From the MFHA Guidebook & Rules
(a) RULES. The filing of breeding records on an annual basis with the MFHA’s Keeper of the Stud Book is obligatory for all registered and recognized hunts and is the responsibility of the Master. Non-member hunts may also register their hounds in the “Foxhound Stud Book,” providing that they qualify and adhere to MFHA rules for hound registration. There is a fee for the initial registration of the non-member pack in addition to the standard litter registration fee. The records comprise: (1) pedigrees for all hounds entered in the current year by each hunt according to the instructions provided, and (2) an annual foxhound kennel list of all foxhounds in the kennel with their year of entry, sire and dam.
This is only a registry for hounds. If a non-member hound is registered in the “Foxhound Stud Book,” it may compete in MFHA sanctioned hound shows “if” the show allows them to enter.
(b) ELIGIBILITY. American, Crossbred, English and Penn-Marydel Foxhounds and Harriers are eligible for registration or listing in the “Foxhound Stud Book,” provided that they meet the MFHA registration requirements (Prior to 2008, Penn-Marydels were identified as American in the “Foxhound Stud Book”).
(c) HUNTING. All foxhounds registered in the “Foxhound Stud Book” and all sires and dams in the first and second preceding generations must be acceptably certified to have legally hunted fox, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion or drag.
(d) BREEDING. Hounds bred by a person or organization not primarily devoted to hunting acceptable quarry (fox, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion or drag) will not be considered to have hunted for the purpose of qualifying with the provision of this rule.
(e) REGISTRATION. Pedigrees should be on the form provided by the MFHA office and should be sent in after all hounds for the current year have been entered and before December 31st. All hounds entered by each hunt must be registered, listed or recorded in the “Foxhound Stud Book” at the MFHA office. After a hound is entered on acceptable live quarry or drag, said hound may be registered or listed in the “Foxhound Stud Book.”
(f) LISTING. Foxhounds with pedigrees containing not more than one (1) fault in the third generation (a hound that has an unknown sire or dam, unknown prefix or date of entry or a hound that did not hunt acceptable live quarry) will be listed in the “Foxhound Stud Book,” providing that a three-generation pedigree is submitted with a certification that the first and second previous generations have regularly hunted fox, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion or drag. The progeny will be eligible for registration in accordance with rules regarding the registration of American, Crossbred, English or Penn-Marydel foxhounds.
(g) THE NAME of an entered hound is made up of three (3) parts: the prefix (name of the hunt that entered the hound), the given name and the year of entry. The prefix, name and year of entry do not change when an entered hound is drafted from one pack to another. A hound is entered when he has been hunted on a regular and systematic basis. The name of an unentered hound consists only of the given name with no hunt prefix or entry year even when the proposed future entry date is known.
Foxhound Breeds
(h) AMERICAN and PENN-MARYDEL FOXHOUNDS must have no more than one (1) outcross in the fourth generation or, in the case of hounds with Crossbred ancestors in more than one (1) line, not more than one-sixteenth (1/16th) total outcross.
(i) Since 2008, Penn-Marydel (PM) hounds have been given breed recognition and have their own section in the “Foxhound Stud Book.” The additional term Penn-Marydel Listed (PL) applies to Penn-Marydel hounds that are 12.5% or less outcross and when bred to a pure PM, their get are considered pure PM. Crossbred classification will be verified by the Keeper of the Stud Book in accordance with the rules of the MFHA.
(j) ENGLISH FOXHOUNDS must have no more than one (1) outcross in the fourth generation or, in the case of hounds with Crossbred ancestors in more than one (1) line, not more than one-sixteenth (1/16th) total outcross. (This rule applies to hounds entered in 1978 or thereafter; for English hounds entered before 1978, the earlier 1/32nd outcross rule was in effect.)
(k) All hounds registered under these outcross rulings as American, English or Penn-Marydel hounds will be regarded thereafter as pure American, English or Penn-Marydel foxhounds in determining the type of their progeny.
(l) CROSSBRED FOXHOUNDS are foxhounds that do not qualify under the fractional rulings as either American, English or Penn-Marydel foxhounds.
When determining whether or not a hound is Crossbred, you must first calculate the Breed Coefficient by adding together the Breed Coefficients of the sire and dam and dividing by 2.
- Breed Coefficient from 1-7 is considered American (since the hound is considered American, the Breed Coefficient assigned to it is 0, rather than the calculated coefficient)
- Breed Coefficient from 8-93 is considered Crossbred
- Breed Coefficient from 94-100 is considered English (since the hound is considered English, the Breed Coefficient assigned to it is 100, rather than the calculated coefficient)
(m) OUTCROSS. Outcrosses from other scenting breeds may be listed with the Keeper of the Stud Book, providing that a three-generation pedigree is submitted with a certification that the first and second previous generations have regularly hunted fox, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion or drag, with one such non-foxhound outcross permitted in the third generation. One-eighth (1/8th) outcross is permitted for such listing. The progeny may be eligible for registration in accordance with rules regarding the registration of American, Crossbred, English and Penn-Marydel foxhounds.
Foxhound Kennel List
(n) Masters of all member hunts are required to send the Keeper of the Stud Book a list of all entered hounds in their kennels each year. The list should be on the form provided by the MFHA and should be sent to the MFHA office with the pedigrees for the registration of the current year’s entry before December 31st. Any member hunt that does not submit its list by December 31st will be charged a fine determined by the board of directors. Hound lists published by hunts are acceptable.
(o) ENTERED HOUNDS should give the hunt prefix (if different from the name of the member hunt submitting the list), name, year of entry and sex for each entered hound, and its sire and dam. It should be arranged chronologically by litter and year of entry.
Within each litter, the hounds should be alphabetically listed, first dogs and then bitches. To indicate the breed, use the letters “A,” “CB,” “E,” “PM,” or “PL” for American, Crossbred, English, Penn-Marydel, Penn-Marydel Listed, respectively.
(p) UNENTERED HOUNDS may be shown at the end of the list under a separate heading if they have been named.
(q) DRAFTED HOUNDS. The Keeper of the Stud Book must be notified of any unentered hounds drafted to any hunt, including hunts in countries other than the USA and Canada. Usually, this is done by listing them on a litter certificate noting the sex and where they were sent.
Registration Fee
There is a fee for the registration or listing of hounds. Upon registration, the Keeper of the Stud Book will return a confirmation sheet showing all registrations in the form in which they will be published. The sheet should be checked for accuracy and agreement with the hunt’s records.
Forms
Three-generation Pedigree and Foxhound Kennel List forms, as well as printed instructions for the preparation of pedigrees and the registration of hounds, are available from the MFHA office. These forms will be sent to the Master in charge of hound registration each year. The MFHA online hound search is available to assist with completing three-generation pedigrees.
Stud Books
(a) The “Foxhound Kennel Stud Book of North America” has been published annually since 1973. Prices and availability of all volumes may be obtained from the MFHA office. Each hunt is required to purchase a copy of the “Foxhound Stud Book.” All Masters are asked to purchase a copy of the annual “Foxhound Stud Book” to cover the publication cost of this valuable document. It is imperative that whoever is contributing to or making breeding decisions has a copy at their disposal.
(b) PEDIGREE DATABASE SEARCH. The MFHA’s comprehensive online hound search program contains all registered foxhounds recorded with the Keeper of the Stud Book. It is updated annually and is invaluable in assisting serious hound breeders in their breeding decisions and hound research. English and Irish hounds have their own registry, and they are not typically recorded in the MFHA “Foxhound Stud Book” unless they have been used as a sire or dam in North America. The English Foxhound Studbook pedigree search can be found online.
