Bloodhound
The Bloodhound (also known as the St. Hubert hound and Sleuth Hound) is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even days later, over great distances, even across water. Its extraordinarily keen sense of smell is combined with a strong and tenacious tracking instinct, producing the ideal scent hound, and it is used by police and law enforcement all over the world to track escaped prisoners, missing people, lost children and lost pets.
Appearance
Bloodhounds weigh from 33 to 50 kg (80 to 110 lbs), although some individuals can weigh as much as 72 kg (160 lb). They stand 58 to 69 cm (23 to 27 inches) high at the withers. Bloodhounds have a life of about 9-11 years. According to the AKC standard of the breed, larger dogs are to be preferred by conformation judges. The acceptable colors for Bloodhounds are black, liver, tan, or red. Bloodhounds possess an unusually large skeletal structure with most of their weight concentrated in their bones, which are very thick for their length. The coat typical for a scenthound is hard and composed of fur alone, with no admixture of hair.
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 but can be aggressive with dogs of the same sex.
In general, the Bloodhound loves everyone and some will greet wanted and unwanted visitors happily. Others are a tad more particular about unwanted guests and 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 who is experienced with dogs.
Illnesses
Compared to other purebred dogs, Bloodhounds have an unusually high rate of gastrointestinal ailments, with bloat being the most common type of gastrointestinal problem. The breed also suffers an unusually high incidence of eye, skin, and ear ailments; thus these areas should be inspected frequently for signs of developing problems. Owners should be especially aware of the signs of bloat, which is both the most common illness and the leading cause of death of Bloodhounds. To minimize bloat the owner should feed a Bloodhound at least an hour before or after exercise and place food and water in a raised feeder. The thick coat gives the breed the tendency to overheat quickly.
Appearance
Bloodhounds weigh from 33 to 50 kg (80 to 110 lbs), although some individuals can weigh as much as 72 kg (160 lb). They stand 58 to 69 cm (23 to 27 inches) high at the withers. Bloodhounds have a life of about 9-11 years. According to the AKC standard of the breed, larger dogs are to be preferred by conformation judges. The acceptable colors for Bloodhounds are black, liver, tan, or red. Bloodhounds possess an unusually large skeletal structure with most of their weight concentrated in their bones, which are very thick for their length. The coat typical for a scenthound is hard and composed of fur alone, with no admixture of hair.
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 but can be aggressive with dogs of the same sex.
In general, the Bloodhound loves everyone and some will greet wanted and unwanted visitors happily. Others are a tad more particular about unwanted guests and 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 who is experienced with dogs.
Illnesses
Compared to other purebred dogs, Bloodhounds have an unusually high rate of gastrointestinal ailments, with bloat being the most common type of gastrointestinal problem. The breed also suffers an unusually high incidence of eye, skin, and ear ailments; thus these areas should be inspected frequently for signs of developing problems. Owners should be especially aware of the signs of bloat, which is both the most common illness and the leading cause of death of Bloodhounds. To minimize bloat the owner should feed a Bloodhound at least an hour before or after exercise and place food and water in a raised feeder. The thick coat gives the breed the tendency to overheat quickly.
Lifespan and mortality
Bloodhounds in a 2004 UK Kennel Club survey had a median longevity of 6.75 years, which makes them one of the shortest-lived of dog breeds. The oldest of the 82 deceased dogs in the survey died at the age of 12.1 years. Bloat took 34% of the animals, making it the most common cause of death in Bloodhounds. The second leading cause of death in the study was cancer, at 27%; this percentage is similar to other breeds, but the median age of death was unusually young (median of about 8 years). Bloodhound References to the Bloodhound begin to appear in English writing in the mid 14th century, in contexts which suggest it was well established by then. It is often claimed that its ancestors were brought over from Normandy by William the Conqueror, but there is no actual evidence for this. That the Normans brought hounds from Europe during the post-Conquest period is a virtual certainty, but whether they included the Bloodhound itself, rather than ancestors from which the Bloodhound was subsequently developed, is a matter of dispute which is probably not resolvable on the basis of surviving evidence. In Medieval hunting the typical use of the Bloodhound was as a ‘limer’, or ‘lyam-hound’, that is a dog handled on a leash or ‘lyam’, to find the hart or boar before it was hunted by the pack hounds (raches). It was prized for its ability to hunt the cold scent of an individual animal, and, though it did not usually take part in the kill, it was given a special reward from the carcase. It also seems that from the earliest times the Bloodhound was used to track people. There are stories written in Medieval Scotland of Robert the Bruce (in 1307), and William Wallace (1270–1305) being followed by 'sleuth hounds’. Whether true or not, these stories show that the sleuth hound was already known as a man-trailer, and it later becomes clear that the sleuth hound and the Bloodhound were the same animal. In the 16th century, John Caius, in unquestionably the most important single source in the history of the Bloodhound, describes its hanging ears and lips, its use in game parks to follow the scent of blood, which gives it its name, its ability to track thieves and poachers by their foot scent, how it casts if it has lost the scent when thieves cross water, and its use on the Scottish borders to track cross-border raiders, known as Border Reivers. This links it to the sleuth hound, and from Caius also comes the information that the English Bloodhound and the sleuth hound were essentially the same, though the Bloodhound was slightly bigger, with more variation in coat colour. The picture on the right was published in Zurich in 1563, in Conrad Gesner's Thierbuch (a compendium of animals) with the captions: 'Englischen Blüthund' and 'Canis Sagax Sanguinarius apud Anglos' (English scent hound with associations of blood). It was drawn by, or under the supervision of, John Caius, and sent to Gesner with other drawings to illustrate his descriptions of British dogs for European readers. It is thus the earliest known picture published specifically to demonstrate the appearance of the Bloodhound. We are told it was done from life, and detail such as the soft hang of the ear indicates it was carefully observed. Fully accurate or not, it suggests changes between the Bloodhound of then and today. The collar and long coiled rope reflect the Bloodhound’s typical functions as a limer or leashed man-trailer in that period. |
The earliest known report of a trial of the Bloodhound's trailing abilities comes from the scientist Robert Boyle, who described how a Bloodhound tracked a man seven miles along a route frequented by people, and found him in an upstairs room of a house.
