Coonhounds are scent hounds. If not left in a securely fenced yard their noses will lead them astray. Coonhounds do not make good off leash dogs unless they are well trained. This breed, although smart, can be stubborn to train. Conventional training does not work with coonhounds. Spanking a coonhound can damage their trust and they can easily become shy and frightened. Coonhounds are often dumped in shelters by owners unwilling to take the time to properly train them. Crate training is a must and familiarity with the "nothing in life is free" program is essential. Coonhounds have a reputation for being stupid and difficult to train. Training a coonhound is not hard if you go about it the right way. Most coonhounds are very food oriented and will do almost anything for a treat. Due to their affectionate, social personality, if you don't train your hound you will have created a monster.

Coonhounds are generally even tempered, outgoing and friendly. Despite the tough exterior coonhounds are very sensitive. It is very easy to hurt their feelings. Coonhounds are also very expressive, if you have hurt their feelings they look absolutely miserable. Coonhounds mature slower to mature than most breeds (VERY important that adopters know this). Coonhounds do not "grow up" until they are approximately 2 years of age (even though they have adult bodies they are still very much puppies). Coonhounds make excellent family pets. They are generally good with children of all ages and usually take all the petting that is dished out. However, no dog should ever be left unsupervised with children; children don’t always know how to treat a dog and every dog does have its limit. As a working scent hound, coonhounds must be able to work in close contact with other hounds. Therefore typically coonhounds get along very well with other dogs.

The ideal coonhound owner should be patient and committed to giving them the attention and training they require. Many coonhound owners have found themselves overwhelmed and unprepared for the time and attention this breed requires. People that work very long hours or are away from their home for extended periods of time should probably not own a coonhound. Coonhounds are pack animals and leaving them isolated for long periods of time is cruel and may result in problem behavior such as fence climbing, chewing, digging, or barking (of course this may not be the case with an older less active dog).

Many coonhounds do have a strong prey drive. If you have cats or other small animals a coonhound may not be the dog for you unless it has been raised with them or you are willing to take the time necessary to train them. Coonhounds can have loud voices and are not typically suited for apartments or condominium living but there can be exceptions.