Bloodhounds

Aliases: Chien de Saint-Hubert, St. Hubert Hound, Flemish Hound, The Bloody, Bloodies, Bluthund, Bladhound

Five Reasons a Bloodhound is not for Everyone

Filed under Dogs

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Tags: Bloodhound, Drooling, Obedience, Training, Show, Lifestyle

There are some reasons why a Bloodhound might not be right for you including their size, tendency to drool, they are not the smartest dog outside of their excellent sense of smell, short life span and they are terribly unmotivated. As one can see, they are basically a hyperactive dog that has to be watched all the time to make sure they do not eat something that can harm them.

The Bloodhound is a Hyperactive and Large Dog

The Bloodhound is a hyperactive dog unlike what you see on some television shows. They will eat everything they see and are silly dogs by nature. Their tail is so long and is constantly wagging causing them to knock things over by accident. It is not uncommon to hear stories about Bloodhounds having to have emergency surgery to remove things from their throat, stomach or intestines that have been consumed. They need constant monitoring to prevent this problem.

Their size is of a Bloodhound is amazing compared to other hound breeds. They can reach one hundred and thirty pounds for a male and one hundred pounds for a female.

Drooling is a Trait of the Bloodhound

The Bloodhound does drool all the time it seems. They will shake their head and send drool flying everywhere. They are not messy except for this unfortunate annoyance.

Short Life Span

The Bloodhound has a short life span. The breed is susceptible to gastric torsion and bloat, which can occur very rapidly and end their lives. These health issues are more common in dogs over the age of seven.

Obedience Training is not Going to be Easy

If you think of taking the Bloodhound to obedience training, you might be surprised to learn that they just do not want to do anything. This breed of dog can and will be defiant if they do not want to move. They may just lie down and refuse to participate.

Sense of Smell and They are Gone

The Bloodhound does have one uncanny sense of smell. This may cause problems if you are not properly prepared. If they are onto the scent of sometime, you may have a hard time controlling them since obedience training does not work real well in this breed. They are strong willed and seem to take control of the situation. Tracking is what they are good at and they need to smell every inch of ground when you take them out of a walk, if they want to go for a walk that is of course.

The Bloodhound is not a dog for everyone. If you are interested in showing your dog, a dog of this type will not be the best breed if you have a low tolerance for dogs that disobey. The Bloodhound is independent, they do what they want to and no coaching or coaxing in the world is going to change them. These are just some of the reasons why people do not want to own a Bloodhound. They are however, a great tracking dog.

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BY ewoodside ON 5/20/2008 9:41:23 AM
Not sure who wrote this article, but they are wrong about a couple of things. They are a smart dog, and are very motivated. They are however, motivated by their sense of smell. They are a hunting dog and therefore do need to be watched or they will leave on their own hunting trip. Obedience is best approached like one would a teenager. You need to make it fun and worth their while. Physical punishment doesn't work with them, they need positive reinforcement. The drooling usually happens when they are very excited or just after they have eaten or drank. They do not just drool all the time. Whomever wrote this article obviously didn't have a bloodhound themselves or didn't care much about the one they had.