Treeing Walker Coonhound

The name explains the breed one word at a time. Treeing describes what the hound does: it follows the scent of its quarry until the animal goes up a tree for safety, then waits below and barks, loudly and distinctively, for as long as it takes the hunter to reach it.

Walker is Thomas Walker of Virginia, a pivotal figure in the breed's early development in the middle of the 1700s. Coonhound describes the quarry, the raccoon, and sometimes larger game.

It is one of the larger American coonhounds, with males of 22 to 27 inches and females of 20 to 25, and the American Kennel Club places it in the Hound Group.

The breed is registered by the American Kennel Club.

Size, standard by standard

• American Kennel Club — height 55.9-68.6 cm (males), 50.8-63.5 cm (females)

Full standards: American Kennel Club.

Country of origin: United States of America

• Every word of the breed name describes something concrete.
• Thomas Walker of Virginia shaped the breed in the mid-1700s.
• The distinctive bark at the tree is part of the working method.
• Males stand 22 to 27 inches at the withers.
• It is one of six American coonhound breeds.