With the rise of fox-hunting, the decline of deer-hunting, and the extinction of the wild boar, as well as a more settled state of society, the use of the Bloodhound diminished. It was kept by the aristocratic owners of a few deer-parks and by a few enthusiasts, with some variation in type, until its popularity began to increase again with the rise of dog-showing in the 19th Century. Numbers, however, have remained low in Britain. Very few survived the Second World War, but the gene-pool has gradually been replenished with imports from America. Nevertheless, because of UK quarantine restrictions, importing was expensive and difficult, throughout the 20th century, and in the post-war period exports to the USA, and to Europe where the population had also been affected by the war, considerably exceeded imports.
During the later 19th century numbers of Bloodhounds were imported from Britain by French enthusiasts, who regretted the extinction of the ancient St Hubert. They wished to re-establish it, using the Bloodhound, which, despite its developments in Britain, they regarded as the St Hubert preserved unchanged. Many of the finest specimens were bought and exhibited and bred in France as Chiens de St Hubert, especially by Le Couteulx de Canteleu, who himself bred over 300. Whatever few original St Huberts remained either died out or were absorbed into the new population. As a result, the Bloodhound became known on parts of the Continent as the Chien de Saint Hubert, and is recognised under that name by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. Its country of origin is given by the FCI as Belgium, while in the UK it has beeen regarded as a native British breed,with the modern European St Huberts accepted as Bloodhounds.
In Le Couteulx’ book of 1890 we read that ‘Le Chien de St Hubert actuel’ is very big, from 0m,69 to 0m,80 (27½-31½in) high. This does not accord with the 16th century descriptions of the St Hubert given above, nor with the FCI standard, but the idea that the St Hubert is much bigger (up to 0.915m, 36 in) than the Bloodhound persisted well into the 20th century, among some St Hubert enthusiasts.
When the first Bloodhounds were exported to the USA is not known. Bloodhounds were used to track runaway slaves before the American Civil War, but it has been questioned whether the dogs used were genuine Bloodhounds. However, in the later part of the 19th century, and in the next, more pure Bloodhounds were introduced from Britain, and bred in America, especially after 1888, when the English breeder, Edwin Brough, brought three of his hounds to exhibit at the Westminster KC show in New York City. He went into partnership with Mr J L Winchell, who with other Americans, imported more stock from Britain. Bloodhounds in America have been more widely used in tracking lost people and criminals - often with brilliant success - than in Britain, and the history of the Bloodhound in America is full of the man-trailing exploits of outstanding Bloodhounds and their expert handlers, the most famous hound being Nick Carter. Law enforcement agencies have been much involved in the use of Bloodhounds, and there is a National Police Bloodhound Association, originating in 1962.
With the rise of fox-hunting, the decline of deer-hunting, and the extinction of the wild boar, as well as a more settled state of society, the use of the Bloodhound diminished. It was kept by the aristocratic owners of a few deer-parks and by a few enthusiasts, with some variation in type, until its popularity began to increase again with the rise of dog-showing in the 19th Century. Numbers, however, have remained low in Britain. Very few survived the Second World War, but the gene-pool has gradually been replenished with imports from America. Nevertheless, because of UK quarantine restrictions, importing was expensive and difficult, throughout the 20th century, and in the post-war period exports to the USA, and to Europe where the population had also been affected by the war, considerably exceeded imports.
