Black and Tan Coonhound

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Black and Tan Coonhound is a cross between a Fox Hound and a Blood Hound. This breed originated in the United States, and in 1945 they were recognized as a Hound, making them the only one out of six types of Coonhound in the American Kennel Club Hound group.

The Black and Tan Coonhound is a scent hound used to hunt down deer, stag, mountain lion, bear, cougar and most commonly, raccoon. They use their powerful sense of smell to locate their prey and when it is found, they unleash a remarkably loud howl to alert their master of the discovery.

The Black and Tan Coonhound has been bred to keep their unique coat colouring. They have a bulky head with floppy square shaped ears and a large nose. The body of this breed is as long as it is high, making them a sturdy and powerful dog.

Color

Black and Tan.

Coat

The Black and Tan Coonhound has a glossy short coat only coming in black and tan. Their skin is flaccid yet sleek to the touch.

Personality

The Black and Tan Coonhound is a very sweet yet docile dog. They are notorious for being loyal and affectionate, making them great companion or working dogs. This breed likes people and enjoys being in the company of children, but should be monitored around other dogs as if they are not socialized as puppies, they can become weary or aggressive as adults. There are two variations of the Black and Tan Coonhound which are the field variation and the show variation. The field type is smaller but tends to be a better working dog where as the show type is bigger and make better family pets.

Care

The Black and Tan Coonhound will need to be brushed about twice per week as they have a very short coat which does not need as much maintenance as a longer coated dog. This breed is prone to Hip and elbow dysplasia and eye problems, one being Progressive Retinal Atrophy.

Training

Being a scent hound, this breed will need to be leashed when walking to ensure they don?t wander off to follow an interesting smell. The Black and Tan Coonhound can be very stubborn so the owner will need to be consistent when training but they should use a positive manner rather than using harsher methods, as those will not be advantageous to either owner nor dog.

Activity

The Black and Tan Coonhound will need a large area to live in, so apartments are not the best living situations. A house with a yard would be perfect as these dogs need to run. Walks will be needed daily or trips to an off-leash dog park so they can run and sniff the grounds safely.