Bloodhounds Dog Breed Breeder and Care Maintenance

The Bloodhound Breed and Breeder developed prior to the twelfth century in the vicinity of Constantinople. This was a seaport in the country we now know as Turkey. They have been blessed with a scenting ability that is unparalleled by any other breed of dog. Bloodhounds have a genetic tendency to hypothyroidism, which is an inability of the thyroid gland to manufacture sufficient amounts of thyroxine. Within the thyroid gland iodine molecules and protein molecules join to make thyroxine. Therefore, this process can be helped by providing the proper form of iodine for their thyroid gland to use. I feel the best form of iodine for the Bloodhound is the natural form found in sea kelp, and the worst form is any one of the artificial isotopes of iodine.

Bloodhounds

When the first Bloodhounds were exported to the USA is not known. Bloodhounds were used to track runaway slaves before the American Civil War, but it has been questioned whether the dogs used were genuine Bloodhounds. However, in the later part of the 19th century, and in the next, more pure Bloodhounds were introduced from Britain, and bred in America, especially after 1888, when the English breeder, Edwin Brough, brought three of his hounds to exhibit at the Westminster KC show in New York City. He went into partnership with Mr J L Winchell, who with other Americans, imported more stock from Britain.

Bloodhounds in America have been more widely used in tracking lost people and criminals - often with brilliant success than in Britain, and the history of the Bloodhound in America is full of the man-trailing exploits of outstanding Bloodhounds and their expert handlers, the most famous hound being Nick Carter.
In the 16th century, John Caius, in unquestionably the most important single source in the history of the Bloodhound, describes its hanging ears and lips, its use in game parks to follow the scent of blood, which gives it its name, its ability to track thieves and poachers by their foot scent, how it casts if it has lost the scent when thieves cross water, and its use on the Scottish borders to track cross-border raiders, known as Border Reivers. This links it to the sleuth hound, and from Caius also comes the information that the English Bloodhound and the sleuth hound were essentially the same, though the Bloodhound was slightly bigger, with more variation in coat colour.

Bloodhounds

 

During the later 19th century numbers of Bloodhounds were imported from Britain by French enthusiasts, who regretted the extinction of the ancient St Hubert. They wished to re-establish it, using the Bloodhound, which, despite its developments in Britain, they regarded as the St Hubert preserved unchanged. Many of the finest specimens were bought and exhibited and bred in France as Chiens de St Hubert, especially by Le Couteulx de Canteleu, who himself bred over 300. Whatever few original St Huberts remained either died out or were absorbed into the new population. As a result, the Bloodhound became known on parts of the Continent as the Chien de Saint Hubert, and is recognised under that name by the Federation Cynologique Internationale.

Bloodhounds Puppies

For the Bloodhound I recommend food with a blend of wheat, brown rice, avocado, and poultry. However, I feel you should avoid feeding a Bloodhound any beef and its by-products, soy, beets, lamb, or white rice. Native food supplies for this breed would have been from their seaport environment and included ocean fish, pork, goat, wheat, brown rice, high carbohydrate vegetables, and fruits such as avocado, olive or fig.

Bloodhounds Weight Standards: m - 90 to 110 lbs., f - 80 to 100 lbs.
Height Standards: m - 25 to 27 inches, f - 23 to 25 inches
Coat: short and smooth in black or liver with tan
Common Ailments: bloat, thyroid problems