Coonhound

A coonhound is a type of scenthound rather than a single breed. The type was developed in the United States for hunting raccoons, and is also used on feral pigs, bobcats, cougars and bears. Six distinct breeds belong to it.

History

In colonial times, foxhounds and other hunting hounds were brought to North America from England, Ireland and France for fox hunting. They turned out to be poorly suited to American game that climbs trees instead of going to ground, such as raccoons, opossums, bobcats, cougars and bears. When the quarry went up a tree, the hounds often lost the scent and milled about.

Hunters and breeders answered by developing treeing hounds. They chose foundation dogs for a keen nose, for the ability to track without direction from people, and above all for following an animal both along the ground and up into a tree. Bloodhounds were added to many lines to improve tracking.

Coonhounds hunt alone or in a pack. Unlike in organised fox hunting, the hunters often do not follow the chase; they wait and listen for the hounds’ distinctive baying to tell them the animal has been treed.

The Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard in Colbert County, Alabama, was established in 1937 and is reserved for the burial of certified coonhounds.

The breeds

All six breeds were first recognised by the United Kennel Club. The Black and Tan Coonhound came first, in 1900, followed by the solid red Redbone Coonhound in 1902 and the English Coonhound in 1905. The English has the widest range of colors, coming in redtick, bluetick and tricolor. The Treeing Walker Coonhound, a tricolor, and the Bluetick Coonhound began as varieties of the English and were split off as separate breeds by 1945 and 1946. The dark brindle Plott Hound was the last, in 1946. It is the only coonhound not descended from foxhounds; its ancestors were German boar-hunting dogs.

The American Kennel Club recognised the Black and Tan in 1946. The others had to wait until the 2000s: the Redbone and Bluetick in 2009, the English in 2011 under the name American English, and the Treeing Walker in 2012.

In 2008 the UKC also recognised the American Leopard Hound, a scenthound used on raccoons and other game.

Care and health

Coonhounds are linked with a condition known as coonhound paralysis, properly acute canine idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis. It often follows contact with a raccoon’s saliva through a bite or scratch, though some cases involve no raccoon, and any breed of dog can get it. It causes progressive wasting of the leg muscles, beginning with the hind legs and moving forward, and can sometimes affect the breathing muscles.

A study of the records of 90,000 dogs found coonhounds predisposed to atopy, or allergic dermatitis: 8.33 percent had it, against 1.08 percent of mixed-breed dogs.

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