July Hound

44-64 lbs
21-24"
Georgia, United States
July Foxhound

The July Hound is a specific variety of American Foxhound that was developed using Irish Foxhounds that has proven themselves exceptional as fox hunting hounds for the Red Fox, a wide-ranging and enduring animal. Previous varieties of foxhounds in the United States were better designed to hunt the Grey Fox, an animal that escaped its predators by climbing trees. The July hound strain was developed by Colonel Miles G. Harris, a Georgian hunter, who was looking for a dog that was better suited to tracking the earth-bound Red Fox, rather than the tree-climbing Grey Fox that his previous dogs had specialized in.  

purpose Purpose
Hunting Dog
history Date of Origin
1800s
ancestry Ancestry
Irish Foxhound, Other Hounds

July Hound Health

Average Size
Male July Hound size stats
Height: 22-25 inches Weight: 64-75 lbs
Female July Hound size stats
Height: 21-24 inches Weight: 44-64 lbs
Major Concerns
  • Canine Hip Dysplasia (Chd)
Minor Concerns
  • Ear Infections
  • Deafness
Occasional Diagnoses
  • Eye Problems
Occasional Tests
  • BAER Testing
  • X-rays or other radiographic imaging
  • Eye and Ear Examination

July Hound Breed History

Until the 1800s, the predominant type of fox in the Georgia area was the Grey Fox, a small, dark-colored fox that has hooked claws allowing them to climb up the sides of trees. The foxhounds and coonhounds of the time would chase them up into the trees to corner them and then call to the hunter to come bag their prey. Then the Red Fox migrated to the area from the northeastern United States, a faster fox who ran farther and bolted to their den or a hole in the ground rather than up a tree, and local hunters found that the hunting dogs they were using were unsuited to the task of tracking these new foxes down. One of the more prominent hunters in the state, a Colonel Miles G. Harris, searched throughout the countryside for dogs that would fit his needs. He finally found his treasure when he located a breeder in Maryland by the name of Nimrod Gosnell, in a pair of Irish foxhounds named Red Tickler and Leda. Mr. Gosnell gifted Colonel Harris a pair of pups from the union of Red Tickler and Leda and dubbed the Irish foxhound pups July and Mary. They had shorter ears than most of the hounds in the area and were ridiculed by other local breeders. The two dogs quickly became superior hunters, surprising the other hunters and breeders and their offspring became greatly desired. Mary, unfortunately, perished before she was able to have any puppies, and July became even more sought after, breeding with several types of female hound throughout Georgia and passing down his exceptional drive and stamina to his offspring. 

July Hound Breed Appearance

American Foxhounds such as the July Hound are generally a little bit longer than they are tall and with strong, straight legs and powerful hindquarters, developed to help them keep up with and eventually outpace the long-legged red fox. They have broad, slightly domed skulls with broad, straight muzzles that are about equal in length to the skull and wide, and squarish black or brown noses. They have large round eyes that can come in either brown or hazel and have a soft, almost pleading expression and long pendulous ears with rounded ends that hang down slightly past their jawline. The ears of the July Hound are somewhat shorter than the ears of other strains of American Foxhound, and they may be set a little bit higher than average. American Foxhounds come in many colors, and while tricolored black, tan, and white is a very common combination, many of the July Hounds come in lighter colors, such as blonde and white or orange and white and their fur may be a bit fuzzier than some other hounds. 

Eye Color Possibilities
hazel July Hound eyes
Hazel
brown July Hound eyes
Brown
Nose Color Possibilities
black July Hound nose
Black
brown July Hound nose
Brown
Coat Color Possibilities
pied July Hound coat
Pied
white July Hound coat
White
black July Hound coat
Black
brown July Hound coat
Brown
blue July Hound coat
Blue
Coat Length
coat
Short Medium Long
Coat Density
coat density
pin
Sparse Normal Dense
Coat Texture
coat texture
July Hound straight coat texture
Straight Wiry Wavy Curly Corded

July Hound Breed Maintenance

The July Hound has a short, weatherproof coat that is typically quite easy to manage. Bathing should only occur on an occasional basis as bathing that occurs too frequently may strip the coat of the natural oils that keep it healthy and leave the dog more susceptible to the cold. Their moderate year-round shedding can usually be handled with a weekly grooming session with a slicker brush, wet washcloth, or grooming glove. It is particularly important to check the ears for moisture and debris as dog breeds with long, hanging ears are more likely to develop ear infections than other dog breeds are.

