Sometimes known as “the people’s choice” among Coonhounds, the Treeing Walker Coonhound (TWC) is a moderately proportioned hound that can hike over rough terrain with excellent speed and endurance. TWC descends from the English and American Foxhounds, initially used as hunting dogs. Their objective was to trail and tree bears, raccoons, cougars, and bobcats. TWCs are also proficient in catching small animals such as skunks, squirrels, opossums, and black rats. Today, hunters use this breed for hunting and treeing. Treeing is a kind of hunting that uses canines to trap the prey up the tree and then hunt the prey.
Best known for their excellent wild raccoon hunting talents, the Treeing Walker Coonhound or the Walker, is a fast and active breed. Always walk your dog on a leash to avoid running off after an attractive scent. They also require a securely fenced yard to keep them contained when you’re not home. These breeds can adapt to living indoors or outdoors, but the most significant thing about them is that Walkers need human companionship. Thus, Treeing Walker Coonhounds excel as hunters, companions, and family dogs.
Table of Contents
Treeing Walker Coonhound Overview
Walkers typically have an amiable and affectionate personality. They enjoy people’s company, including children, and usually can coexist well with other canines. Walker’s temperament is also marked by their high energy level and prey drive, which can sometimes cause them to be quite vocal. These dogs have incredible strength, speed, and stamina as hunting dogs. They require exercises on a daily basis to challenge them physically and mentally. They also require socialization and training from a young age to be well-mannered companions. Luckily, their short coat needs minimal grooming.
Other Names:TWC, Walker, Treeing Walker, People’s choice
Life Span: 12 – 13 years
History of Treeing Walker Coonhound
In the mid-1800s, Kentucky citizens used Virginia Hounds, descendants of English Foxhounds, to track gray foxes and deer. Still, these hounds were unsuccessful in tracking the red foxes that began to appear in the territory. However, cousins George Maupin and John Walker were incredibly enthusiastic about tracking dogs during this time. In 1850, Maupin was given a puppy by a traveler who had spotted it in the lead of a pack-tracking deer. The traveler stole the puppy, later known as Tennessee Lead (unknown origin), and gave him to Maupin. Lead was proficient at tracking red foxes. Maupin and Walker were famous for breeding Walker Foxhounds. Later, Treeing Walker Coonhounds originated in the United States when “Tennessee Lead” was mixed with the Walker Hound in the 20th century. Thus, the Treeing Walker Coonhound originated from the Walker Foxhound, evolving from the Virginia Hounds, the early descendants of the English Foxhounds brought to America.
The TWC became a regular AKC breed in 2012.
The AKC recognized the TWC breed for the first time under the Foundation Stock Service, the first step toward recognition, in 1995.
Trivia
TWC’s name has an interesting origin:
‘Treeing’ refers to tracking and hunting the prey by forcing it up the tree.
‘Walker’ is from the breeder, Thomas Walker, who developed the breed.
‘Coonhound’ is the dog breed developed to hunt raccoons and larger animals.
Treeing Walker Coonhound Highlights
Walkers are enthusiastic, and their greetings will swamp you.
Early socialization and training are essential, or they can become destructive.
Walkers mature slowly and maintain their puppy behavior for many years.
Some Walkers are exceptional guard dogs, while some don’t have guarding instincts.
Treeing Walker Coonhound Personality
Walkers are medium-sized dogs with a muscular build and floppy ears set moderately low, reaching nearly their nose tip. These breeds have large brown eyes, a soft, pleading expression, and a glossy coat. They are usually tri-colored in black, white, and tan. Walkers also have square-shaped heads, well-muscled thighs, and powerful hind legs, ready to propel them to their following catch.
Walkers are gentle, easy-going, affectionate, and lively. They get along well with kids — as long as they are raised with them at a very young age; children are kind and respectful to dogs. However, as Walkers are sensitive dogs, all interactions between Walkers and kids should be supervised by adults. These hounds are intelligent and learn quickly with positive reinforcement methods. However, if you plan to hunt or compete in field trials with them, you must seek the assistance of a skilled trainer familiar with the breed.
Friendliness Overview
Affection level
High
Family-friendly
High
Kid-friendly
High
Dog-friendly
Medium
Stranger-friendly
Medium
Adaptability Overview
Good for apartment living
Low
Good for new owners
Low to medium
Sensitivity level
High
Tolerates being alone
Low to medium
Cold tolerance
Medium
Heat tolerance
Medium
Treeing Walker Coonhound Physical Features
Head:
Medium-in-length skull with a prominent occipital bone
Ears are set moderately low and of medium length, reaching or nearly reaching the tip of the nose.
Large eyes set well apart with soft hound-like expressions.
Square-shaped muzzle
Neck, Topline, and Body:
Clean, medium-length neck
Well-sprung ribs
Strong, muscular back and loins
Nearly level or sloping topline slightly
Tail: Carried well up, saber-like, tapered tail
Forequarters:
Straight forelegs
Strong and distinct pasterns
Thick pads
Well-arched toes
Hindquarters:
Muscular and powerful hind legs
Well-muscled thighs
Well-bent stifles
Clean hocks
Coat: Smooth, glossy, and short, yet dense coat.
Color: Black, white, and tan with markings of blanket-back, saddle-back, tan spots, black spots, black spots and tan trim, or white markings and tan trim.
