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 raccoon hunting.

Temperament

The Black and Tan Coonhound makes a suitable pet: it is mellow, amiable, calm, and unobtrusive indoors; outdoors, its strong hunting instinct takes over and it can be difficult to turn it from tracking after it starts trailing. As befitting a dog with its heritage, it is strong, independent, and stubborn. The Black and Tan Coonhound is gentle and tolerant with children, but it may be too independent to satisfy a playful child. It is reserved with strangers and in their presence may bay and howl. The Black and Tan Coonhound can run for miles although it is usually content with a moderate jog or long walk, with an occasional excursion into the field. It can wander if it catches a scent, so a safe area is mandatory.

History

The Black and Tan Coonhound is descended from the Talbot Hound, found in medieval England after the eleventh century. Its ancestry is then traced through the Bloodhound and the Foxhound to the Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound.

In 1945, the Black and Tan Coonhound became the first of the six varieties of Coonhound to be recognized by the American Kennel Club, in the Hound Group. The other varieties, which were not recognized until the 2010s, are the Redbone Coonhound, Plott Hound, Bluetick Coonhound, the English Coonhound, and the Treeing Walker Coonhound.