energy level: Needs Running Room
kids under 5: NO!!
kids 5 to 10: Maybe
ease of care: Smooth coat, easy to care
for. Ears require life-long and constant care. house trainability: Very
easy. Normally self-taught in adult dogs that have never been inside.
trainability: Extremely intelligent and easily trained
but VERY HARD HEADED. A puppy can learn sit at 10 weeks and by 12 weeks he will
learn that there is really no point in sitting when told...so he will stop doing it.
Constant reinforcement and the 'upper hand' are the keys to a well trained bloodhound.
lifespan: 8-12 years
size: Female
80-100 lbs Male 90-120 lbs. (but can be much larger!)
Attributes: affectionate, aggressive, single-minded, stubborn, possessive
Bloodhounds are very loving dogs, but can be extremely food dominant. This
probably stems from an early learned behavior. Bloodhound litters normally consist
of 10-15 puppies and this creates a very 'dog-eat-dog' type attitude in the puppy from a
very early age. Inexperienced homes or those homes refusing to realize the potential
danger of this massive dog around children should not own a bloodhound.
limiting disorders: As any large breed, the bloodhound has a relatively short
life-span. Hip Displasia is prevalent in the breed and Bloat is the number one
killer of the breed.
non-limiting disorders: Entropion (inward turning eyelashes) is common in the breed.
A non-threatening disorder easily corrected by surgery. Untreated, it will lead to
permanant eye damage and even blindness.
breed quirks: SLOBBER!!! Better-than-thou attitude. An occasional leaking of
toxic fumes which require total evacution of all humans in a 10 mile radius! (i.e.
FARTS!)
other info: Because of the use of the bloodhound in law enforcement, rescue bloodhounds
are readily available. These can make wonderful pets but aggressiveness and
possessiveness should be thoroughly evaluated before accepting one of these dogs into your
home. Male bloodhounds under the age of 3 are often
destructive in behavior if they have not been raised properly. Females tend to be
extremely dog dominant, whereas males tend to be extremely food dominant. Movies and
television have long portrayed the bloodhound as a 'lazy, lie on the porch' type dog and
this couldn't be further from the truth. Never attempt to teach a bloodhound that
they are 'human'. While this will work with most breeds and even with the bloodhound
on occasion, they will easily adapt to the 'human role' and as we all know humans have
more bad traits than dogs do. Bloodhounds will easily take on these traits...greed,
jealousy,etc. |