Gait: Gait is easy, smooth, balanced, and seemingly tireless.
Disqualification
Blind
Deaf
Yellow eyes
Treeing Walker Coonhound Temperament
Walkers are energetic hunting dogs who often love to hike and tend to become oblivious to calls when they’ve found an attractive scent. They make ideal companions and members of the household. They are often devoted and eager to please and manage to get along well with everyone: dogs, strangers, and most other pets. Walkers should always be kept on a leash or in an enclosed area. Although they have a stubborn, independent streak that can sometimes make training tricky, Walkers tend to be generous and friendly with people.
A hunter at heart, Walkers are vocal dogs with multiple barks, including a bugle-like sound used to track and a short, choppy bark to announce trapped prey. Their flawless hunting powers earned them the nickname “the people’s choice.” With a constantly-wagging tail, Walkers are adaptable and happy to live in an apartment as long as they get good everyday walks.
Treeing Walker Coonhound Training
Walkers are bright and intelligent but can also be stubborn and independent. Early socialization and training are essential; these breeds respond well to positive reinforcement. It’s significant to be consistent with your commands to prevent bad habits from forming. Due to their high prey drive, Walkers only sometimes do well with smaller household pets, including cats, that they might mistake for prey. However, mindful training and growing up around these animals can result in them coexisting peacefully. Likewise, Walkers don’t respond to mistreatment and violence.
Here are some of the training activities that you need to do with your Treeing Walker Coonhound dog:
Walkers are an active, energetic hunting breed with high stamina, requiring plenty of exercise to be happy and healthy. They love to hike or run with their people but remember, Walkers have a high prey drive, so they should always be on a leash. These breeds are best for active owners and provide them with at least one to two hours of daily physical activity. If they fail to get enough exercise, Walkers might resort to problem behaviors, such as being overly vocal or destructive.
You can meet your Treeing Walker Coonhound’s daily exercise essentials by:
Walkers are a low maintenance, non-hypoallergenic breed with a short coat that sheds a moderate amount and repels dirt. Treeing Walker Coonhound’s grooming requirements are as follows:
Brush their coat once a week or twice with a slicker brush.
Bathe every six to eight weeks with a mild, soap-free, aloevera or oatmeal-based shampoo.
Brush their teethdaily, spending 30 seconds on the four outer tooth surfaces. Routine dental care aids prevent gum infections, plaque, pain, and eventual tooth loss.
Regularly check their ears for infections such as discharge, spots, redness, or foul odor.
Treeing Walker Coonhounds are prone to many eye disorders, so monitoring their eye color and appearance is essential.
Here are a few products and equipment to meet your Walker’s grooming needs:
In most circumstances, Walkers are generally healthy dogs who will live for at least a decade. However, they are prone to some hereditary health issues. As always, ask your breeder as much as possible about your pup’s health and their parents’ health.
Health Overview
General health
Medium to high
Weight gain tendencies
Medium
Size
Medium to high
Hypothyroidism: A dog’s metabolism is slowed due to insufficient thyroid hormone production. Symptoms are:
Lethargy
Gaining weight
Reluctance to work out
Hair loss
Eye Diseases: Walker can be prone to these eye diseases:
Corneal damage
Dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca)
Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
Eyelid mass
Cataracts
Glaucoma
Cherry Eye
Entropion
Hip dysplasia: When a dog’s thigh bones fail to fit into the pelvic socket of the hip joint, it results in hip dysplasia, a genetic condition.
Elbow dysplasia: When canines go lame later in life, elbow dysplasia is the most common factor. It’s a malformation of the elbow joint, ending in pain, loss of motion, and lameness. This disorder most generally concerns large-breed dogs such as Treeing Walker Coonhounds.
Ear Infections: Several environmental and hereditary factors lead to ear infections in dogs. Some of these include:
Allergies
Autoimmune disorders
Wax buildup in the ear
Even excessive cleaning
Signs of ear infection in dogs:
Excessive scratching or shaking of dog’s heads.
Odor
Dark discharge
Redness or swelling in the ear canal
Obesity: Obesity is a common health disease in TWC. Excess weight can result in back pain, digestive disorders, joint problems, and heart diseases. The ideal way to control this disorder is by maintaining a healthy diet and routine exercise.
Recommended Health Tests
Hip Evaluation
Thyroid Evaluation
Ophthalmologist Evaluation
Treeing Walker Coonhound Diet and Nutrition
Walkers are an active breed that does best with high-quality canine food suited to their age and other health concerns. Always provide them with fresh water. Treats can be essential to training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Walkers require 2 to 3 cups of dog food. Then, according to the vet’s guidance, you can split their meal time into two. Several commercial kibbles are protein-rich, but consider supplementing them with high-quality lean meat and canned dog food.
Here are the foods and supplements to meet your Walker’s nutrition needs:
Things to Remember Before Getting a Treeing Walker Coonhound
Getting a Treeing Walker Coonhound puppy from a reputable breeder is best to prevent inevitable circumstances like health diseases and provide you with vaccination certificates. In addition, it is best to check with the puppy’s parents to ensure their health and happiness.
Cost of a Treeing Walker Coonhound
A Treeing Walker Coonhound puppy may cost from $600 to $6000.
