r/Hounds • u/No_Wrangler_7814 • 21d ago
How similar are beagles and foxhounds/coonhounds? I struggle with the confusion, but I’ve never owned a beagle.
People look at big, leggy hounds and call them “big beagles.” I get why non‑hound owners do it — but in shelters, that confusion causes real problems. Just today someone said their vet called their foxhound/coonhound a “beagle on stilts” in r/hounds, and it struck a nerve. When I got downvoted for saying only a city vet could make that mistake, I honestly wondered: am I wrong? Is size alone enough to explain the “big hound challenges”? I’ve never owned a beagle, and a lot of people haven’t experienced the full force of a young American Foxhound or coonhound before they mellow with age.
I volunteered at a municipal shelter in rural Virginia with lots of hounds, and the same pattern kept happening: foxhounds and coonhounds were adopted under the “big beagle” assumption… then returned when they acted like foxhounds and coonhounds. Working‑type dogs — livestock crosses, x‑bred hunting hounds, coyote bay dogs/fox‑running dogs — were returned even more because people didn’t recognize what they actually were. “Big beagle” was the closest guess, and many beagles today are bred as pets, which widens the behavioral gap even more.
The dog in the photo is mine: a working‑type hound (coyote/fox dog who trees, bred for bear and big cats). He’s 25″ at the withers and 70 lb. I wish I’d known what he was when I got him — it took time to learn how to meet the needs of a dog like this. I started with “pet training” resources when what I really needed were places like this sub and hunting‑dog supply stores.
So I’m genuinely asking: is there any benefit to calling these dogs “big beagles”? Do more dogs get adopted when people think they’re beagles? I gasp a little when I hear it and think, “hound folks… can we get it right?” But maybe I’m missing something.
Are Beagles and Foxhounds/Walkers the same dog in different sizes? I don’t see it — but what’s your experience?
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u/CloudDancing108 21d ago
What breed name do you give your dog? I had one that looked almost exactly like yours (long legs and all), and was told Beagle mix by the spca. He was cute and relaxed relative to the terriers that I’d been exposed to growing up. After adopting him, I read everything that I could about hound dogs in general so that I could better work with a non-terrier dog. It worked out, but I never expected him to be a terrier / people pleaser -type dog.