Bloodhound

History of origin

Bloodhound was known in the early Middle Ages, but now it is impossible to say exactly when this breed appeared and how it was bred. Bloodhounds were originally used as hounds for hunting large game such as wild boar and deer, but later they were used to search for downed game as bloodhounds.

Otherwise, this breed was called the Saint-Hubert dog, because, according to legend, Saint Hubert was an avid hunter and did not leave his addictions even after leaving the monastery. Whether he used Bloodhounds or other dogs, now no one will say, but this name is sometimes found in everyday life until now.

And in their homeland in Belgium and in England, where they came with the soldiers of William the Conqueror in the XI century, Bloodhounds were dogs of nobility and kings. Moreover, already in the Middle Ages they became a universal breed, whose phenomenal instinct made them also bloodhounds, and their noble appearance and impressive growth – guards. It was the Bloodhounds that accompanied the conquistadors Gonzago Pizarro in their campaigns of conquest, and William Shakespeare described these dogs in his immortal play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Nowadays, Bloodhounds are more often used as companion dogs, in addition, their scent is still used by the police to search for missing people. However, unfortunately, today the breed has become quite rare.

Breed description

The Bloodhound is a large and rather massive dog, reaching 68 cm at the withers and weighing more than 50 kg. She has a broad chest and a muscular build. The head is large, laterally flattened, the muzzle with pronounced brow ridges. The eyes are deep-set with a calm and sad expression. Actually, this feeling of a sad look is created due to the large amount of “extra” skin on the head and neck. It forms folds, sags a little, due to which all the lines of the muzzle turn out to be directed downwards. The lips are drooping, forming flews. The ears are set low, very soft and long. Sometimes it seems that, following the trail, the dog may step on them. The tail is thick, saber-shaped, set low, most often kept lowered.

The coat is short and silky to the touch. The color is red with blackouts on the muzzle and ends of the ears, black and tan or red and black. The presence of white markings on the chest and fingertips is not particularly welcome, but is not considered a vice worthy of removal from the ring.

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Character

Kind, gentle, modest, loving – these are the epithets that can describe the nature of these dogs. They adore their family and are ready to protect it, but at the same time they are very friendly to other people and especially to children. So, if you want to get a bloodhound in the hope that he will guard your house, leave these thoughts – the watchman from this intellectual is useless. Here is a wonderful friend. This is the vest in which you can always cry if you are sad – the dog will listen to you and will definitely give you his sad all-understanding look, which will immediately make your soul feel better. A soul mate is what a Bloodhound is.

True, belonging to the hunters still leaves its mark on the character: these dogs are very independent, so always watch your pet if you let him off the leash – he can suddenly go about his business and return only when he sees fit. There is some stubbornness in them, but the good-natured character still prevails, so you can always negotiate with the Bloodhound.

Care and maintenance

This dog cannot be called difficult to care for. Their short coat does not need to be brushed every day – it is enough just to sometimes walk through it with a special mitten, you don’t need to bathe them often either, only wash their paws after walking in slushy weather. Of course, such a large dog needs a fairly large amount of food, but perhaps this is the only difficulty.

Bloodhounds are suitable both for outdoor keeping (provided that they have an insulated booth or the ability to let the dog into the house in cold weather), and for an apartment, where they usually behave very calmly. However, this does not mean that this breed does not need long walks. On the contrary, it is vital for strong and athletic dogs to move a lot and get new impressions.

By the way, they can regard other animals as an object of hunting, therefore, if you have a Bloodhound, carefully introduce him to cats.

Education and training

Bloodhounds are intelligent and thoughtful dogs, but can be stubborn when trained. So, if they don’t execute some of your commands, it’s not at all because they didn’t understand it or didn’t learn it, but they simply have their own opinion on this matter and don’t consider it necessary to bring a stick or give a paw at the moment.

And the process of learning dogs perceive easily and willingly, the main thing is not to let them get bored. If you see that your four-legged friend began to get distracted and stopped listening to commands, try to captivate him: change the exercise, play with him, attract attention to yourself. Never resort to violence – the Bloodhound’s sensitive nature cannot stand it. The dog can be offended and worry for a long time.

Pay special attention to the command “to me” – it must be executed unquestioningly. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing the dog on the street one day – being a bloodhound by nature, he may be too carried away by some interesting trail. Well, do not forget about walking nearby – if a dog weighing 50 kg pulls on the leash, you will either earn yourself a chronic sprain of the arm joints, or not hold him at all.

Like all hunting dogs, Bloodhounds tend to pick up scraps and non-edible items on the street, so wean your pet from this addiction from childhood.

Health and disease

The Bloodhound has good health and endurance, so this dog is sick no more than other breeds and common diseases. Here, joint dysplasia, visual impairment, endocrine and oncological diseases can be noted. Therefore, they often have food poisoning due to their tendency to pick up on the street. It is not uncommon for Bloodhounds to have problems with their ears, especially if they are not cleaned on time.

In the absence of sufficient exercise, these dogs may be prone to obesity.

And most importantly, do not neglect the timely vaccination and treatment of dogs from parasites.

Word to the breeder

The breeder of the bloodhound and German shepherd kennel “In the Best Friends” Olga Tereshko from Molodechno, talks about the breed like this: “Bloodhounds are for life! I got my first dog of this breed when I was still a schoolgirl. I saw a large, long-eared philosopher dog for the first time in the TV series “Plot”. It was from that moment that the love for this wonderful breed began. As it turned out, a puppy is very difficult to find. The breed is quite rare. I waited 2 years for my first “bladsha”. Bloodhounds are not only very beautiful and graceful dogs, they are also very intelligent. Intellectuals. They have the sharpest sense of smell. It is the representative of this breed that holds the Guinness record: after 300 hours, the Bloodhound was able to take the desired track. In the search for people, on the hunt they have no equal. I don’t know why there are so few of these wonderful dogs in our country. Perhaps because of their special nature, people are afraid to cope. In fact, everything is very simple. The main thing is love. If the dog sees that you are with her wholeheartedly, she will love you madly and become your most devoted friend. And yes, I recommend it as a mother of three children: you simply cannot find a better nanny! They are patient with children. But on occasion they can stand up for themselves and their owners.

These dogs don’t bark, they sound like a Jericho trumpet. This is one of their features. Therefore, I do not recommend getting such a dog to people who will not be able to spend enough time with the dog and load it with physical activity.

She also shared her love for Bloodhounds with Healthy Food Near Me breeder of the kennel “Legend Hubert” from Kaunas Erika Daveikaite: “This is still a rare breed in the Baltics, there are more of them in Western Europe, since in the West there are also working Bloodhounds (who are looking for people), and in the Baltics workers are very rare, maybe there are several.

Bloodhounds are hunting dogs that have the best sense of smell of all breeds, and this, of course, sometimes makes it difficult to walk in the forest or somewhere in an unfamiliar place where there are many new smells. Although they look clumsy and slow, they are active and fast dogs by nature. They are very persistent (after all, hunting). This breed has character, they will always think about whether it makes sense to do what they do not like. They are very loyal, affectionate, not aggressive with either people or animals, although strangers are unlikely to enter the house where they run.

I got my first Bloodhound in 2010. At first I was captivated by their appearance, but then I just fell in love with this breed. All the Bloodhounds that I have had and have, each with its own character, but all of them are united by one hundred percent love.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about keeping Bloodhounds with zoo engineer, veterinarian Anastasia Kalinina.