Description

An interesting note about Blood hounds: the actual definition is one who follows up an enemy with tenacity. Bloodhounds were used for tracking wounded game by the blood spilt. Eventually they were deployed for tracking criminals and slaves who had made their escape, and were hunters of blood, not hunters by blood. The most noted breeds are the African, Cuban, and English.

The Bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in an American court of law.

The Bloody\'s head is rather narrow in proportion to its length, and long in proportion to the body. It tapers slightly from the temples to muzzle end. If you look at this dog from the front and from above, it looks likes it\'s flattened at the sides. When looking at the profile, you will notice the upper outline of the skull is nearly on the same plane as the foreface.

From the end of the nose to the stop midway between the eyes, the distance is usually not less than that from the stop to the back of the peak. Entire length of the head should be 12 inches (or more) for dogs, 11 inches (or more) for bitches.

The Blood Hound\'s skull is long and narrow, with a pronounced occipital peak. Because they have such deep-set eyes, their brows are not prominent. However, it may look like they are. Their foreface is an even width, long and deep and when seen in profile is square.

Blood Hound eyes are deeply sunk in the orbits, and the lids are diamond shaped. Heavy flews drag the lower lids down and cause eversion. The eyes are the same general color as the animal, varying from deep hazel to yellow. The hazel color is preferred but it\'s not often seen in liver-and-tan hounds. The Hound ears are thin and soft to the touch, extremely long, low set, and fall in graceful folds, with the lower parts curling inward and backward. A scissors bite is preferred for show and breed standard, but a level bite is accepted.

Coat Description

The Bloodhounds close-lying hair is short, dense, quite harsh and weatherproof. On the head and ears, the hair is very short and soft to the touch. The underside of the tail has hair a little longer and coarser.

For black and black and tan dogs the amount of black varies, depending on whether it\'s a mantle or a saddle. If it\'s a mantle, the black is predominant and the fawn (tan) is only found on the muzzle, the cheeks, above the eyes, on the forechest, on the limbs and the anal region. A dog with a saddle has a greater expanse of tan because the black is more or less limited to the dorsal region.

For the bicolored liver and tan Bloodhound the same positioning of colored zones is found. The colors are not always clearly stated nor distinctly defined. In the darker areas, you will find them interspersed with lighter or badger hairs.

For the unicolored red, the red can vary from light red to dark red.
A little white on the forechest, on the toes and at the tip of the tail is sometimes found as well.

History

The Bloodys are one of the oldest hound groups (first bred in AD 1000) whose history can be traced back to the 8th century in Belgium to the monastery of St Huberts. Evidence shows the Monks perfected the breed, not created it. Other scenthound breeds such as the Coonhound, Swiss Jura Hound, the Bavarian Mountain Hound and the Brazilian Fila Brasileiro can trace their origins to the Bloodhound.

In Belgium these dogs were called Segusius and were originally used to track wolves, big cats or deer, or to follow the trail of wounded game. When the Normans conquered England in 1066AD they introduced many of their dogs. The St Hubert Hound (black and tan) was one of those brought to England and was called the Bloodhound. The white dogs were called Talbot Hounds. The modern Bloodhound is not the identical dog first developed but is still called the Chien du St Hubert in Belgium. The first Bloodhound seen in the show-ring in England was in 1871.

Bloodhounds today are either black and tan or red, but in the Middle Ages they came in other solid colors. The white Talbot Hounds died out as a breed in the 1600s, but its genes live in on dogs like white Boxers and tri-colored Basset Hounds.

Temperament

The Bloodhound is a really loveable dog, mild mannered, and extremely patient. He\'s an absolute Prince with children, gentle and very affectionate. If you\'re looking for easy going, this is a good-natured companion - so good-natured they let kids climb all over them. They don\'t mind, they love all the attention. Despite them being outstanding pets for children, you will need to watch what the kids are up to with your Bloody. Don\'t let them pester or hurt him, as he will lie there and take it, and that is not good for the dog. You will also need to make sure the children don\'t take his food or his toys, as he does tend to be possessive about them.

This is a very energetic outdoorsy and boisterous youngster (and this often continues into adulthood), who is determined and independent. A Bloodhound needs firm, but gentle training, as they do tend to be willful and stubborn.

Some Bloodhounds can be timid. Sensitive and shy, a Bloodhound is devoted to its master and gets along well with people. It can be aggressive with dogs of the same sex. But in general, the Bloodhound loves everyone and some will greet wanted and unwanted visitors happily. Others are a tad more particular about unwanted guests. They are known to protect their turf if no one is home, but out on a trail, they greet anyone. The Bloody gets along with most other dogs and other household pets. They do however have a tendency to howl, snore, and drool a lot.

While out on a stroll (and by the way almost 90% of Bloodhounds can not be let off the leash because they trail scents to the end) your Hound may wander off on the trail of an interesting scent. They are able to follow any scent, even human, which is a rare ability in a dog. Apparently they can also follow trails over 100 hours old and will not give up until they get to the end of it, no matter how long that trail may be.

The Bloodhound is such a sure tracker that the breed is used worldwide for rescue and criminal searches. One Bloodhound brought about 600 criminal arrests and convictions.

Bloodhounds are slow to mature and their puppy brain adolescence lasts until they are 2 years old. They eat everything they can fit in their mouths. So keep a close eye on what they are chewing on. With proper training they become wonderful dogs when they mature. The Bloody needs a kind, patient and firm owner whose experienced with dogs.

Thyroid Disease - Medium Risk

The Bloodhound ranks #53 among all breeds for autoimmune thyroiditis prevalence. While this is not a high risk breed, there is still a good chance of disease transmission through breeding. Therefore, all dogs intended for breeding should be tested first. 

You can download the full report (on all breeds) by the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. Here

Other Health Problems

Generally a quite hardy breed, the Bloodhound does have some special medical conditions to be aware of:

• Hip Dysplasia: Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) can cause mild to severe lameness.
• Gastric torsion ( Bloat ) - the stomach becomes distended with air, and then while dilated, twists on itself. This interferes with the blood supply to the stomach and other digestive organs, and blocks the passage of food, leading to worse bloat.
• Elbow dysplasia - refers to several conditions that affect the elbow joint: osteochondrosis of the medial humeral condyle, fragmented medial coronoid process, ununited anconeal process, and incongruent elbow. 
• Keratoconjunctivitis sicca - KCS or "dryeye" is an eye disease caused by abnormal tear production.
• Prolapsed gland of the third eyelid - " Cherry eye " occurs when the base of the gland (embedded in the cartilage) flips up and is seen above and behind the border of the third eyelid. The prolapsed gland becomes swollen and inflamed. 
• Ectropion - a defect of conformation in which there is a sagging or rolling-out (eversion) of the eyelids. This results in abnormal exposure of the eye, which often leads to irritation.
• Entropion - the inward rolling of the eyelid, most commonly the lower lid. This irritates the surface of the eye (the cornea) and may ultimately cause visual impairment. 
• Exposure keratopathy syndrome - due to a combination of protrusion of the eyeball and an exceptionally large eyelid opening. The result is inadequate blinking, and reduced protection for the eye. Affected dogs experience chronic discomfort and are prone to ulceration of the cornea.
• Fold dermatitis - Where there are excessive skin folds or wrinkles, fold dermatitis occurs due to rubbing of skin and trapping of moisture in the folds. Bacterial skin infection commonly develops, almost always caused by Staphylococcus intermedius.