Birthday: July 18th 2003 Bio: Jax is approximately 5 - 6 yr. old and a typical English Coonhound I am told by Coonhound owners. :-) New Foster Mom's assessment: Jax is a very routine oriented animal. Once he has followed a regular routine his actions are practically automatic to it and disruptions confuse him.
He does not require a great deal of exercise; short walks throughout the day keep him happy and out of mischief. It is very important for him to have the time for mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. If given the chance he will run off so he needs to be on a run or leash all the time unless in a fenced area or unless some work is done with an E-collar trainer.
He has enjoyed visits to the dog park and gets along great with all other animals. If he is distracted he will not come when called or acknowledge commands. Although the last couple of times we were at the park he had started to obey more, but it could have been because there was less to distract him.
Jax is VERY loving and he will do anything to please his master in order to get positive physical attention. He thinks he should be a lap dog and likes to lie across you when you are sitting anywhere. His need for physical attention and praise is essential. Nothing makes him happier than to be sitting with you while you pet him and love him. He will try to steal your pillow at night if given the opportunity.
Bad points: He will get into mischief if unsupervised. He will get into garbage or eat food left on the counter if left unattended. He will sneak out of open doors and run off. He can be gone anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hours depending on what he gets himself into.
Any household rules must be enforced continuously by all members of the family or he will try to push it as far as possible and if he doesn’t get his way he may act out by not following other commands or getting into something even though he knows it is wrong. Mental stimulation offered to him through walking him and letting him sniff out the area, tracking scents he finds is important to his overall contentment.
He seems to have a nervous tummy so change in diet or getting into garbage will upset him and give him diarrhea. Change in routine may also affect him this way.
He does not bark and will not fill a role of guard dog in the home. He may yelp when excited or needs to go outside but he is not a noisy animal.
Overall he is an incredibly loyal, loving companion for someone that can be with him and follow a routine.