How to Identify a Bluetick Coonhound

Bluetick Coonhounds are the result of selective breeding in Louisiana during the early 1900s combining English Coonhounds, Foxhounds, Curs and French Hounds. They are a very loyal species of Coonhound well developed for hunting and treeing small game. Their sense of smell is very acute, but their eyesight is particularly well developed for seeing at night. They have great stamina and their fur is very weather-resistant. This combination makes them ideal for tracking nocturnal animals through the difficult and swampy terrain of the Louisiana bayou. The species is relatively rare to find and most people wouldn’t be able to recognize a Bluetick. For that reason here is a guide on how to identify a Bluetick Coonhound.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog
• Your eyes

1. Start by looking at the dog’s size and shape. It should be about 26 inches in height at the shoulder and a little taller at the hindquarters. It should be as long from chest to withers as the height of its hindquarters. They can weigh anywhere between 55 and 75 lbs. It should have a narrow body with a deep chest that reaches past the elbows. The limbs should be slender and end in narrow but long paws. The dog’s tail is almost always held away from the body.

2. Look at the dog’s head. The top of the skull should be flat and parallel with the top of the muzzle. It should have wide and deeply recessed eyes ranging from hazel to dark brown. The dog should have a strong, long and narrow lower jaw. Excessively long ears should drop down past the dog’s throat.

3. Finally examine the dog’s coat, which is the most defining feature. It should be short, dense, and coarse to the touch. The breed will have tan fur on its lower legs and feet. The head will be a combination of tan and plain black. The rest of the body is actually white fur with extremely heavy black ticking. This unique feature gives the dog’s fur the appearance of being blue, hence the breed’s name. If the dog matches this description then you’re looking at a Bluetick Coonhound.

Tips & Warnings

• Blueticks are a good companion dog, but they prefer to work and have a job or responsibility of some kind. They also have very high exercise needs to keep in shape, so it’s best to keep them if you live in the country with a good deal of land for them to run around on. They are intelligent and fairly capable of keeping themselves company, though they tend to howl if they feel left alone for too long. This breed is good with older children as they do play rough and can accidentally hurt smaller children when they get excited. They are not aggressive toward people; though do not get along well with other dogs they are unfamiliar with. If this animal is to be kept with other dogs you should formally introduce them first.
• If used in hunting it is important to be warned that Blueticks will take on much larger animals such as bears or cougars when their blood is up. The problem is that they are likely to be hurt terribly or even killed when attacking an animal they should have left well enough alone, so it’s important to watch out for their safety. They will also often wander off when they have caught an interesting scent, so make sure you have a securely fenced yard and contact information on the dog’s collar in case it gets lost and someone comes across it.

Resources

• Site listing reliable Bluetick Coonhound breeders