During the later 19th century numbers of Bloodhounds were imported from Britain by French enthusiasts, who regretted the extinction of the ancient St Hubert. They wished to re-establish it, using the Bloodhound, which, despite its developments in Britain, they regarded as the St Hubert preserved unchanged. Many of the finest specimens were bought and exhibited and bred in France as Chiens de St Hubert, especially by Le Couteulx de Canteleu, who himself bred over 300. Whatever few original St Huberts remained either died out or were absorbed into the new population. As a result, the Bloodhound became known on parts of the Continent as the Chien de Saint Hubert, and is recognised under that name by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. Its country of origin is given by the FCI as Belgium, while in the UK it has beeen regarded as a native British breed,with the modern European St Huberts accepted as Bloodhounds.
In Le Couteulx’ book of 1890 we read that ‘Le Chien de St Hubert actuel’ is very big, from 0m,69 to 0m,80 (27½-31½in) high. This does not accord with the 16th century descriptions of the St Hubert given above, nor with the FCI standard, but the idea that the St Hubert is much bigger (up to 0.915m, 36 in) than the Bloodhound persisted well into the 20th century, among some St Hubert enthusiasts.
When the first Bloodhounds were exported to the USA is not known. Bloodhounds were used to track runaway slaves before the American Civil War, but it has been questioned whether the dogs used were genuine Bloodhounds. However, in the later part of the 19th century, and in the next, more pure Bloodhounds were introduced from Britain, and bred in America, especially after 1888, when the English breeder, Edwin Brough, brought three of his hounds to exhibit at the Westminster KC show in New York City. He went into partnership with Mr J L Winchell, who with other Americans, imported more stock from Britain. Bloodhounds in America have been more widely used in tracking lost people and criminals - often with brilliant success - than in Britain, and the history of the Bloodhound in America is full of the man-trailing exploits of outstanding Bloodhounds and their expert handlers, the most famous hound being Nick Carter. Law enforcement agencies have been much involved in the use of Bloodhounds, and there is a National Police Bloodhound Association, originating in 1962.
In Britain there have been instances from time to time of the successful use of the Bloodhound to track criminals or missing people. However man-trailing is enjoyed as a sport by British Bloodhound owners, through national working trials, and this enthusiasm has also spread to Europe. In addition while the pure Bloodhound is used to hunt singly there are also several Bloodhound packs which use Bloodhounds with some degree of foxhound outcrossing to hunt the human scent.
Meanwhile the Bloodhound has become widely distributed internationally, though numbers are small in most countries, with more in the USA than anywhere else. Following the spread of the Bloodhound from Britain in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, imports and exports and, increasingly, artificial insemination, are maintaining the world population as a common breeding stock, without a great deal of divergence in type in different countries. Bloodhounds are now coloured red, black and tan or liver and tan; however, until Elizabethan times they also occurred in other solid colours, including white, and all other hound colours. It is possible that the Talbot, now extinct, was a white Bloodhound, but this is uncertain. During the late 19th century, Bloodhounds were frequent subjects for artists such as Edwin Landseer and Briton Riviere; the dogs depicted are close in appearance to modern Bloodhounds, indicating that the essential character of the Bloodhound predates modern dog breeding. However, the dogs depicted by Landseer show less wrinkle and haw than modern dogs. Breed standards Descriptions of the desirable physical qualities of a hunting hound go back to Medieval books on hunting. All dogs used in the hunting field were 'gentle', that is of good breeding (not necessarily pure breeding), and parents were carefully chosen to maintain and improve conformation. In 1896, making some use of wording found in earlier descriptions, Edwin Brough and Dr J Sidney Turner published Points and Characteristics of the Bloodhound or Sleuth-Hound. This was adopted by the newly-formed Association of Bloodhound Breeders, and ultimately became, with very little change, the 'official' breed standard of the KC and the AKC. Meanwhile, the Belgian or Dutch Comte Henri de Bylandt, or H A graaf van Bylandt, published Races des Chiens in 1897, a huge and very important illustrated compilation of breed descriptions, or standards. In this French edition the Bloodhound appears as the Chien de St Hubert, although the pictures illustrating the standard are all of British Bloodhounds, many of them those of Edwin Brough. The book was revised and reprinted in four languages in 1904, and in this edition the English text of the standard is that of the Association of Bloodhound Breeders, while the French text is closely based on it. However, the present FCI standard uses a quite different layout and wording. The AKC standard has hardly been altered from the original of 1896, the principal change being that the colours, 'black and tan', 'red and tan', and 'tawny', have been renamed as 'black and tan', 'liver and tan', and 'red', but the British KC has made considerable changes. Some of these were simply matters of presentation and did not affect content. However, responding to the view that the requirements of some breed standards were potentially detrimental to the health or well-being of the animal, changes have been made affecting the required eye-shape and the loose skin, the most recent revision being 2008-9. Voice A common misconception is that Bloodhounds are employed in packs; while this is sometimes the case in Britain, in North America, Bloodhounds are used as solitary trackers. When they are on a trail, they are usually silent and do not give voice as other scenthounds. The original use of the Bloodhound as a leash-hound, to find but not disturb animals, would require silent trailing. Nevertheless, the Bloodhound bay is among the most impressive of hound voices. When hunting in a pack they are expected to be in full cry. They are more likely to 'give tongue,' 'throw their tongue,' or 'speak' when hunting in a pack than when hunting singly, and more when hunting free than when on the leash. The quality of 'speaking to the line', that is giving tongue when on the correct scent while remaining silent when off it, is valued in British Bloodhound circles, on aesthetic grounds and because it makes it very easy to 'read' the hound's tracking behaviour. As a result special trophies for speaking to the correct line are on offer at British working trials (where hounds hunt singly), although rarely awarded. |
Interesting Bloodhound Facts
- The Bloodhound is the only dog able to testify in the court of law.
