Dog Breed Guide

Bloodhound

Profile

Size

Large

Country of origin

Belgium

Origin

Middle Ages

Bred for

Tracking, Hunting

Height

male 64 - 72cm (25 - 28in), female 58 - 66cm (23 - 26in)

Weight

male 46 - 54kg (101 - 119lb), female 40 - 48kg (88 - 106lb)

Life span

10 - 12 years

Long, large drooping ears, deep folds of loose skin hanging from the face and neck, and a mournful expression are its hallmarks. The long ears and wrinkles are said to sweep up scent from the ground and channel it to the nose. Colors are black and tan, liver and tan, and red.

It has one of the finest noses of any dog, with an estimated 230 million scent receptors in its nose, about 40 times as many as a human. Once it starts following a trail, it has the astonishing ability to keep tracking even a scent that is days old.

The Bloodhound is gentle, kind and patient. But once it is absorbed in a scent, it notices nothing else and may not come back when called. It drools a lot, and its ears need regular care.

Good to know

Its ancestors are thought to be hounds bred for hunting by the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Hubert in medieval Belgium. For this reason it is still also called the St. Hubert Hound in Europe. The "blood" in its name is said to refer to its "blooded," carefully preserved pedigree, as a hound of the aristocracy.

Its tracking ability has been put to great use in finding people. It has a long record of success in searches for missing persons and fugitives, and in the United States, Bloodhound tracking results have historically been accepted, under certain conditions, as evidence in court. Guinness World Records lists it as the first animal whose evidence was admissible in court.

At the same time, its easygoing nature and endearing face have won it many fans as a family dog.