Bluetick Coonhound

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Bluetick Coonhound Breed Profile

The Bluetick Coonhound makes for a friendly, active, treeing dog. These Coonhounds have been used for years to trail an animal, such as a raccoon, follow the trail and find the animal, finally "treeing" its quarry. The animal would hide up in the tree until the hunter got there to shoot it. Bluetick Coonhounds are good at what they do, and remain with a strong instinct to trail and "tree". They come from the Blue Gascons, foxhounds, and French Staghounds, giving them similar attributes. They are medium sized dogs that are actually white underneath a forest of blue ticks. Their paws, muzzle and spots on the eyebrows are usually a tan color. They have a strong nose and good eyesight at night. They have drop ears much like a Bloodhound, as well as the muscled limbs and body. They are friendly animals, good with children and other pets, as long as it is not a raccoon. They may have an instinct to chase small animals if they catch their scent. Bluetick Coonhounds are agile, loving and easygoing. They get along with most everyone, and are quick to warm up to strangers. They are intense workers in the field and enjoy doing a job, especially if its tracking. They can be stubborn, though, and should be trained from an early age to respond to their owners. They can be difficult to train. They are calm at home and excited to be on a trail. An owner with an active family who live in a suburban or rural area with a fenced yard would be best for this breed.

Other Names: Bleu de Gascone

Type: Hound

Height: Females: 20 - 25 inches; Males: 22 - 27 inches.
Weight: Females: 45 - 65 lbs.; Males: 55 - 80 lbs.

Colors: Bluetick Coonhounds are, well, blue-ticked. They are tricolor, and are actually white underneath heavy blue ticking. They have fawn markings on the head and feet, much like their cousin, the Black and Tan Coonhound.
Coat: Smooth, short, and slightly course. Coat can also be glossy.

Temperament: Blueticks are easygoing and friendly with nearly everyone. They may be wary at first towards strangers, but they warm up quickly. They are obedient and have great endurance. Sometimes they can be stubborn when they are on a scent. They are outgoing, hard working, and remain calm when they are at home. They get along well with children and other dogs, however, they are treeing dogs and will chase small animals such as raccoons and possibly cats. They can be difficult to train, but once they are, they respect their owners. They can drool quite a lot, they are very intelligent, and are very good at problem solving. They should not be kept in a small area, as they can become destructive if not given enough space. They tend to bark, howl, and even welcome people by a howl often mistaken for aggression.
With Children: Yes. They are very good with children, calm and friendly.
With Pets: Yes. Blueticks generally are friendly to other dogs. They may chase smaller animals that resemble their quarry.
Special Skills: Treeing, family pet.

Watch-dog: Medium. Their keen sense of sight at night, as well as their barreling howl, are essential for being a good watchdog.
Guard-dog: Low. Blueticks are wary of strangers, but are friendly to almost anything.

Bluetick Coonhound Care and Training: Blueticks should be trained early on so that they respect their master later on. They can be quite stubborn, so they will need training. Once the Bluetick Coonhound learns, they will acknowledge their master's commands. Coat should be brushed, but care is minimal. Ears should be cleaned often. Bathe as necessary. Bluetick Coonhounds require daily exercise, in which a raccoon hunt would suffice. If this is impossible, runs or walks will do.
Special Needs: Exercise, fenced yard, and leash.
Learning Rate: High. They are very intelligent dogs. Problem solving - High. They are excellent at problem solving.

Activity: Medium. Inside they can be calm, outside they can be active. They are known to be prominent barkers.
Living Environment: Bluetick Coonhounds need a lot of space to run. They enjoy trailing, so they will need a fence. Blueticks do not do well in confined spaces, and can be destructive if in a confined situation. The best owner for this breed would be an active owner or family living in a suburban or rural environment. They enjoy a job to do.

Bluetick Coonhound Health Issues: Hip and elbow dysplasia, bloat. Bloat is a health issue to most dogs, being the second largest killer of dogs other than cancer, but Bluetick Coonhounds can be particularly susceptible to it because of their deep chests.

Life Span: 10 - 12 years.

Country of Origin: United States
Bluetick Coonhound History: Bluetick Coonhounds descended from the American Foxhound, various French hounds such as the Blue Gascon, the Porcelaine, the Saintongeois, and other French Staghounds. Many of these breeds were already in the U.S. long before the Bluetick was formed. Early in the 1900s, breeders traveled to Louisiana and the Ozark Mountains and found heavily ticked coonhounds that were known as Blue Gascons and French Staghounds. Breeding these two as well as other curs, the Bluetick Coonhound basis was formed. Blueticks were used for treeing a raccoon or other animals. Originally the Bluetick was considered an English Coonhound, but in 1945 the name broke off on its own because fans of the Bluetick were afraid that the dogs would be bred to be faster and more like a foxhound, rather than keeping its regular abilities as a Bluetick Coonhound. Owners of the breed wanted to keep the old-fashioned hunting skills in their blood, and therefore kept the breed separate. For a while after, if puppies were born with red ticks they were considered English Coonhounds, but this practice soon ended. Many fans of the breed fear a conversion of Blueticks to be faster and more "hot-nosed", like the Foxhound, and thus try to keep the original old-fashioned Bluetick. The breed has not yet been registered by the AKC, but remains on the Foundation Stock Service list.

First Registered by the AKC: Foundation Stock Service: This is a list some breeds are put on because they do not yet qualify for the AKC.
AKC Group: Hound
Class: Hound
Registries: UKC, AKC-FSS (Foundation Stock Service), ANKC, NZKC

Bluetick Coonhounds

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