![A female redbone-coonhound-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/A_female_redbone-coonhound-1.jpg)
A coonhound, colloquially a coon dog, is a
type of
scenthound
Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785
Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a Dog type, type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than ...
, a member of the
hound
A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey.
Description
Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. ...
group. They are an American type of
hunting dog
A hunting dog is a canine that hunts with or for hunters. There are several different types of hunting dog developed for various tasks and purposes. The major categories of hunting dog include hounds, terriers, dachshunds, cur type dogs, and g ...
developed for the
hunting of raccoons, hence their name, and also for feral pigs, bobcats, cougars, and bears. There are six distinct breeds of coonhound.
History
In the
colonial period,
hound
A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey.
Description
Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. ...
s were imported into the United States for the popular sport of
fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...
. Various breeds of
foxhound
A foxhound is a Dog type, type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usuall ...
s and other hunting hounds were imported from England,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, and France.
Foxhounds were found to be inadequate for hunting American animals that did not hide near the ground, but instead climbed trees, such as
raccoon
The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...
s,
opossum
Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 93 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North ...
s,
bobcat
The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...
s, and even larger prey like
cougar
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...
s and
bear
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...
s.
The dogs were often confused or unable to hold the scent when this occurred, and would mill about.
This led to the development of
treeing
Treeing is a method of hunting where dogs are used to force animals that naturally climb up into trees, where they can be assessed or shot by hunters. The idiomatic phrase "'' Barking up the wrong tree''" comes from this practice.
Description ...
hounds by hunters and dog breeders. Foundation dogs were chosen for a keen sense of smell, the ability to track an animal independent of human commands and, most importantly, to follow an animal both on the ground and when it took to a tree.
Bloodhound
The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ...
s specifically were added to many coonhound lines to enhance the ability to track.
Coonhounds can hunt individually or as a pack. Often, hunters do not chase their quarry along with the hounds, unlike organized foxhunting, but wait and listen to the distinctive baying to determine if the prey has been treed. Coonhounds are excellent at hunting all manner of prey if trained properly.
Memorial
Established in 1937, the
Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard
The Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard is a specialized and restricted pet cemetery and memorial in rural Colbert County, Alabama, US. It is reserved specifically for the burials of coon dogs. The cemetery was established by Key Underwoo ...
is located in
Colbert County, Alabama
Colbert County () is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the county's population was 57,227. The county seat is Tuscumbia. The largest city is Muscle Shoals.
The county is named in ...
. It is used specifically for the burial of certified coonhounds.
Breeds
There are six breeds of coonhound, all of which were first recognized by the
United Kennel Club
The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to indivi ...
:
* The first to be officially registered was the
Black and Tan Coonhound
The Black and Tan Coonhound is a breed of hunting dog. Developed in the United States from crosses between the Bloodhound and the Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound, this scent hound runs its game entirely by scent and is used primarily for racc ...
in 1900.
* It was followed by the solid red
Redbone Coonhound
The Redbone Coonhound is an American list of dog breeds, breed of hunting dog. As a type of coonhound, it may be used to hunt raccoon, deer, bear, boar, cougar, or other large game. It originated in the Southern United States, and derives from fo ...
in 1902.
* The third is the
English Coonhound
The English Coonhound, also referred to as the American English Coonhound (by the American Kennel Club only) or the Redtick Coonhound, is a breed of coonhound that originated in and is typically bred in the Southern United States. It is descended ...
, recognized by the UKC in 1905. The English has the widest color variation of the coonhound breeds, coming in redtick, bluetick, and tricolor patterns.
* The
Bluetick Coonhound
The Bluetick Coonhound is a breed of coonhound originating in the United States. The Bluetick Coonhound is known for its friendly personality, cold nose, and deep bawl mouth. It is most commonly used as a raccoon hunting dog, but may also be kep ...
and tricolored
Treeing Walker Coonhound
The Treeing Walker Coonhound is a breed of hound descended from the English and American Foxhounds. The breed originated in the United States when a stolen dog known as "Tennessee Lead" was crossed into the Walker Hound in the 19th century. ...
were originally considered varieties of the English, but were split off and recognized as different breeds by 1946 and 1945, respectively.
* The
Plott Hound
The Plott Hound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting bears. In 1989, the North Carolina General Assembly designated the Plott Hound as the official State Dog. The Plott Hound was first registered with the United Kennel Club in 194 ...
, a dark
brindle
Brindle is a coat (animal), coat coloring pattern in animals, particularly dogs, cattle, guinea pigs, Cat, cats, and, rarely, horses. It is sometimes described as "tiger-striped", although the brindle pattern is more subtle than that of a tiger' ...
in color, was the last to be recognized, in 1946. It is the only coonhound that does not descend from foxhounds; instead, its ancestry traces back to German boar-hunting dogs.
The Black and Tan Coonhound was the first to be recognized by the
American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kenn ...
, in 1946. The other coonhound breeds were not able to be AKC-registered until the 2000s; the Redbone and Bluetick Coonhounds were both recognized in 2009, the English in 2011 (as the American English), and the Treeing Walker in 2012.
In 2008, the UKC recognized the
American Leopard Hound
The American Leopard Hound is an American breed of hunting dog. It is recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) as a scenthound and is in the American Kennel Club's Foundation Stock Service. Characteristics
The American Leopard Hound is 21 to ...
as a scenthound breed. It is used for hunting raccoons, as well as other game animals.
See also
*
Dogs portal
*
List of dog breeds
This list of dog breeds includes both Neontology#Extant taxa versus extinct taxa, extant and extinct dog breeds, Designer breed, varieties, landraces, and dog types. A research article on genomics, dog genomics published in Science/AAAS defines m ...
*
The Hunt (The Twilight Zone)
"The Hunt" is episode 84 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on January 26, 1962 on CBS.
Opening narration
Plot
Hyder Simpson is an elderly mountain man who lives with his wife Rachel and his ...
References
{{American dogs
Dog types
Scent hounds