The Treeing Walker Coonhound is a crossbreed of the Tennessee Lead, a dog with an unknown origin, and the Walker Hound. It was not officially recognized as an independent dog breed until the mid 1940s. The breed directly descended from English Foxhounds which were first brought by Thomas Walker in Virginia in the year 1742.
The foxhounds were said to have been imported to Virginia in Walker's attempt to establish the infamous foxhunting tradition of the Englishmen in the New World. However, foxhunting did not become a tradition until a few years later. Treeing Walker Coonhounds chase and catch raccoons, roof rats, squirrels, skunks, opossums, bobcats, cougars, and even bears.
Coonhounds are born hunters. When trained well, they will learn to howl in a distinctive manner that will tell its human hunting companion that their prey has been cornered and that the chase is almost over. Because hunting is natural to them, they can be really good at it but they cannot be the best urban or suburban companions.
Coonhounds are naturally affectionate and are completely efficient aside from being unstoppable and untiring. They are natural athletes and are a lover of warm climates and they love to run around and swim. Agility is one of their most remarkable traits so you would rarely see them lying around to sunbathe or take naps.
Walker hounds can be mistaken for oversized beagles. Treeing Walker Coonhounds usually stand at about 20-28 inches in width and weighs 50-70 pounds. They have lean, straight legs but their shoulders are characteristically powerful.
Coonhounds prefer the outdoors and physical activities so they cannot live well in apartments. If owners are living in apartments, they have to see to it that they can take their dogs on regular walks and have them play and run around in open spaces regularly. Treeing Walker Coonhounds become uneasy without physical and mental exercise.
Training Walker Coonhounds are good companions aside from being excellent working and hunting dogs. Although they are fast learners and can catch tricks and routines through examples, they can ignore their trainers to follow their noses at times. As scent hounds, they have an excellent sense of smell and they have distinctive howls so they can be easily identified by their owners.
The average life span of Treeing Walker Coonhounds is at 12 to 13 years. Although they are not prone to major health issues, their ears should be regularly checked and cleaned to prevent infection. They also have to be bathed occasionally and the need for grooming is minimal for this particular dog breed.
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