train, train! No reason your TWC can't learn to walk nicely on a leash and observe basic house manners. You're the human, he's the dog! :D

 

 

 

Not afraid! Our 2 year old lab mix is part hound-of-some-sort and she's got all the hound bits going on :lol:.

 

Shelly in IL - Curious, does your husband think he's close to being purebred? I'm kind of thinking so, myself. Dh's brother is a hunter and has always had "coon hounds" and, well, I don't know if it was because they were trained to be how they were or if it's part of the breed, but they were always jumping 8ft fences, getting hurt, etc. I don't want that for my guy (the stories are nasty). Unless he can magic fish into a boat, I don't think he'll get too much hunting under his belt. Do you think you could pm me with any info you might have?? I would be so grateful.

[astrid]

Laura, I just had another thought----

Go search through YahooGroups and see if there is a TWC group. You could easily join and post your pics for more expert opinions. I'd definitely do that. ETA: Couldn't help myself-- I did a search myself! http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=treeing+walker+coonhounds

 

Regarding the leash-training: I'm not a fan of either the gentle leader or the harness. I've seen terrible accidents with Gentle Leader (or other similar head collars) when a dog with a prey drive (such as a hound!) has suddenly taken off after a squirrel and the end result is a broken neck (worst) or sprained neck/back (still not great.)

 

Harnesses actually encourage pulling, as it's much easier and more comfortable for the dog to do so. I don't recommend them at all to my students.

 

A simple buckle collar, or a training collar (chain) are all that are needed. Look into clicker training; it's a fabulous tool especially with puppies. Establishing good leash manners now is easier, and his little brain is a sponge! If you want more info about how to clicker train or use positive reinforcement for leash walking/heeling, I'd be happy to help.

 

He's DARLING! But the idea that the shelter folks saw basset in him makes me LOL! :lol:

 

astrid

Edited June 19, 2011 by astrid
added a link

[ChristusG]

Just to echo everyone else....I had a beagle/basset growing up and your pup looking nothing like him. Mine was shorter.

[LauraGB]

Definitely some kind of walker coonhound. Did you post pics of him before? Don't know how I missed that. I would have said something--there's a few of them around here.

 

 

 

I did it here (there are two more on the top of page 2). But, he looked almost completely different then. The spots on the white part of his fur and the skin on his belly were barely visible (but are so totally there now, and he seems to get more daily). Isn't that weird?

[Ellie]

I know those folks try to come up with breeds because people want to know, but honestly, unless you know for a fact what the parents were, you cannot tell what kind of mix a dog is just by looking at it. :glare:

[DarlaS]

Harnesses actually encourage pulling, as it's much easier and more comfortable for the dog to do so.

 

He's DARLING! But the idea that the shelter folks saw basset in him makes me LOL! :lol:

 

astrid

 

Every so often I see someone walking a husky with a harness... Do they want to get dragged somewhere?

 

Shelters are often wrong about breeds. It's likely they only know a dozen or so so they see those in every dog. (Every black & tan dog is a shepherd mix. Blue eyes? Husky mix...)

[LauraGB]

\

 

Our coonhound was a rescue dog who had apparently been 'let go' by a hunter (when they get to be more than a year old, the hunters don't want them anymore and they let them loose in the woods - sad).

 

 

 

That is repulsive. :glare:

 

Thanks for the heads up on the diet. We already feed grain free (because our golden had such problems with everything, we carried the diet onto Rosie, and now onto Huck), but it's good to know because we also feed the cute beggars whatever the people might be eating :blush:.

[Teachin'Mine]

I think your guess is a lot better than the shelter's :001_smile:

 

:iagree: He could have beagle in him, but I sure don't see any basset.

 

He's beautiful!!! If you have any dog shows near you this summer, it might be fun to bring him and see if there's any walker breeds there and ask the breeders what they think.

[LauraGB]

Laura, I just had another thought----

Go search through YahooGroups and see if there is a TWC group. You could easily join and post your pics for more expert opinions. I'd definitely do that. ETA: Couldn't help myself-- I did a search myself! http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=treeing+walker+coonhounds

 

Regarding the leash-training: I'm not a fan of either the gentle leader or the harness. I've seen terrible accidents with Gentle Leader (or other similar head collars) when a dog with a prey drive (such as a hound!) has suddenly taken off after a squirrel and the end result is a broken neck (worst) or sprained neck/back (still not great.)

 

Harnesses actually encourage pulling, as it's much easier and more comfortable for the dog to do so. I don't recommend them at all to my students.

 

A simple buckle collar, or a training collar (chain) are all that are needed. Look into clicker training; it's a fabulous tool especially with puppies. Establishing good leash manners now is easier, and his little brain is a sponge! If you want more info about how to clicker train or use positive reinforcement for leash walking/heeling, I'd be happy to help.

 

He's DARLING! But the idea that the shelter folks saw basset in him makes me LOL! :lol:

 

astrid

 

Ooh! Thanks! Off to check it out...

 

We use a gentle lead with our lab. It has been fantastic for her (she used to pull so badly she would literally choke herself and I started to worry about trachea issues with her). But, I will note that when she is absolutely determined (like a squirrel that crosses our path), I have to grab her real collar and hold her back because she has absolutely no self control whatsoever. Aside from that sort of distraction, she does amazingly well when she gets that particular collar on.

