Bloodhound

Coat and looks how to spot one

short, dense, weatherproof coat over loose skin

The biggest and most powerfully built of the scent hounds, with a long, deep body and strong bone. Its signature feature is the thin, supple skin that hangs in deep folds around the head and neck, framing a solemn, noble face with long, low-set, velvety ears. The short coat is dense and fairly harsh, made to cope with all weather. On the move it has a steady, springy, slightly rolling trot that it can keep up for hours.152

Personality what they are like

At home the Bloodhound is calm, kind and affectionate, easygoing with people and generally friendly with other dogs and pets. It can be a little reserved and has an independent, patient streak, so once it picks up a scent it tends to follow its nose with great determination. It is sensitive to its owner's tone and responds best to gentle, reward-based training, especially with food. The FCI standard sums it up as gentle, sociable and never aggressive.15764

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Needs plenty of time outdoors. The Royal Kennel Club suggests more than two hours of exercise a day, while VCA notes that at home it is a calm dog that enjoys long, sniffing walks more than fast running. Scent games, tracking and man-trailing are ideal outlets. Keep it on a lead or in a securely fenced area, because a good scent will outweigh any recall.26

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

The short coat only needs brushing about once a week, though it sheds regularly. Daily care focuses on wiping the facial folds and mouth area, as the breed drools a lot, and keeping the long ears clean and dry.26

Home where they are happiest

Best suited to a home with space, ideally in the country with a large, securely fenced garden. It copes with cold weather better than heat.26

Food basics what goes in the bowl

A complete, balanced diet for a large breed, with portions adjusted to keep it lean. Puppies do well on a large-breed growth formula.6

Company who they like around

Enjoys company and usually gets on well with visitors, children, other dogs and pets. Its pack-hound background means it tends to relax around other dogs, and it often enjoys dog parks.654

The story where it all began

The breed traces back to the hounds kept by monks at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert in the Belgian Ardennes, named after the patron saint of hunters. Wikipedia places the development of the strain around AD 1000, and the FCI links it to black and black-and-tan pack hounds of the 7th century. From about 1200 the abbey sent a few pairs of its black hounds to the King of France every year. Hounds of this type reached England, where the FCI credits William the Conqueror with bringing them in the 11th century, although Wikipedia notes that link is disputed, and the breed was established in Britain before 1300. There they hunted deer and boar, and in Scotland they were known as sleuth-hounds, used to follow raiders and cattle thieves into the 1600s. By the end of Louis XIV's reign in 1715 the hounds had become rare in France, and in the 19th century French enthusiasts imported British Bloodhounds to rebuild the St. Hubert line. English breeder Edwin Brough showed hounds at the Westminster show in 1888, which helped spark imports to the United States, and the AKC had already recognised the breed in 1885. In the 20th century the Bloodhound became famous as a trailing dog for police and search teams, finding missing people and following trails that were days old.13248

Recognised by the official bits

FCI

Standard no. 84 (Chien de Saint-Hubert), Group 6 Scent hounds and related breeds, Section 1.1 Large-sized hounds; country of origin Belgium; standard published 12.07.2002.1

AKC

Hound Group, recognised in 1885. Current standard approved 9 January 1996, effective 29 February 1996.8

The Royal Kennel Club

Hound group, large size class; listed as a vulnerable native breed.2

Popularity Ranked 59th of AKC-registered breeds in 2025.11