Is a Bloodhound the right dog for you?
Is there a more adored dog breed than the Bloodhound? These gentle giants have been bred for centuries to track and hunt down prey and their and sweet nature makes them a favorite of pet owners across the globe. If you’re thinking about adding a Bloodhound to your family, here are 14 interesting facts you should know about this amazing breed.
The Bloodhound has an
long history. Some experts believe they existed as far back as 1000-2000 BC and point to an ancient Babylonian drawing depicting the breed.
The French St. Hubert Hound
developed in a French Monastery between 700-800 AD, were great scent hounds with excellent endurance that many believe are the true beginning of the modern Bloodhound.
The Bloodhound is considered to be
the premier scent tracking dog in the world. Their extreme sense of smell allows them to track missing people, criminals, and even disaster victims across long distances with great accuracy. There are over 300 million scent receptors in the Bloodhound’s nose-more then any other dog breed.
In Landmark Research on Modern Dog Breed
development, the Bloodhound has been shown to share the most DNA with an ancestor of the following breeds:
Otterhound
Foxhound
Beagle
Although Bloodhound’s may not have
a high top speed, they can maintain a steady and quick pace at their preferred trot for hours on end. Once the Bloodhound picks up a scent, it will obsessively follow it to its source. They can pick up a scent trail that is almost 2 weeks old.
According to FCI Breed Standard
the Bloodhound can reach up to 27 inches in height and up to 110 pounds in weight. Accepted coat colors are:
“There are three distinct coat colours: the bicolours black and tan and liver and tan and the unicolour red.”
One of the most distinctive features
of the Bloodhound is its hanging skin and ears. This loose and wrinkled appearance makes them appear older than they are, but it also serves an important function when working to track scents. The loose skin allows for a large surface area that helps to pick up even subtle smells on the ground. A bloodhound named Tigger holds the worlds record for the longest dog ears at 13.75 inches.
Growing Up Bloodhound
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The AKC Conducts Dog Racing Trials
each December in Orlando, FL. called the Fast CAT Invitational. This is a 100 yard race where dogs run individually chasing a lure. The average running speed by Bloodhound’s is almost 20 mph. The fastest recorded speed by a Bloodhound was by a dog named King Douglas at 23.46 mph!
Bloodhounds are messy.
They do slobber and drool and are not the cleanest eaters. Some even love to “snorkel” down into their water bowls. An outside water bowl is just an invitation to be dumped over so your hound can go trouncing through the water! Baby pools can be quite popular with Bloodhounds.
Bloodhound’s were the First Breed
in the world registered by a kennel club. United Kingdom’s Kennel Club is the first kennel club ever founded and a Bloodhound named “Abeille” was the first dog ever registered.
Bloodhounds are very observant
and curious. They will sniff everything. Make sure your garbage is tightly closed. If something smells good and they can reach it-is not safe! They have also been known to open cabinets and push ice buttons on refrigerators…
Bloodhound Humor!
In the Landmark Book
entitled, “The Intelligence of Dogs”, professor Stanley Coren researched and documented the intelligence of over 130 different dog breeds. In his book, the Bloodhound ranks 74th out of 138 breeds in working/obedience intelligence. Essentially this means they will learn new commands in 80 to 100 repetitions and obey first commands less than 25% of the time. This puts them in the “lowest working and obedience intelligence” category. In contrast, the most intelligent breeds will learn the same command in 5 repetitions or less!
Bloodhound’s Have an Average
lifespan of 10-12 years. They are typically more prone to health complications than most breeds. Bloodhounds are predisposed to both dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. They are also susceptible to several eye problems and Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (Bloat).
The Bloodhound has a Reputation
as having a very expressive vocal range. Baying, howling and whining are all part of their repertoire. They can make some unique sounds, and although they are usually not big barkers, they have a loud booming bark as well.
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