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Brushes for July Hound
Slicker Brush
Slicker Brush
Nail Clipper
Nail Clipper
Brushing Frequency
fur daily fur weekly fur monthly
July Hound requires weekly brushing
Daily Weekly Monthly

July Hound Temperament

The July hound has a similar temperament to other American Foxhounds. If given enough exercise, they are typically playful and friendly members of the family who are quite eager to please. They tend to get along with all ages, although they should be carefully supervised with the younger set due to their typically boisterous behavior and they can be a little wary of strangers. While they are generally bright and eager to please, they have a short attention span and can sometimes be rather difficult to train, particularly when it comes to housetraining. Short, positive training sessions are most effective for this breed, particularly if they include varied exercises. When hunting fox or other ground-dwelling game, they are tenacious and driven, often following the quarry long after other dogs have given up, but they are not disposed to treeing their prey and may lose track of animals that climb in order to escape. 

July Hound Activity Requirements

These dogs are specifically designed for their endurance and stamina, which means that they need a great deal of exercise each day to remain happy and healthy, both mentally and physically. These dogs are purpose-built for hunting, and even dogs that have not been trained are likely to take chase if a fox or another canid happens by, but there are several other options if hunting is not your favorite activity, activities such as scent tracking, swimming, and even rally sports. The July hound is not well-suited to apartment living and is likely to be too vocal and active for small living spaces. 

Activity Level
low activity medium activity high activity
Low Medium High
Rec. Walk Mileage Per Week
18 miles
walk mileage
Minutes of Activity Per Day
60 minutes
activity minutes

July Hound Food Consumption

Cups Per Day
3 cups
cup per day cost cup per day cost cup per day cost
Daily Cost
$1.50 - $1.90
food bowls daily cost
Monthly Cost
$39.00 - $52.00
food bag monthly cost

July Hound Height & Weight

6 Months
Male July Hound size stats at six months
Height: 20.5 inches Weight: 49.0 lbs
Female July Hound size stats at six months
Height: 19.5 inches Weight: 38.0 lbs
12 Months
Male July Hound size stats at 12 months
Height: 22.5 inches Weight: 63.0 lbs
Female July Hound size stats at 12 months
Height: 21.5 inches Weight: 49.0 lbs
18 Months
Male July Hound size stats at 18 months
Height: 23.5 inches Weight: 69.5 lbs
Female July Hound size stats at 18 months
Height: 22.5 inches Weight: 54.0 lbs

July Hound Owner Experiences

Daisy
7 Years
1 People
Apartment
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Trail hikes, city hikes, cuddling, meeting fr
She is a beautiful dog fun loving and especially likes to hit the trail when not enjoying the trail, she is content to cuddle on my bed.
4 years ago
Jack
6 Months
2 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Playing..walking
Walking playing
Hard to train..needs lots of attention but after train they listen good in the house..outside it is harder..but very lovebale dog
3 years, 10 months ago
Lou
3 Years
2 People
Apartment
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Dog Parks
snuggling
Hiking
Running
She is really good with cats and other dogs, however recently she became weary of small dogs but I attribute that to a situational thing. If something scares her once, she seems to remember and gets super nervous/cautious from there on out (eg. I moved and she slipped on the new apartments floor, she spent months nervously running in place like bambi on ice which was equal parts sad and maddening lol). It may be the family line of dogs I got her from, but from what I can tell most have separation anxiety, are super emotional/affectionate and very smart/loyal doggos. Which makes it difficult to train as they can be very defiant, and stressful to leave her alone but those same qualities can make the best companion. I had trouble training her (specifically house training) but my friend who has her sister didn’t have an issue with that. I didn’t use a crate as I had 2 cats that she loves to snuggle, and Lou loves to stay cozy in bed when I’m not here. She has a never ending source of energy outside, but a huge coach potato indoors and I never had trouble with her being destructive if we didn’t get out for a few days in a row. Very playful and silly, but always has a stoic/serious look on her face, which makes her all the more funny imo:). ALSO, she has a big bark and makes a good guard dog in that she could scare someone away.. but if someone actually did break in she would be hiding behind me shaking 100%.
3 years, 8 months ago
Animal Expert Question Icon
Question - Other
Question

im looking to buy a july gyp that will not run deer

Answer
Book me a walkiee?
Pweeeze!
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