# Welsh foxhound



## Oneofthepack (3 August 2006)

I have just taken on a welsh foxhound found badly injured by a rescue centre. He is very gentle but unused to human contact and is very nervous. He is about 6 years old. Has anyone had experience of trying to domesticate a working hound? Any advice would be welcomed


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## Maesfen (3 August 2006)

I have to ask the question, where on earth did they get him from?  Most pack hounds have a tattoo in their ear or possibly lip, has this been checked out do you know as a pack would not let a hound go lightly and least of all to a rescue centre?

To rehome a hound of that age is going to be very time consuming and possibly costly as they can be destructive, I hope you have acres of ground for it to enjoy too.  
A Welsh Foxhound is also noted for its independence so don't expect obedience  or be able to let it off the lead unless you are somewhere so contained that you have a ten foot high wall all around you, I am not joking!  
They also NEED other canine company, they have always been kept as a pack and a solitary life is downright cruel to them.  They are usually, although not always, totally incompatible with cats, so spare a thought for your neighbours!  They can also be incredibly vocal especially on a moonlit night (they all seem to enjoy a yodel then!)
Apart from realizing the responsibility you have taken on, hounds can be the friendliest of dogs but are quick to back off too and appear aggresive so it is drawing a fine line between the two, they are very rarely nasty as a norm.
Good luck, let us know how you get on please.


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## Oneofthepack (3 August 2006)

He and another hound were running loose for 3 weeks and evaded capture until this one was found collapsed on the roadside, the other one is presumed dead as they had both been shot and he hasn't been seen for 10 days.  This one has a partial tattoo but not enough to be traced and  the local hunt won't admit to losing one so either they were lost from further afield or the local hunt doesn't want him back so badly injured.

He made several attempts to escape at first but has now settled a bit and curls up in a safe spot in the garden. I have a 6 ft fence round the garden, will this be enough to contain him if he ever gets fully fit again? I don't have a huge garden (80 x 40ft) but it's quite interesting for him with lots of hidden places to sniff in, and I have 3 other dogs who will help him settle when he's well enough to mingle. They have 2 long walks a day. Do you think he would be happy with 2 long walks on a long lead? We go through woods and fields and I can get one of those 50ft tape things so he doesn't feel too restricted.

Thanks for your reply. I don't know anything about this breed or the problems I'm likely to face so all replies welcome!


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## Maesfen (4 August 2006)

I've just had a thought - brain working slow!  If you put this question into the Hunting Forum you might get a few more answers (they might not all be 'helpful') but I'm sure there are others that know something about Welsh hounds in particular.  
* You can always just post and say 'please look in the dog forum, rather than writing it all out again?!

We've only walked Old English foxhounds as pups not as oldies although we have rehomed two hunting Bassets (but they are so laid back and idle they're horizontal!) and of all the pups we have walked over 20 years or more, there were only one couple that we would have had back and rehomed when retired although only one of them might have been feasible.  
They are so used to freedom to hunt, it is what they were bred for, they live for it all of their lives and however old they are, they will try to do it as long as they can, so restriction will seem like a life sentence or prison to most of them which is why rehoming hounds is not an option. 
I am very surprised at your rescue centre that it has even thought about doing this - but then again, well meaning though they undoubtedly are, they obviously have no knowledge of foxhounds and their way of life, how they should be kept, anything at all, but at least they have tried which must be in their favour.  
There will always be exceptions to every rule and I hope for your hound's sake he is one that will enjoy his retirement but please be aware of the problems you might be taking on, although I have to say, I think you are certainly doing all you can for it and I wish you well, just be aware of the problems and be realistic if it doesn't suit your hound.   BTW, a 6 foot fence is not that big to an able bodied hound that wants to escape to hunt!  You might need to add a few feet for your peace of mind.

 Until he is recovered and able to run free you won't realize what a prison sentence, restriction will be for him, he will be a different and happy hound, you will certainly notice the difference.

The more we think about it, the more we are pretty sure that your hound might actually have belonged to a gun pack, not a proper Hunt, so therefore owned by an individual.  I'm almost sure (and others will back me up)  that if he belonged to a recognisd, registered  Hunt, they would have done all in their power to get him back, not discarded him like a package out of date.  That is not how Hunt Servants work at all.  

t also begs the question how, why and by whom were the hounds shot?  What were they doing to get themselves shot in the first place?  No doubt no one will come forward and own up so it will remain one of life's mysteries!


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## Oneofthepack (4 August 2006)

I think the rescues idea was that he deserved a chance, whether it will turn out to be well meaning but ill advised I guess only time will tell. As they had been running free for some time it's possible he was shot by a farmer who saw them roaming on land with livestock. 

I've been in contact with a lady who has taken in working foxhounds and she says the same as you, basically it's not easy but it can be done with lots of time and secure fencing. 

I'd not thought that perhaps he belonged to an individual rather than a pack but it makes sense as the pack hounds I've come across before have certainly been a lot more outgoing than this one. I found one on allotments after a hunt passed through many years ago and she was a different dog altogether. Very bold, bouncy and friendly (and the hunt didn't abandon her but came back the next day)

He has been to the vets again today and his legs are healing well so we can start getting him out for exersize soon.

Not sure about your idea of posting this on the hunt forum..........I would expect to get lots of negativity on the subject of 'taming' a working dog and probably rightly so, but the other option was to  have him PTS and that seemed a shame as he's such a beautiful dog.


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## houndly (12 August 2006)

Hi
I have only just read this thread but by coincidence, 2 days after you posted it, I delivered a rescue dog to a home where they have 2 retired welsh hounds!

They were from a trencher fed gun pack. What this usually means is that they spend the winter in kennels hunting then go back to the individuals who walked them, for the summer.
How much human interaction they get during the summer months could have an effect on how they are around people.
One of the hounds I met last week is shy and retiring - the other is not. Both are walked in woods and forests off lead but one is on lead whilst the other off, I believe.
They live with a cat.
Good luck with your hound - working animals give us their all, its only right that we try to give them a chance of retirement.

I will pm you also with some info so check your box!


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## Maesfen (15 August 2006)

Just interested in how you are getting on with hound as it's nearly a fortnight from your post.  Hope it's going well for him - and you!


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## severnmiles (15 August 2006)

What part of Wales did you rescue him from?

Totally agree with Pat, Welsh hounds play deaf when they want to, don't expect him to be easy to train.  Also I would say that 6ft isn't tall enough, one of the hounds at the kennels was climbing out over 8ft so keep a careful eye on him.

I admire youfor taking on a Welsh hound!


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## Oneofthepack (14 September 2006)

Thanks for asking after the foxhound. Physically he's all healed but mentally it's going to be slow! Personally I really think he would have been better off being pts as he has no idea whats going on, but maybe I'm getting through slowly. He now wags and smiles at me in the morning which is a great improvement. He seems quite content and though he stays on his bed while I'm here I know he goes outside and mingles with the others while I'm out because I hear him legging it back to bed as I open the front door!


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## Oneofthepack (14 September 2006)

Not sure where he was caught but the rescue was South Wales I think. I only deal with the fosterer who lives in Somerset near me.

I am planning to get the fence extended although so far he has shown no inclination to get out. Luckily (for me!) he has a touch of arthritis in his back legs so he hasn't much leverage!

Do you work with Welsh Foxhounds or know their habits?


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