All About
Bloodhound

Hollywood has given us two images of the droopy-faced Bloodhound. One, a focused detective's companion, sniffing out the bad guys from wherever they hide. Two, a lazy porch-dweller sitting along side southern gentlemen as they sip their iced tea. Neither of these images is entirely wrong. Bloodhounds are some of the best tracking dogs around, and they do love to relax. A laid back breed that is very good with children and other pets; Bloodhounds make excellent companions for families of any size.

The Bloodhound should do well on a high-quality dog food, whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared with your veterinarian’s supervision and approval. Any diet should be appropriate to the dog’s age (puppy, adult, or senior). Some dogs are prone to getting overweight, so watch your dog’s calorie consumption and weight level. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog’s weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.

The Bloodhound has a short, dense coat that is shed once or twice a year. Weekly brushing with a medium-bristle brush, a rubber grooming mitt or tool, or a hound glove will remove the dead hair before it can fall onto the furniture. Brushing also promotes new hair growth and distributes skin oils throughout the coat to keep it healthy. Bloodhounds should be bathed regularly to keep them from developing a doggy odor. As with all breeds, the Bloodhound’s nails should be trimmed regularly.

Bloodhounds should be indoor/outdoor dogs who have frequent interaction with their people. They are best suited to homes with large fenced yards. Many are escape artists and require fences at least six feet high. Underground electronic fences will not contain a Bloodhound. His desire to follow a scent is far stronger than the fear of a momentary shock. It was once said that Bloodhound people always have one arm that's longer than the other. That's because this breed is a strong puller, thanks to his nose dragging him forward as he follows a trail. Your Bloodhound can learn to walk nicely on a leash, and he must be leashed when outside the yard to prevent him from taking off to find the source of an interesting smell. Bloodhounds need long daily walks and are capable of going for miles. If you live in the country or enjoy hiking, this is the breed for you. They can make great jogging buddies. You may also wish to train your Bloodhound for search and rescue work or tracking tests. Like all breeds, a Bloodhound puppy's exercise should be limited until he reaches physical maturity. The rule of thumb is 5 minutes for every month of age; therefore, a 3-month-old puppy should be exercised for only 15 minutes a day, a 4-month-old for 20 minutes, and so on. Know your dog's signs of fatigue. Bloodhound puppies are nosy, curious, and into everything. Crate training is highly recommended. Not only will it keep them out of trouble and save your belongings from destruction, it's an excellent aid to housetraining. This breed is easily housetrained, but a crate will help him learn to control his bladder and bowels. Your adult Bloodhound is just the right height to go counter-surfing, so keep food well out of reach. A swipe of his long, tapering tail can clear a coffee table. You might want to put breakables elsewhere. Bloodhounds of all ages are chewers and will chew on anything that smells good or looks interesting. Be diligent in letting your Bloodhound know what's okay to chew and what isn't. He still might eat your lawn furniture, but if you've provided him with plenty of chew toys and exercise, he's somewhat less likely to do so. When it comes to training, Bloodhounds are highly intelligent but independent, with a "What's in it for me?" attitude. Be consistent in what you permit or don't permit, or your Bloodhound will constantly test whether you really mean what you say. Be patient and use positive reinforcement techniques such as praise and food rewards. Keep training sessions short, about 15 minutes, and always end them when your Bloodhound has done something well and you can praise him for it. Give firm but gentle corrections, never harsh verbal or physical punishment. Most important, remember this bit of advice: Never tell a Bloodhound what to do, ask him.

Major concerns: ectropion, entropion, gastric torsion, otitis
externa, skin-fold dermatitis, CHD, elbow dysplasia
Minor concerns: none
Occasionally seen: none
Suggested tests: hip, elbow, eye
Life span: 7-10 years

Dogs that hunt by scent have been known for millennia. Reports of dogs that "discover and trace out the tracks of the animal" date as far back as the first century AD. It was in medieval Europe, however, that the dogs began to be developed into the scenthound we know today as the Bloodhound. The first actual reference to the breed by that name was in a poem by Sir Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, titled William of Palerne (1350). It depicts a dog, called a Bloodhound, as a careful hunter who is on the trail of two lovers disguised as bears. From that poem, we can deduce that the name Bloodhound was a familiar word in the English language. The name comes from the dogs' status as an aristocratic breed kept by noblemen and abbots; in other words, it was a "blooded" hound. These early scenthounds were known as St. Hubert hounds, bred by the monks of St. Hubert's Abbey, and they were the ancestors of today's Bloodhounds. During his life, Francois Hubert (656-727) was a passionate hunter who made it his life's work to breed dogs capable of following old, or cold, trails, an occupation he maintained even after retiring to a monastery following the death of his wife. After his death, he was canonized and became the patron saint of hunters. In France, you will still hear Bloodhounds referred to as St. Hubert hounds. For several centuries after Hubert's death, his hounds flourished. William the Conqueror took them to England when he invaded in 1066. They were highly prized gifts among monarchs and nobles. Elizabeth I, a noted huntress, kept packs of St. Hubert hounds, and Shakespeare described a dog that could only have been one in his play "A Midsummer Night's Dream." But a thousand years after their beginning, the St. Hubert hounds were brought low by the French Revolution. With the aristocracy fled and the chateaus in ruins, the great hunts were no more. Fortunately for the breed, they were still prized in England, not only for the skills in the hunt, but also for their ability to track down wrongdoers. The first written record of Bloodhounds tracking thieves and poachers was in 1805, although stories of their use for that purpose date to the 16th century. They also benefited from three Victorian-era trends: the rise of dog shows, the new status of dogs as companions, and a society that loved anything exotic or unusual. They had as well the patronage of dog-loving Queen Victoria, who entered one of her Bloodhounds in a dog show in 1869. England is where the modern Bloodhound was developed, but the breed had also made its way to America in colonial times. In a letter, Benjamin Franklin expressed an interest in acquiring some Bloodhounds to track down marauding Indians. Through no fault of his own, the Bloodhound's reputation took a whipping during the Civil War, thanks to the breed's depiction as vicious beasts in Harriet Beecher Stowe's antislavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Interest in them waned until 1888 when three English Bloodhounds competed in the Westminster Kennel Club show. Wealthy Americans took an interest in them and began breeding them again, producing some very fine dogs. Today, the Bloodhound is employed primarily by law enforcement agencies as a mantrailer or for search and rescue work. They are an uncommon breed, ranking 45th among the 155 breeds and varieties registered by the American Kennel Club.