Danish Broholmer vs American Foxhound - Breed Comparison

As a cousin of the English Foxhound, the American Foxhound is a scent hound and bred for hunting. Robert Brooke brought the first hunting dogs to the colonies in 1650. These dogs were the starting point for several American hound breeds including the American Foxhound.

For almost 300 years the Brooke family owned and bred dogs from this bloodline.

At the same time that Brooke was hunting with and breeding his hounds, George Washington was given French Foxhounds. These were crossed with the Brooke’s dogs to create the American Foxhound. This breed is said to have been originally bred in Virginia and Maryland.

They are the state dog of Virginia. After Red Foxes were imported or migrated, Irish Foxhounds were brought to American and added into the line, increasing the stamina and speed that today’s dog’s still display.

The American Foxhound was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1886. Today’s American Foxhound presents in many different lines but are all considered the same breed even though some ay look very different. These strains include the Trigg, Walker, Penn-Marydel, Goodman, July and Calhoun.

The Danish Broholmer is also known as the Danish Mastiff. This is a large dog which comes from Denmark.

Known as a molosser breed, the dog used to fulfill a guard dog role in the home of wealthy Danish people. There are those who take one look at the dog’s size and build, and regard him as aggressive, when in fact he is a calm, good-tempered dog.

The origin of this large dog breed goes way back to the Middle Ages, although details of the dog’s origins are unknown. The Broholmer comes from mixing the English Mastiff and various local German breeds, being named after the Sehested of Broholm.

The dog all but became extinct during the Second World War. It was in 1974 that the Danish Kennel Club started looking to revive the breed. The breed was revived and the dog was imported to the United Kingdom in 2009. The Danish Broholmer has been recognized by the United Kennel Club in 2006.

Given the variety of bloodlines and strains mentioned above, there can be many differences in the American Foxhounds. Because of this most American Foxhounds bred to show are Walkers as they most closely fit the AKC Breed Standard.

In general, the American Foxhound has long, straight legs and is taller than the English Foxhound. They have a narrow chest and domed skull with a long muzzle.

They have low, wide set eyes that should be dark – brown or hazel, never blue. They have feet like a fox and laid-back shoulders with a curved tail. Athletic and muscled, the American Foxhound is bred to run. They are one of the rarest breeds in the United States.

The Danish Broholmer is a large dog that looks familiar to the Mastiff. The dog stands roughly between 66 and 75cm and weighs between 40 and 60kg.

The body is strong and muscular and he has the large head of the molosser. The coat of the dog is short and harsh, with the color being fawn, light brown, yellowish or black. He is quite a heavy shedder and will require brushing twice a week.

The dog usually has a black mask.The muzzle is also large, the nose black. His ears are medium-sized, set high and floppy, the chest deep. The tail is long and carried downwards.

Temperament:

The Danish Broholmer is an awesome family pet who seems to go out of his way to please his human family. He is an intelligent dog and obedient by nature. Because he is so devoted to his human family, he wants to protect them too.

He is a non-aggressive dog and the best part about owning such a dog is that he is a gentle pet for the family but he still looks threatening to intruders.

The Danish Broholmer gets on well with children and pets in the home. However such a big dog needs to be trained and socialized and he could jump up against smaller people and unintentionally send them flying. Training will see to it that he responds well do simple commands such as ‘down’, ‘sit’, lie-down’ and ‘come’.

With a reputation as a docile, sweet dog, the American Foxhound is great with kids and animals. They are gentle and often very shy with strangers. They are strong willed and stubborn especially when training them, so they are not a good first dog. They need an owner who has handled dogs before and knows how to be the pack leader without being angry or mean.

The American Foxhound is a scent hound and once he is on the scent it is close to impossible to distract him from it. They have a tendency to ignore commands when they are in this state. A strong owner/leader is needed for this reason. Don’t let him off leash in an unfenced area.

Once people have owned a Danish Broholmer, they have got nothing but good comments about them. You hear words such as courageous, sweet, good-natured, playful and intelligent. Also if he believes his family is in danger he will want to protect them.

He is a great friend for child and adult and a fairly low maintenance breed too. He is an adaptable dog, but his size isn’t suited to small, cramped spaces. He will need to be exercised but this should be a pleasure as every human being can use some additional exercise themselves if they want to remain healthy.

Look after your wonderful amicable Danish Broholmer and he’ll shower you with his doggy love and devotion.

The American Foxhound, like most hunting dogs does not carry a lot of genetic disorders. But they can easily become overweight and this can cause major problems. Dysplasia of any type had been mostly unknown in this breed, but due to obesity it is cropping up on occasion. Breeders have not, and do not usually screed for any genetic diseases.

The most devastating health issue the American Foxhound faces is thrombocytopathy. We will go into more detail on this in the Care for Pet section. This is a disease of the blood system, namely the platelets.

The Danish Broholmer is a large dog who can consume quite a lot of food. With large dogs like these, there is often strain on the dog’s joints.

Also dogs with deep chests are also prone to gastric dilatation volvulus or bloat. In fact, large dogs can also suffer with obesity apart from joint problems. It is why they often live shorter lives than smaller dog breeds. Some points to consider with your large breed pet -

Nutrition is most important for puppies and your adult dog. Don’t overfeed your large breed puppy as he can grow too quickly so that his joints are at risk of injury.

Too much weight gain as well as too much exercise can increase the risk of your dog developing hip dysplasia. This is a hereditary disorder, causing problems with the hips. The disease can lead to terrible pain and sometime lameness. Always remember to keep the weight of your dog in a healthy range to prevent pressure on the joints.

Feeding

Whether feeding a pup, or an adult American Foxhound, you need to be sure the food is high quality and that you don’t overfeed. The Foxhound is happy to eat as much as you give him. They like to eat. Make sure you measure and don’t free feed. Control what they are eating.

For a puppy feed twice, a day – 2 to 3 cups of high quality puppy food. When he becomes an adult feed him once a day with 2 cups of adult food.

Health issues

As mentioned previously, the American English Foxhound, like most of the hound breeds is a very healthy dog. They do not have many genetic health issues. They do have a risk for thrombocytopathy. This risk is slight, but all owners of American English Foxhounds should be aware of it.

Thrombocytopathy

This disease is a circulatory system disease with poorly or non-functioning platelets. Platelets are designed to assist in the control of bleeding and without functioning ones the dog can bleed excessively from just a minor cut or bleed internally from a minor injury. The disease can be treated but you have to notice it first. Depending on how severe the disease is, the treatment will vary. Some dogs will have to be given platelets.

Exercise and games

This is a high energy breed that is very active and needs a lot of exercise. They are not good for the first-time owner as they are stubborn and hard to train. They need room to run and get frustrated and out of sorts if they don’t have it. They can live in the suburbs but only with a large fenced yard, an even larger dog park and regular walks. This dog needs a lot of exercise. The simplest thing to do is take him hunting.

Exercise:

For his size, you’d be inclined to think that the Danish Broholmer will require a lot of exercise, but in fact he is much like any other other. He will love to join you on your daily walks and will readily run to fetch a ball.

Diet:

Your Danish Broholmer will require quality food manufactured exclusively for large dog breeds.

There are excellent manufactured dog foods out there and you can take the kibble and mix in some home-made foods from time to time such as cooked brown rice, vegetables and chicken. He will also require some raw meat added into the diet occasionally.

Never leave him without a constant supply of cool, fresh water.