Bloodhound: Dog Breed Information

The Bloodhound is considered to be one of the oldest dog breeds and the best nose par excellence. He is friendly and easy to get along with but also a stubborn person. It is hardly suited to life in the city, as it needs the outdoors and a job where it can use its exceptional instincts.

Origin and history

The ancestors of the Bloodhound go back to the dogs of St. Hubertus, the patron saint of hunters, in the 7th century. Bred by the monks of the monastery of St. Hubertus in the Ardennes, these large hounds were highly valued for their exceptional sense of smell and excellent hunting skills. In the 11th century, these dogs came to England and were bred under the name Bloodhound.

The name Bloodhound has nothing to do with bloodlust. It is probably derived from “blooded hound”, which means “of pure blood”, i.e. “purebred scent hound”. Likewise, the name could be due to the special ability of these dogs to follow the blood trail of the injured game.

Bloodhounds are not very common in Europe, in the USA and Canada they are often used as working dogs for customs, rescue services, and the police.

Appearance

The Bloodhound is a massive, tall hunting and tracking dog. Its body is slightly longer than it is tall. A striking optical feature is the richly developed, loose skin on the head and neck. The skin forms wrinkles and sagging folds on the forehead and cheeks, which are more pronounced when the head is bowed. The ears are thin and long, set low and hanging down in folds. The Bloodhound’s tail is long and strong, thick at the base and tapering towards the tip.

The Bloodhound’s coat is short, dense, and weatherproof. It feels harsh, only on the head and ears is it very fine and soft. The color of the coat can be solid red, two-tone black, and tan, or two-tone liver and tan.

Nature

The Bloodhound is a gentle, calm, and easy-going dog. It is friendly and easy to get along with people and gets along well with other dogs. Aggressive behavior is completely alien to it, so it is not suitable as a guard or protection dog.

The Bloodhound forms a close bond with its humans, but is nevertheless very stubborn and not exactly willing to subordinate. In addition, a bloodhound, with its exceptional sense of smell, is constantly ruled by its nose and forgets to obey as soon as it catches a scent. Training a Bloodhound, therefore, requires a lot of consistency, patience, and empathy.

The Bloodhound is only moderately active but needs exercise and a task that uses its excellent nose. Any kind of search work gives him great pleasure. It is excellently suited as a hunting companion (tracking dog and welding work) and is also used for the search for missing persons (mantrailing). It is not suitable as a pure apartment dog.

The Bloodhound’s short coat is easy to groom. However, sensitive eyes and ears should be checked and cleaned regularly.