The Plott Hound is a breed of dog that was born to hunt. They have been known for hunting 500-pound bears and boars. However, the Plott Hound has been also known to hunt raccoons, as well as the large game. Many people call the Plott Hound coonhounds especially in the United States. The Plott Hound is not a large dog but a medium size dog that is fairly big, but not huge.
This Hound is a loving dog and loves being around its family, but they are mainly known for being hunters. Throughout history, they were used as hunting and still to this day, they are still used for hunting but mainly raccoons and smaller animals instead of larger game such as bobcats or bears.
The Plott Hound is not only a hunting dog, but also do very well in with a family as they love children. This Hound is also good with other animals and loves to play. Taking them outside and letting them roam around is perfect for this dog. Always make sure that they are in a well-kept area to make sure they do not wonder off on the hunt of some animal they may smell. They tend to take the scent of some wild animal and take of after them. If you walk this Hound make sure they are trained at an early age to walk properly on the leash and not try to take off on your while walking them.
This breed is a great dog to have for the family and you can be sure that they are very loyal and dependent to their owners. This breed also makes a good watchdog, with a higher voice than you might imagine with hounds.
Appearance
The Plott Hound is a muscular dog that is about medium size that is very well put together. Their coat is a dense short and glossy type coat and can come in the colors of brindle, a slate blue color, and many of them have black saddles. Some Plott Hounds may have small patches of white on their coats. Their fur coats can have a little amount of both of black and brown with white patches on them. With show dogs in the American Kennel Club, you will have to find out what colors are accepted by the club, as each club is different.
The Plott Hound has a long tail that is held high especially when it is alerted to something nearby. The main thing about the Plott Hound that is noticed right away is their ears, which are pretty large, and long that hang next to their head. The Plott Hounds feet are webbed for swimming with strong powerful legs that helps them move quickly with plenty of energy. The Plott Hounds eyes either are a dark color or like a light brown color. Their nose is black and the lips of their mouth kind of droop a little bit.
With the Plott Hound, their height ranges between 20 to 24 inches for both males and females and their weight ranges between 45 to 55 pounds. Plott Hounds have been known to weight more than that as well. The females may tend to be smaller in both height and weight than the males are.
Personality
The Plott Hound is a hound that is perfect for a loving family life. The Plott Hound is wonderful with children and is also very smart so they are easy to train. They are very quick to learn whatever you may be teaching them to do. This hound has great courage when it comes to hunting or protecting. They will stand up to a 500-pound bear or a mean boar to protect their family.
The Plott Hound has more of a high-pitched voice than the regular hunting hounds whom have deeper voices. This is one Hound you will want to make sure you train at an early age for walking on a leash. Watch out with this hound because they tend to slobber and drool all over.
The Plott Hound is not recommended for apartment life. A nice big fenced in yard is a nice choice for this breed. They can be an outside dog as long as they have the right shelter. Make sure to keep them well fenced in or otherwise they might wander off on a scent of something.
Care
With the Plott Hound, brushing is only necessary every once in awhile to get rid of any dead hair they might have loose. With this hound, make sure to check their ears to keep dirt and mites out or an infection can set in, which will be a major problem. If your hound is being used for hunting, then their nails should be checked in case any are torn, have split pads and be sure to check for ticks and fleas. They tend to get them when out hunting or out in the woods running around.
The Plott Hound is the breed of dog that likes to be outside running around and can do it all day and partly into the night. They have plenty of energy. They like to run free so make sure they are in a well-kept area to insure they do not run off hunting some kind of animal in the woods.
History
The Plott Hound is a breed that comes to us from right in the United States. These dogs were used for hunting up and around the Appalachian, Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Great Smokey Mountains of the United Sates. They were used for hunting and trailing bears and raccoons. The Jonathan Plott Family began breeding these hounds in the 1750s and became a family originated breed. The Plott family has only put these dogs on the market a few times. This breed of dog was officially recognized in 1946. The Plott Hound is not really seen outside the southern United States, so it is considered to be quite rare elsewhere.
Before the Plott family moved to North Carolina, they lived in Germany where they had used their hounds for hunting wild boar and bears. They then moved their family and their hounds to North Carolina where the Plott Hound era really started.
When Jonathan Plott moved to the United States, he settled in North Carolina and used his Plott Hounds for hunting bears, since there were no boars to hunt. Then a hunter heard about these famous hounds and went for a visit. He used one of Plotts hounds to breed with his females. This is one of the traces of this breed.
The Plott Hound is mainly noticed for its hunting ability and can also be a good companion for people as well. They are still to this day mainly owned for hunting. With developing this breed, they wanted to make sure the dog was a strong persistent breed. This is a hound breed that is American from start to finish.
The Plott Hounds were registered as part of the American Kennel Club in 1946. Plott Hounds to this day are still used for hunting bears, raccoons, and other wild animals. Their sense of sniffing out wild game is amazing to watch, thus the reason so many hunters wish to own a couple of these awesome hunting dogs. The Plott Hounds are truly not only a good companion for a family but also a good hunter.
