Foxhound. On no breed of dog, with the possible exception of the greyhound, has the same care and attention been spent as on the modern foxhound, with the result that hardly any four-footed animal, certainly no domestic animal, combines in the same degree speed and lasting qualities. This is probably the result of a cross between the old southern hound and the greyhound, which combined the nose and tongue of the former with the speed of the latter. When the large woods began to disappear, and more 'blood' was used in our hunters, the pace of the hound was found to be still too slow. The foxhound continued to be bred for speed, until now we have a hound possessing a dash wholly unknown to the original foxhound, and capable of getting away from a large field of horses. The head of the foxhound should be large, deep through the muzzle, but without throatiness or heaviness; teeth, strong and even; shoulders, oblique and muscular; back, short and strong; legs, with great bone perfectly straight in front; hocks, well let down behind; feet, round with arched toes; ears, naturally long and graceful, but always 'rounded' or shortened to prevent tearing when working in coverts; colour, white, with black or tan markings, sometimes to a great extent; height, 22 to 24 inches. In addition to the necessary amount of speed the foxhound must possess staying powers of a high order, a good nose, and be without a tendency to 'babble' or 'run mute'—i.e. to give tongue when not on a scent, or the opposite fault, to refuse to speak to a scent.
In breeding a pack of foxhounds the individual hound must not be considered, but the speed of the whole pack must be increased or reduced as necessity demands, so as to have the whole pack hunting together.