 

With the little guy, he pulls so very much. I'm feeling like his neck might be so muscular because of it! I'm hesitant to buy a harness because I feel like it almost gives him permission to sniff his way along...to trouble. But his head is so little to put a gentle leader on. By "buckle collar", do you mean a pinch collar?

[astrid]

With the little guy, he pulls so very much. I'm feeling like his neck might be so muscular because of it! I'm hesitant to buy a harness because I feel like it almost gives him permission to sniff his way along...to trouble. But his head is so little to put a gentle leader on. By "buckle collar", do you mean a pinch collar?

 

Hi there,

By "buckle" I mean a plain old collar with a buckle-- your basic strap with a buckle closure and a D-ring to which you clip the leash. Another great option (and IDK why I didn't mention this before) is a martingale collar. It's a collar that slips over the head, but is closed with another strip of fabric (nylon or chain, whichever) that works like a training collar but will only close so far. It's basically designed so dogs can't "back out" of their collar.

 

Regardless of which collar you choose, the trick is to get the dog to learn the golden rule of walking on a leash, and that is simply:

 

PULLING ON THE LEASH = COMPLETE HALT OF FORWARD PROGRESS

 

If you let your dog haul you down the street, you're reinforcing that behavior. The dog thinks, "Geez. I've got to haul this human everywhere!" He learns that he's SUPPOSED to do this, that it's what YOU want. He wants to go forward; you reinforce his pulling behavior by allowing him to make forward progress. It's not pleasant for either one of you.

 

On a leash, the ONLY way the dog goes forward (and achieves his objective of sniffing what's JUST over THERE) is if he walks forward with a slack leash. Furthermore, he needs to know that "heel" is a LOCATION (by your left leg) not an action.

 

In a nutshell:

Go into backyard, the sidewalk, a park, wherever. Take with you dog wearing collar, leash, and a pocketful of small, yummy, out-of-the-ordinary treats like tiny slices of hot dog, bits of cheese, etc.

1. Attach leash.

2. Stand with Huck on your left side, sitting calmly.

3. Say, 'Huck, heel!" and walk off.

Huck will undoubtedly trot off, staying with you for a bit because you caught him off guard and he was sitting, but then quickly pass you and hit the end of the leash.

AS SOON AS HE HITS THE END OF THE LEASH, ABRUPTLY TURN 180 DEGREES AND GO BACK THE OTHER WAY.

Huck will be caught off guard (again) and will want to catch up with you. When he does, have the treat ready at your left side, use it as a lure to keep him in heel position. After he has the treat and you're boring again, he'll shoot ahead. Repeat procedure.

 

IT IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL THAT HUCK LEARNS THAT PULLING OF ANY SORT MEANS HE DOES NOT GET TO GO FORWARD.

 

To switch things up a bit, you can stop DEAD when he hits the end of the leash. He'll look back at you like, "Wha?? Come ON!" and you just stand your ground. Lure him back to heel position with a treat if you want, but ONLY resume forward progression when there is slack in the leash. Gradually you'll go farther and farther before he forgets himself and follows his nose to the end of the leash. When he does, stop. Repeat above.

 

He'll catch on quickly as long as you're super consistent and work on it daily. The important thing is to

 

Hope that helps!

 

astrid

[stephanier.1765]

I don't anything about identify breeds but I just wanted to say what a beautiful dog you have. Cute, cute, cute!

[ciyates]

The pound told me the puppy I picked out was a beagle/basset mix as well. At 120lbs I figured out they lied to me :D He looks dead on Scooby Doo so we are pretty sure is mostly GD.

[ciyates]

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

I don't anything about identify breeds but I just wanted to say what a beautiful dog you have. Cute, cute, cute!

[stephanier.1765]

I don't anything about identify breeds but I just wanted to say what a beautiful dog you have. Cute, cute, cute!

 

Geez, did I leave out a few important words there or what?! I only had 3 hours of sleep last night so I'll use that as my excuse. :tongue_smilie:

[LauraGB]

The pound told me the puppy I picked out was a beagle/basset mix as well. At 120lbs I figured out they lied to me :D He looks dead on Scooby Doo so we are pretty sure is mostly GD.

 

 

:w00t::lol::lol:

[LauraGB]

Thanks, Astrid! That is very helpful!

[MariannNOVA]

That is repulsive. :glare:

 

Thanks for the heads up on the diet. We already feed grain free (because our golden had such problems with everything, we carried the diet onto Rosie, and now onto Huck), but it's good to know because we also feed the cute beggars whatever the people might be eating :blush:.

 

Our entire family could not agree more.

[Aggie]

The pound told me the puppy I picked out was a beagle/basset mix as well. At 120lbs I figured out they lied to me :D He looks dead on Scooby Doo so we are pretty sure is mostly GD.

:lol:

 

Shelters are often wrong about breeds. It's likely they only know a dozen or so so they see those in every dog. (Every black & tan dog is a shepherd mix. Blue eyes? Husky mix...)

 

Yes, yes, yes.