Bloodhound Bloodhound

The Bloodhound is a tracker par excellence and has been accurately described as a "dog behind a nose". They are capable of tracking smells that are three days old, and once they do catch a smell they are relentless in their drive to find the source. They are particularly good at tracking human beings, whether they be criminals or lost children. They are so good at tracking smells that at one time evidence produced by them was considered good enough to use in a US court of law. If you'd like to own one of these dogs, consider training your dog to trail and then register with your local police; many people have been rescued by hobby trackers with a Bloodhound.

This is a meek, silent, good-natured dog that does exceptionally well with children. Don't be fooled by it's calm nature because this dog needs plenty of exercise and has enough stamina to allow it to walk for hours. The Bloodhound should not be left off-leash during walks firstly because it will take off if it catches a smell, and secondly because they do not use caution around cars.

Training this dog to track scents is a very easy process, other obedience training involves much more patience and consistency. The Bloodhound is prone to bloat, so be sure to use smaller portions of their food at feeding time and do not exercise them immediately following a feeding. This is a wonderful dog when matched up with the proper owner who is able to handle their independent character and a small helping of drool!

The Bloodhound dates back at least 1,000 years and possibly as far back as 2,000 years. The dog was perfected and possibly created by the monks of St. Hubert in Belgium. This is the grandfather of all scenthounds whose genes can be found in almost every scenthound that exists.

The Bloodhound gets his name from the fact that during the Middle Ages only aristocrats, also known as people of blue blood, owned these dogs. William the Conquerer brought these hounds to England in 1066, and they arrived in North America in the 1800's.

The most famous Bloodhound is in the book "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. His book portrays a gigantic dog with an exceptionally keen sense of smell, and he calls him a "hound of hell". The portrayal of the "hound" of Mr. Doyle's book is very much the antithesis of the Bloodhound, who has no aggressive tendencies.