The English foxhound's coat is very easy to maintain. When it is as it should be it is short, hard and glossy. It doesn't require much work to keep it that way. They don't need baths, although some owners who keep their foxhound indoors may want to make sure he is clean by bathing him. He should not be bathed too often; however, as too much bathing strips the natural oils out of the skin. The fur is rough to the touch but is dense and weatherproof. This is very helpful for the English foxhound as this dog spends a lot of time hunting outdoors in inclement weather.
The fur comes in a variety of different colors. Although the basic English foxhound colors are black, tan and white, they are combined in many different variations. The most common color is the majority of the body being covered with white fur with large dark black or brown patterns on top of it. The patterns, which are either brown or black, are on the dog's head and tail. The bottom half of the dog's tail is usually brown, but not always. The English foxhound's ears, eyes and cheekbones are covered with brown fur. The dog has a pattern on his back that is almost like a saddle that consists of black fur with brown fur pattern on top. The bottom of the dog's belly and the inner legs are usually white, all though there may be variations.
There are different variations of color such as tri-color, which is black, white and tan or bi-color with a background of white. You may also see a foxhound that is tan and white, red and white or lemon and white. These are all perfectly normal for the English foxhound. As you can see, there are many variations of colors for this dog, although they all stem from their original basic colors of black, brown and white. Many of the final color combinations have to do with the dog's DNA and what their parents look like. It is important to remember that this can go back a few generations.
The coat of the English foxhound doesn't require much more than simply brushing it occasionally with a hound brush or bristle brush. If you do this when the dog is shedding, you can catch all the hair on the brush. When you are finished brushing the coat, wipe it down with a wet cloth. You can get all the loose hair the dog sheds, and you will be giving it a very shiny and glossy appearance and cleaning him as well. Many English foxhound owners like to do this because they find this much easier than picking hair up all over the house from the dogs shedding.
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