Dog Breeds: About Bloodhounds

About Bloodhounds

When I think about Bloodhounds, I conjure up an image of a lazy dog sleeping on the porch of a deep swamp cabin under the rocking chair of a one suspender hillbilly.  That I can’t help, and although similar in the regard of being slow moving hound, the truth about the Bloodhound is one that dates back more than 1000 years and is consistent throughout history as a tracking dog.

The 1000 plus year old Bloodhound isn’t a descendant of vampires with a thirst for blood, but rather a docile and distinguished dog breed.  The term “blood” most likely comes from the term “blooded’ which means pure blood referring back to the noblemen that owned and breed them. This sometimes clumsy scent hound is also referred to as a St. Hubert Hound dating back to a 7th century French monk, St Hubert, whom is said to have not created the dog breed but is credited with originally perfecting the breed. St Hubert later went on the become the patron saint of hunters, go figure, right?

Get on Track!

what we’ve learned about Bloodhounds is that they have a fanatical following, as evidenced by the American Bloodhound Club, and have been used as tracking dogs for their entire existence originally tracking deer and bears, but it was not until the 16th century that Bloodhounds were used to track humans.  Prior to that and still, Bloodhounds have tracked animals, criminals, run away slaves and lost children.  Mantrailing, a term used to describe just that, a dog trailing a man, has enjoyed a steady increase in modern day police work and search and rescue missions with a proven mantrailing Bloodhound trail being permissible in a US court.

Mantrailing is also a title of a sporting event where bloodhounds (primarily) earn different levels of competency, 4 in all like the different belts of karate,  based off their proven execution of being able to trail a scent.

The Bloodhound dog breed is mostly resilient with only a couple chronic issues stemming from the it’s genetic make-up. Ears and ear infections should be the obvious one with their trade mark long, soft, floppy ears making a perfect environment for infections.  There are also a lot of mostly unexplained issues with bloat that can be deadly, but it seems to be more common in some bloodlines more than others…and besides, who doesn’t love that deep, throaty howl unique to the Bloodhound?

The Nose Knows

The most prominent trait about the Bloodhound is their nose.  Often said that a Bloodhound is merely a highly accurate nose attached to a dogs body, the sensory performance of the Bloodhound nose is almost a thousand times more sensitive that a human nose.  That stems from an estimated 230 million olfactory cells within the Bloodhounds respiratory tract.

Bloodhounds are determined and goal orientated working dogs, again, driven by their acute sniffer which makes for an ideal candidate of police and search and rescue outfits.  The dog breed is said to have exceptional endurance and had stayed on a trails  for 100 miles based merely in the fact that they are stubborn and want to find the end of the scent. I only wish I were as determined.

Is a Scent Hound right for You?

Knowing about Bloodhounds, their traits and tendencies will be critical before choosing one as a pet.  Bloodhounds can be terrific family dogs because they are very mild mannered after the “terrible twos” where they are mischievous and independent as puppies and adolescents.  They are good natured companions and are great with kids, but can be aggressive towards other dogs.

It is said that you don’t own a Bloodhound, they own you.  This dog breed will follow it’s nose at the drop of a hat if not restrained.  For this reason, the Bloodhound needs to either be in a fenced yard or on a leash at all times. When on a scent trail Bloodhounds are oblivious to anything around them which includes road ways and speeding cars.

The Bloodhound is stubborn and difficult to obedience train and the alpha dog position needs to be established early or the dog will dominate the pack.

If owners are aware about the Bloodhounds personality and can be patient and consistent with the eventual training of the hound, Bloodhounds will be loving and loyal family dogs.