Blood hound

Description:

It is harmonious in its lines, endowed with strong bone, good muscle and a lot of substance, but without ever appearing heavy. It is long in structure, fitting into a rectangle. The overall appearance is imposing and full of nobility. The head and neck attract attention because of their abundant, supple and thin skin, hanging in deep folds. Its movement is impressive, rather slow and with a certain rolling gait but lithe, elastic and free. Among possible exaggerations should be mentioned eyes which are too deep set or too small, distended eyelids, too much and too loose skin with too many and too deep folds, too much dewlap, too narrow a head.,

Height:Dogs 25-27 inches . Bitches 23-25 inches .
Weight:Dogs 90-110 pounds . Bitches 80-100 pounds .

Life Span:

10-12 years.

Litter Size:

Average 8 - 10

Color:
The colors are black and tan, liver and tan, and red; the darker colors being sometimes interspersed with lighter or badger colored hair, and sometimes flecked with white. A small amount of white is permissible on chest, feet, and tip of stern.

Exercise:

Bloodhounds love a good run and need a lot of exercise. They should be taken for long daily walk. However, if it picks up an interesting scent, you may find it difficult to get its attention. They have an incredible level of stamina and can walk for hours on end. They would greatly enjoy hiking with you.. Do not overtire them with walks until they are fully grown. The Bloodhound is a big dog that grows rapidly and needs all its energy for developing strong bones, joints and muscles. 

Function:
Scent hound for large game venery, service dog, tracking dog and family dog. It was and it must always remain a hound which due to its remarkable sense of smell is foremost a leash hound  often used not only to follow the trail of wounded game as in the blood scenting trials but also to seek out missing people in police operations.

Temprament:
The Bloodhoundis a kind, patient, noble, mild-mannered and lovable dog. Gentle, affectionate and excellent with children. This is truly a good natured companion. This breed loves all the attention they receive from them. To be fair to your Bloodhound, make sure your children do not pester or hurt the dog, because Bloodhoundswill sit there and take it, which would not be fair to the dog. It needs firm, but gentle training with an owner who displays a calm but stern authority. Because of its strong tracking instinct, it can be willful and somewhat difficult to obedience train.  

The new owner of a Bloodhoundwill need to have plenty of patience and to possess great tact for consistent leadership for training to succeed. If you show signs of being a meek owner, this dog will not listen to you. Do not expect too much by way of obedience from this dog. They  are naturally gentle animals but they really are not easy to obedience train.

If they catch a scent of something it can be hard to redirect their attention back to you if you are out of physical range of them. For this reason they can not be exercised off lead or only in a securely fenced area. 

They are big, they slobber, and they eat a lot. If you don't think life would be worth living without a Bloodhound, you probably qualify as a Bloodhound owner. If you're not convinced, you should think twice or three times. You don't "own" a Bloodhound, it owns you.  

Socialize well to prevent them from becoming timid. It is very important that this dog is taken for a daily pack walk.

Ideal owners:

This breed does well with an active  patient owner in a rural or suburban home.

Grooming:

Grooming is relatively easy for short hair coat. Groom with hound gloves several times a week. Bathe only when necessary. Bloodhound is an average shedder.

Health problems:

This breed is prone to bloat, hip dyplasia and eye problems.

Living Conditions:

The Bloodhound will do okay in an apartment if sufficiently exercised. They are relatively inactive indoors and do best with at least average;sized yard.

Origin:

The orginal of Bloodhound is unclear. However, the history can be traced back to 10th century in Belgium. It is said that St Huberts and his monks contributed extensively in the development of the breed. The black and tan colored Bloodhound is named St Hubert Hound and the white Bloodhound is called Talbot Hound in the old days. This breed is named Bloodhound from two possible reasons. It is said to be the oldest breed of hound dog,. Another saying is this breed is used to track blood and wounded animals during hunting.