A friendly breed, the Bluetick Coonhound loves and is devoted to his family. They are attentive and alert, often serving as guardians to their families. The breed is infamous for being a persistent sniffer, inspecting guests adamantly. They are also known for drooling, especially when near food, and vocalizing, howling and barking often.
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Bluetick Coonhounds as Watch Dogs?
Blueticks are sensitive dogs and can be frightened of loud sounds such as thunderstorms. Their timid nature does not make them well-suited as guard dogs, and in fact they do not tend to be territorial at all anyway. Many are unsure when meeting strangers and are sometimes downright shy. Early socialization from puppyhood is the best way to keep a Bluetick Coonhound from becoming a scaredy-cat.
Are Bluetick Coonhounds Aggressive?
The Bluetick Coonhound is a loyal and intelligent dog who is devoted to their family. They do well living indoors, although they need their exercise. A fully fenced yard is best for these dogs, who can wander away following an interesting scent trail. The Bluetick Coonhound is great with children, although possibly better with older children as they can get quite boisterous and rough when excited. They are friendly and outgoing if they are socialized well when young. The breed is attractive both in appearance and nature. They are well muscled but sleek and racy, never clumsy. As a night hunter, they excel with their keen eyesight and dedication to the hunt. They can be challenging to train for the lazy pet owner, and if not exercised enough, can become anxious and even destructive. This breed tends to do best with a bit of land or a decent backyard to move around in. You need to keep in mind that although they are not aggressive to people, they should not be trusted around cats or other small animals as their instinct is to hunt. Once they are fully trained, they are very obedient and listen to their owner.
Bluetick Coonhounds Background
The Bluetick Coonhound has a broad head with a domed skull. The muzzle is square in profile, long, broad and deep, with a predominant stop. The round eyes are dark brown, large and wide set. The ears are thin and are set low. The legs are straight from the elbows to the feet. The tail is carried high, tapering to a point. The hind legs are long and muscular. Dewclaws are generally removed. The feet are compact with well arched toes. The smooth, glossy coat is short and dense and feels a bit coarse to the touch. The coat color is dark blue, with a thickly mottled body, spotted by various shaped black spots on back, ears and sides; tricolor coat has a uniquely speckled-blue look to it. Its heavy ticking is actually composed of black-colored hairs on a white background, creating a bluing effect. The head and ears are predominantly black. The dog can come with or without tan markings; when they do appear they should be over eyes, on cheeks, chest and below tail, and will have red ticking on feet and lower legs. AKC standard prefers more blue than black on body. There should be more blue ticking than white.
Family and Bonding
Obesity can be a significant health problem in Bluetick Coonhounds. It is a serious disease that may cause or worsen joint problems, metabolic and digestive disorders, back pain and heart disease. Though it’s tempting to give your pal food when she looks at you with those soulful eyes, you can “love her to death” with leftover people food and doggie treats. Instead, give her a hug, brush her fur or teeth, play a game with her, or perhaps take her for a walk.
Friendly
The Bluetick Coonhound is a breed of coonhound originating in the United States. The Bluetick Coonhound is known for its friendly persona, cold nose, and deep bawl mouth. It is most commonly used as a raccoon hunting dog, but may also be kept as a pet.
Bluetick Coonhound Nature
These hunting dogs are scent hounds, meaning they hunt by smell. They have a strong prey drive, and it tends to kick into high gear when they encounter smaller animals, such as squirrels or other backyard creatures. This is part of why training them is so important, although you’ll never completely train them out of the desire to chase. But, since Bluetick Coonhounds also have intelligence to spare and are determined pups often described as “craving a job” (they’ll love to grab your slippers or the morning paper), they enjoy the work. Because they’re so smart and a bit independent (those hunting instincts at play), they may be more difficult to train than, say, an Australian Shepherd. They need a confident and patient leader who understands the unique needs of this hunting dog and can bring out the best in this pup.
Intelligence
"Jade and Ike, my Bluetick Coonhound puppies—at the time when I took the photo, they were 3 months old. I have been around them since the day they were born and fell in love with the two of them. The first picture of the one sitting upright in the flower bed is of Jade. She was the biggest out of the litter of 10. She is more aggressive in her play then her brother, Ike. She is more headstrong and just pushier in general. The male is named Ike; he is in the second picture. He was the firstborn and the runt of the litter. Ike is going to be trained for Search and Rescue and Jade might be, too, we haven’t decided yet. They are a very fun loving breed. Both their father and mother are very easy going and loved to be around people, so we knew that they would be the perfect breed for my family. We love to take them hiking in the woods or in the local fields. They are walked at least 5 miles everyday. We have a two and a half acre yard fenced in for them to run around and play in. They still do not know what to do with the three cats we have; they still think the cats will play with them. The only bad habits they have are puppy habits that we broke right away, like chewing on furniture and other people. They are very even tempered dogs. They’re beginning to learn how to bay and it is an amazing sound. I wish that there were more in the United States than there are, but they are not a well-known breed. We always get some interesting remarks when people try to guess what they are—normally it is a mix between a Beagle and an Australian Cattle Dog. It has now become a game for my family to have people guess what type of dog they are. Ike and Jade are well loved by everyone that comes into contact with them and have a special place in this family.
Love
Bluetick Coonhounds as a Pack Animal
Feeding bluetick coonhound puppies an adult dog food on a regular basis can cause
permanent damage. Therefore, you should always ensure that the AAFCO statement on
the dog food packaging clearly states that the food is formulated
for growth or all life stages.
Physical Traits
A Bluetick Coonhound is not a good choice for a person who lives in an apartment. In terms of size, this is a large breed of dog. It needs space to move around without bumping into things and people. A home with a spacious, fenced-in yard is a more suitable option for this hunting dog.