Why are hounds so hard to train?

Foxhounds are many things, they are friendly, patient, playful, good trackers and great with families and children. If you have a Foxhound, you know that when he picks up a scent, he will follow it across town and there isn’t much you can do to stop him. Dog expert Adrienne Janet Farricelli points out that Foxhounds’ breeding contributes a lot to their resistance to training. They are bred for hunting and are thus naturally inclined to pursue scents instead of sitting still listening to people or taking commands. Since hounds hunt in packs, they are more used to being in the company of other dogs as opposed to being around humans and pleasing them. The very nature of hunting requires a dog that will chase and catch prey without any instructions from his owner. This independent trait is yet another reason why Foxhounds are difficult to train. They are not used to taking instructions because they can think for themselves. Further, Foxhounds are meant to be outside in nature hence when you constrain your dog for too long, he will no longer exhibit signs of friendliness and good behavior but will be impatient, difficult to control, and even destructive.

Hounds were bred to hunt without the company of their handlers and they were trained to follow a scent persistently without distractions. Because they are independent, they have a one-track mind, and this makes them more difficult to train so, as their owner, you need work more closely with them. The Basset Hound can sometimes be aloof and stubborn, and they seem to only want to please themselves and not care what their humans think. This is not because the Basset Hound lacks intelligence, but because the Basset Hound is a very independent dog. There are dog breeds that are very eager to please, so they are easier to train because the only thing they want is to get their human’s approval. Bassets rely heavily on their smell more than any other senses. They are the type that would rather chase a scent than listen for sounds. Basset Hound training requires a lot of patience so make sure that you have a lot to spare. You have to be prepared in case your pooch does not learn as fast as you would like him to, but this does not mean that they cannot be trained at all. Consistency is key and remember to work at a pace that fits their needs.