- The Bloodhound is the only dog that is built (ligament/tendon structure) like a horse.
- The Bloodhound is the only dog that smells with his nose and eyes.
- The Bloodhound is the only dog that, by instinct, hunts people.
- An Alsatian is any dog that is not a Bloodhound.
- In the world of dogs, there is no other breed that instinctively hunts people.
History
The Bloodhound hails from Western Europe, and its lineage can be traced to approximately the 14th century. Among the most useful of breeds, the Bloodhound has been put to work for hundreds of years tracking both animals and humans. The dog’s considerable size and somewhat menacing appearance would lead some to think that the dog’s quarry, once found, has seen the end of its days. In fact, quite the opposite is true: once a Bloodhound has located its target, it instinctually reports back to its master, who might then release a pack of more ferocious dogs. Scottish and English records from the 14th century indicate that the rebel William Wallace (popularized in Mel Gibson's film Braveheart) was tracked by Sleuth Hounds, which many believe to be the very same as the Bloodhound. Scientist Robert Boyle wrote a noteworthy report on the breed’s tracking abilities during the 17th century. In the late 19th century, Bloodhounds were exported to France, where dog fanciers hoped to use the dogs to bring back their beloved St. Hubert dog breed. Because of this, the Bloodhound is also known as the Chien Saint Hubert and is registered under that name with the FCI. The name Bloodhound comes from the Middle Ages and was given to mean "hound of pure blood," denoting the animal’s stringent breeding, rather than the mistaken definition 'blood seeking hound.' The Bloodhound is commonly believed to have been used to track runaway slaves in the United States during the 19th century, but the breed was not widely bred or recognized on this side of the Atlantic at that time, and modern dog historians believe the majority of slave-tracking dogs came from another strain. The Bloodhound began to come into its own in the United States toward the end of the 19th century, and the breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885, the same year that its smaller cousin, the Basset Hound, was recognized.
- The Bloodhound is the only dog able to testify in the court of law.
- The Bloodhound is the only dog that is built (ligament/tendon structure) like a horse.
- The Bloodhound is the only dog that smells with his nose and eyes.
- The Bloodhound is the only dog that, by instinct, hunts people.
- An Alsatian is any dog that is not a Bloodhound.
- In the world of dogs, there is no other breed that instinctively hunts people.
History
The Bloodhound hails from Western Europe, and its lineage can be traced to approximately the 14th century. Among the most useful of breeds, the Bloodhound has been put to work for hundreds of years tracking both animals and humans. The dog’s considerable size and somewhat menacing appearance would lead some to think that the dog’s quarry, once found, has seen the end of its days. In fact, quite the opposite is true: once a Bloodhound has located its target, it instinctually reports back to its master, who might then release a pack of more ferocious dogs. Scottish and English records from the 14th century indicate that the rebel William Wallace (popularized in Mel Gibson's film Braveheart) was tracked by Sleuth Hounds, which many believe to be the very same as the Bloodhound. Scientist Robert Boyle wrote a noteworthy report on the breed’s tracking abilities during the 17th century. In the late 19th century, Bloodhounds were exported to France, where dog fanciers hoped to use the dogs to bring back their beloved St. Hubert dog breed. Because of this, the Bloodhound is also known as the Chien Saint Hubert and is registered under that name with the FCI. The name Bloodhound comes from the Middle Ages and was given to mean "hound of pure blood," denoting the animal’s stringent breeding, rather than the mistaken definition 'blood seeking hound.' The Bloodhound is commonly believed to have been used to track runaway slaves in the United States during the 19th century, but the breed was not widely bred or recognized on this side of the Atlantic at that time, and modern dog historians believe the majority of slave-tracking dogs came from another strain. The Bloodhound began to come into its own in the United States toward the end of the 19th century, and the breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885, the same year that its smaller cousin, the Basset Hound, was recognized.