Breed Traits

Bloodhound Breed Traits, Tendencies and Behaviour 

Bloodhounds are an active breed, their ancestry belongs to the most renowned hunting of all time, they were originally used for deer and boar hunting, it was then realised that they had a very strong tendency to stick to the same scent and a strong urge to follow human scent, the Bloodhound originated from Belgium as the St Hubert Hound, it is said that they were brought over here in 1066 and bred with the Talbot Hound which were white, depending on what region you lived in they were termed differently, Sleuth Hound and Limier hound are just a couple used. Bloodhounds have been used in other hunting breeds to enhance the scenting abilities and in America are still used by the police force; evidence of a Bloodhound is admissible in court over there.

Hunting are your Bloodhounds origins, the willful tenacious attitude which was so highly thought of years ago still exists in them today, this is what they are, they are used to hunt the clean boot and do it very well, they will follow a scent and not give up on it, the breed tendencies are very strong, they are a beautiful easy dog to live with if handled correctly, however they do seem to take up more time than other breeds, you do have to constantly watch to see that they are not up to something they shouldn’t be.

Bloodhounds are stubborn, willful, sensitive and amazing all rolled into one. Even the bolshie brave hounds can be very sensitive and upset easily, hounds cannot be rough handled and forced into things, if you do, you end up with an untrusting scared hound who really will not want to do anything for you, you have to be persuasive and firm with them. You ask a Bloodhound to do something not demand it, they are unlike any other dog, if you ask them you will normally get what you want, if you demand and shout you will get bad behaviour. If you want a perfectly behaved dog then look into having another breed.

They are intelligent and will do things for treats so they can be trained, it just takes more patience with a Bloodhound but when they understand what you want they will happily do it. They however will naturally track scents from a very young age. They are not being naughty they are just following their nose, which is what they are bred to do.

Bloodhounds may also work out how to open doors and baby gates, also how 
to escape out of a garden, this is why good, high fencing is imperative. 

They will also steal things such as underwear, cloths, phones and sponges, shoes, these things should not be left around, these can be chewed and swallowed causing a blockage and potential death, they do not care if it edible or not they will eat it!

It is best to teach your Bloodhound to “give back” and exchange for a treat, Bloodhounds will swallow things if they think that you are going to take it from them, this can be dangerous. So if they think that they are getting something in return then they will tend to drop whatever they have in exchange.

They sometimes will destroy whatever they like, they are strong chewers, they will chew anything that they take their fancy to including furniture, windowsills, door frames, glasses, remote controls, they especially like destroying their own beds, even hard plastic ones.

They kind of have their own houndy smell and of course they slobber! The slobber will end up on clothes, furniture ceilings and walls, it is best to clean it off straight away or else it sticks like glue!

They like to jump up and they will be the biggest lap dog you have ever owned if you let them, they like to use their paws and will paw for attention.

They do not recall, even if they do they cannot be 100% trusted. However it is still good practice to teach them to recall. Some respond better to a whistle. A safe secure field or area is needed to be able to let them off the lead.

They have a keen sense of smell and will use it.

Bloodhounds may calm down a little at around the age of 3!

Hounds are extremely curious and nosey! Investigating everything, this is why you need a secure garden as they will find a way out!

Bloodhounds generally love people, children, dogs and other animals, including cats. When introducing Bloodhounds to smaller animals and children they need to know their boundaries, Bloodhounds are large and strong, sometimes they forget this and can be rather boisterous, it is best to keep them on the lead if you think that they are going to jump on something and again they will paw at things, due to their strength this can hurt if they get over enthusiastic.

Hounds sometimes have a tendency to walk into things as they walk around with their head on the floor not watching where they are going, they are too busy sniffing!

Bloodhounds may fight with other dogs over food, even if they behave as puppies they may start guarding their food as they get older, if they start fighting or guarding it is a difficult habit to stop, the easiest way to deal with it is to feed them separately. 

If you keep your hound exercised and mentally stimulated it will be happy, after exercise and a play in the garden they will have a good afternoon sleep, waking in the evening to play again. However this does not mean that your hound should be over exercised, puppies are heavy for their frame and too much exercise or the wrong exercise can lead to permanently damaged joints leading to arthritis in later life, this is very painful and will need medicating.