The Black and Tan Coonhound

The Black and Tan Coonhound is truly a one of a kind dog, did you know that the Black and Tan Coonhound is the only breed of dog registered at the AKC as a Coonhound? Yes he is, the Black and Tan Coonhound was first registered in 1945, since then however there have been a few others recognized as Coonhounds such as the Redbone Coonhound and the Plot hound.

The Black and Tan Coonhound was developed from crossing the Bloodhound and the Foxhound, and the resulting colors are what gave this handsome dog his name.

The Coonhound was originally bred to hunt Raccoon; hunt them down and tree them until the hunter arrived. Over the years however, the Black and Tan Coonhound has been used to hunt all kinds of animals; cougar, deer, bear and other animals, eventually a law was passed saying that antlered animals were not allowed to be hunted with dogs, so as you have guessed the Black and Tan Coonhound is not used to hunt deer anymore.

This dog has an interesting history, did you know that more then one famous person has raised this beautiful dog, and loved it? One of these people was Thomas Jefferson who is quoted, "The way you deal with your Coonhound’s slobber can perhaps be the most telling way of how you deal with your everyday problems; after all he is your best friend."

Nevertheless, Thomas Jefferson is not the only famous person to own a Black and Tan Coonhound, George Washington himself is said to be the father of the Black and Tan Coonhound breed. It is said that he had a very big influence in the development of the breed all those years ago.

The Black and Tan Coonhound is a good-sized dog that is actually very nice looking, he has a black and tan coat, resembling a Doberman Pinscher’s or even a Rottweiler’s. This is just a general description because the Black and Tan Coonhound does have several unique markings that are not found in other dog breeds.

The Black and Tan Coonhound should be 25 to 27 inches at the shoulder for the males and 23 to 25 for the females. Because these dogs are used in hunting, they are usually not penalized for being a little taller then the standard states, but if they are smaller in size then they should be, they will get penalized.

The face should be free of wrinkles and the nose should always be black; the eyes need to be hazel to dark brown in color, a lighter color such as yellow is penalized. The Black and Tan Coonhound has a nice easy stride that should be effortless, remember the Coonhound had to travel great distances over some pretty rough terrain, one other thing is the Black and Tan Coonhound’s coat; it should be short, smooth, but also very dens.

The one disqualification is a solid patch of white that is more then one inch in any direction.

If the dog has old scars they are usually not penalized because the Black and Tan Coonhound is a hunting breed. Now the Coonhound is a dog that is gentle and loving, if you are considering on buying a puppy, never pick a puppy that is aggressive or fearful, because he will most likely grow up to be just that, aggressive and fearful, and that is the kind of dog that bites. Nobody wants that.

The Black and Tan Coonhound is a hunting breed that hunts by scent, therefore never let him loose in an area that is not closed in with a nice big fence. Please use the leash because a dog that can smell so many wonderful things is not going to wait around and ask your permission if he can go and trail them. Remember many dogs decide to go selectively deaf when their owner starts calling them.

The Black and Tan Coonhounds are becoming more and more rare these days because they just aren’t needed as much as in the past, because of this finding one might take some time and effort, and when you find one it will probably cost a lot, but no matter what, these dogs are worth the price!