Trailhounds have wonderful temperaments and are very affectionate and loyal. They are friendly towards other pets and children. They adapt quickly to indoor life and soon discover the warmest, cosiest spot in the house.

They will have been well trained to ignore livestock and other animals when they were racing. It is not their nature to chase things in the way a sight hound might, but they do love to put their noses down and follow a scent.

They are used to travelling in cars and, although they are big dogs, they fold up quite nicely on the back seat! They are friendly, playful and lots of fun.  Many people who adopt a trailie say they will never have another breed. A lot of owners go on to get a 2nd hound.

Trailhounds are very adaptable. Some now take part in agility competitions. Some have gone on to do PAT work (Pets As Therapy).

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What are their not so good points?

 An individual racing owner may have one or more hounds which are normally kept in outdoor kennels. So when first re-homed they are not normally house-trained. However, they are very quick to learn, but for the first few days big dog can equal big puddles! Many hounds understand right from the start and never have an accident indoors.

For any dog that is re-homed, it is a big change in it's life. Hounds are no different. Many settle in to their new home very quickly but for others, it takes longer. They may be insecure about being left alone at first. Hounds have the ability to jump very high obstacles if they choose to.

Trailhounds, like all hounds, have an independent streak, and may try to go off following their noses, given the opportunity. They have little or no road sense. They will have had little formal training but are exuberant  rather than naughty. Hounds are quick to learn so do follow our recall guidelines from the start. Go to Training Recall    BACK TO TOP

Do they need a lot of training and exercise?

Trailhounds are big, active dogs and benefit from having regular exercise. They do enjoy curling up and snoozing in a warm spot as well.

Hounds, in general, are strong willed and stubborn but are very trainable. In order for them to get the best out of life (i.e. lots of freedom), you must be prepared to put in time to train them. The words 'selectively deaf' were probably thought up by someone with a hound! A number of hounds go to dog training classes and are doing very well. Many adopted hounds settle easily into their new homes from the start, but please only consider adopting a hound if you are committed to taking time to train them.

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Lakeland Trailhound Welfare encourages owners to learn the skills to train their dogs with modern non-coercive methods and not to train with pain. Along with Dogs Trust policy, we do not support the use of electronic or 'shock' collars.

 

Both articles below, Your trailhound as a Pet and Training Recall, are available on request as a leaflet.

