The American English Coonhound evolved when descendants of English Foxhounds, known in the New World as Virginia Hounds, were bred to adapt to rougher terrain. Originally these hounds were used to hunt fox by day and coon by night and were named the English Fox and Coonhound.
The Treeing Walker and the Bluetick were also called English Coonhounds at one time, but in 1945 their breeders declared them separate breeds.
Through selective breeding, today's English is the epitome of a swift, hot-trailing, competitive coonhound. The impatient English is a super-charged hunter that is wide-ranging and possesses tremendous speed and excellent voice.