Your Trailhound as a Pet   by Eileen Robinson Trailhounds can make wonderful pets with a little time and patience and I hope to pass on a few helpful ideas to enable your trailhound to settle in with you as soon as possible. In order to understand your Trailhound, it is important to know a little background of the hound and the racing life he or she has had. These hounds are the athletes of the dog world and have been bred for speed for many years. The sport of Hound Trailing in Cumbria has been going on for around 200 years and is still keenly followed by members of the Hound Trailing Association. The hounds follow a scent of aniseed mixed with paraffin for up to 10 miles and  they run over fields and fells, jumping over stone walls and wire fences. At the end of the race, their owner is there, shouting and whistling the hound in, and waving a container which contains their favourite food. This all has a bearing on your hound as a pet, and as they are totally motivated by food, you may find at first that your hound is very greedy and may try to pinch your biscuit or sandwich off your plate. It is best not to leave food lying around where your hound can reach. Once they realise that they are not in a racing situation any more and you are able to teach them some manners, they will relax and look forward to meal times with great enthusiasm. When you first adopt your hound, do not forget that they have lived in a kennel for most of their life and will need to be housetrained. It is best to treat the hound as if you were training a puppy and start from scratch. Most learn very quickly but others may take a little longer depending on age and whether the hound has been allowed in the house, as some are. Please remember also that your hound can clear a 5 foot fence with great ease and at first it is better to take him into the garden on a lead, until you feel sure that this is not a problem. If you carry treats in your pocket at all times, I am sure you will conquer this very quickly. Just bear in mind that some of these hounds have only been off the lead when they have been racing. At first your hound may be a little nervous in the house, but this is only because they haven't been used to ordinary noises, such as the washing machine and vacuum cleaner, etc. This soon settles as they get used to a domestic situation and realize that warmth and comfort are a definite plus. Hounds will eat almost anything and I find that a good quality dried food with perhaps a little added vegetables will be adequate. They have probably been fed a very high protein diet in their running life, sometimes being fed raw red meat but this is not necessary as a pet so a low protein dog food is best. Most of them love raw carrot and fruit, such as apple and banana as a treat. They are also great tea drinkers as many of them will have had tea to drink when they completed their race. My own retired hounds love a piece of wholemeal toast in the morning at breakfast time. I bake it in the oven so that it is similar to a rusk and they will chew this with great gusto. When you first adopt your hound, you may think he is underweight. If it is between April and October, he will probably be at a running weight, and look thin to you. He may also have a clipped coat and be wearing a top doggie coat. Don't worry about this as he will soon put  weight back on with correct feeding and his coat will soon grow again. If you adopt your hound during winter months this probably wont apply and he should be at a normal weight and have a full coat. Trailhounds love their food! However, overfeeding is not good for them and puts a strain on their limbs and vital organs. An overweight hound may suffer from heart problems, arthritis and diabetes. It is easy to overfeed a hound but much more difficult to get the weight off. If you feed lots of treats for training, then cut down their main meal accordingly. When feeding extra treats, try a carrot or a hollow rubber toy filled with nibbles which they have to spend time to retrieve. Hounds really benefit from going to dog training classes for obedience, and several hounds that have been rehomed are doing exceptionally well and reaching a very high standard. They are very intelligent and love to learn and I think it is important for hounds to be socialised in this way and to have fun whilst training to be obedient. Recall can be a little difficult at first, although some hounds will have no problem with this and return when called. Others may fly off into the distance and suffer from selective deafness, especially if they scent a rabbit. It is advisable when you first adopt your hound to use an extending lead or lunge line and call him back to you using treats and lots of praise when he comes straight back. You might find that it takes a little time but perseverance will win in the end, as soon as they learn a reward is on hand. Another way is to carry a whistle as they were often called in with a whistle during their racing career. Always be aware that your hound can easily cover a few miles within minutes and it is always better to be safe than sorry before taking off the lead. Do not let your hound run free until you have established good recall onlead. (See Recall Training tips below). Continue training and always have treats in your pocket to reinforce good behaviour. There are numerous advantages to having a Trailhound as a pet, and once you have established a few ground rules and perhaps taken him to dog training classes for both socialisation and learning, you will have a lovely loyal companion for many years to come. If you would like to contact me to discuss your hound, I would love to hear from you. I have had Trailhounds for about 14 years, both as pets and in a racing situation, and I can often find out the racing past of your hound, if you are interested. I look forward to hearing from you and hope you have many years with your special companion. email: eileen.robinson1@homecall.co.uk Tel: 01995 643351 Training Recall Main points at a glance: Start training in the house by calling your hound from another room at mealtimes. All initial outdoor training should be on a lead or training line – do not let your hound be the one deciding when they will return. Always use their name to get their attention followed by the recall command. Always be consistent by using a key recall word, said in a clear, firm voice. Begin to allow your hound off lead in a secure area, only after they have shown that they are responding well to the recall word whilst still on a lead. Always give lots of praise and a tasty treat to positively train your hound. Once trained, if they start to ignore you, go back a stage, and pop a training line back on them. Be prepared to always have treats with you to positively reinforce good behaviour. Training recall is one of the first things you will want to do with your new hound. Some hounds are very good right from the start but it still pays to teach them properly. You must train your hound to recall before letting them go off lead. Leaving it up to them to decide when they are going to return is not a good idea and bad habits quickly set in. Once trained, you can enjoy walks knowing that your hound will come back promptly when called.   Remember that in their racing life, trailhounds are lined up on a fellside with other hounds and released to run up to 10 miles over the fells on their own!  Apart from people positioned at crossing points on roads, they race completely unaided. This requires a huge degree of independence on the part of a hound.   For training you will need: Treats - a hip bag is useful to keep them in. Training treats should be extra tasty, such as small pieces of sausage or cheese. A normal lead to start with, then progress to a longer training line. If your hound is boisterous and liable to run to the end of the line and jolt its neck, attach it to a harness instead of a collar. A recall word. One word that hounds are called in to at the end of a race is HERE, so you may want to use that. Some hounds are called in to a whistle so you may decide to train with one. Calling their name will get their attention initially but the recall word or whistle is what you are teaching them to return to so always use it, as consistency is very important. Use a firm and clear tone of voice.   First lesson To initially teach the command word, place your hound on a lead in front of you. With a small treat in your hand, entice your hound towards you as you run backwards using their name followed by your chosen recall word. When they reach you, put your hand on their collar as you give them the treat and lots of praise. This ensures that they do not grab the treat and then try to run off. This level is very easy and you can constantly reinforce this whilst on a walk.   Progressing to the next level When you feel your hound understands what you are asking and is responding well, progress to a longer training line. You will still be in control but your hound will begin to get a greater sense of freedom on a longer line. At this stage, you are instilling in them the habit of automatically returning first time so make it easier by calling them when they are least distracted by other things. If they come straight back when called, give them lots of praise and a treat. If they do not respond, gently tug and, if necessary, reel them in with the training line whilst using your recall command (still in the same tone of voice) and again lots of praise and a treat. Begin to call them when they are distracted by other things. Make sure they get lots of praise and a treat so they can see it was worth their while coming back! Do this again and again over a period of weeks and see how well they are responding before considering the next stage. They have to understand that every single time you call them they will come back, whether by their choice or by you reeling them in. They will also learn that returning earns them a treat. The next step When they are responding well every time, find a safe area to let them go and progress from there. If they regress, put the lead back on again and continue training as before. Even if this takes weeks, do persevere as it will pay off in the long run. Never punish or tell off your hound for not returning. Coming back must always be a good experience for them.   Gradually, you will only give the treat when they come straight back – you would always give lots of praise but treats only after first call. Eventually, you may progress to only occasionally giving treats but you should always be prepared to have pockets full of crumbs and dried up bits of sausage – but that is a small price to pay for having a well behaved hound!   A few extra things to consider:   Enlist the help of someone with a dog with good recall as your hound will enjoy racing back alongside another dog. If you feed lots of treats on a walk, scale down the morning/evening meal accordingly as you do not want your hound to become obese.   When your hound is allowed off lead, if they come back to you uncalled, always give them a treat and praise as it means they are checking in with you and it should be encouraged.   BACK TO TOP