Bloodhound

With their scary name and intense looks, you might not think the Bloodhound is particularly affectionate - but they’re the biggest softies going! When part of a family, a Bloodhound will love and care with its entire heart. They’re known as loyal, sweet-natured and eager-to-please dogs who thrive in a family setting.

The Bloodhound is a clever dog, and one of the best ways to stimulate them mentally is through sports, with toys and through interactive games and puzzles. This is a breed who is more than happy to get involved, play games and mess around with the kids.

The Bloodhound boasts an extremely calm, easy-going, docile demeanour once trained and rarely cause trouble.

The intelligence of the Bloodhound is commonly debated. But one’s thing for sure - they’re good at what they do, which is tracking scents - and that certainly takes some determination and brains!

While some may say they’re not the most intelligent breed in the box, they’re certainly smart and require plenty of mental stimulation to keep them occupied.

Once trained and socialised, the Bloodhound is generally calm and unaggressive. However, they were originally bred to hunt and kill other animals, so a prey drive is definitely lurking. They’re able to track and follow any scent and beat any other breed in terms of smell.

While the Bloodhound is unlikely to be aggressive or threatening towards strangers, they may come across as shy and reserved towards them. If a Bloodhound is socialized from a young age, they’ll probably warm to strangers after some time and may even enjoy their company.

When you consider the Bloodhound’s working history, it comes as no surprise that Bloodhounds are rather independent, inquisitive and sometimes stubborn when they’re in the right mindset. This can make them hard to train - they’ll need to be in experienced hands.

We’ve already mentioned how much the Bloodhound loves their family. Because of this, they don’t like being left alone for too long and are prone to separation anxiety. In these cases, they’ll howl and cry for their owner, as well as chew and scratch furniture. This breed needs constant company and shouldn’t be left alone for too long.

Well-trained Bloodhounds make for the perfect family pet - it’s just getting to that point which is the problem! Their prominent independent and stubborn streak means they can be a little tricky to train - it’s a classic case of ‘my way or the highway!’.

It’s not impossible, though - with patience, persistence and plenty of positive reinforcement, a Bloodhound will eventually learn who’s boss. If you really struggle, it’s probably best to head to a doggy obedience class. Gaining a strong recall is especially important with this breed.

Thankfully, once they’ve started picking things up, they quickly turn into a well-behaved, calm, obedient pooch.

This breed’s bark is one of the loudest you’ll hear. However, a happy Bloodhound who has plenty of company and exercise is unlikely to bark excessively. However, due to their high exercise needs and tendency to develop separation anxiety, barking is a common problem - it’s all to do with pent up energy and loneliness.

The Bloodhound isn’t the kind of dog you can take off the lead. Their nose tends to take over everything, even their common sense - so they’d happily run into a busy road if it was on the scent trail.

Bloodhounds are active dogs, mentally and physically. If they become bored, they might lash out and exhibit destructive behaviours. If you keep your dog thoroughly exercised, mentally stimulated and don’t leave them alone for hours, this should never happen.

A Bloodhound will eat whatever is available - this breed has a huge appetite! It’s important to measure out meal sizes and avoid feeding a Bloodhound too many unhealthy treats, as extra weight could put pressure on the joints and lead to health problems.

A Bloodhound is first and foremost a scent dog, though they’re capable of making good watchdogs, too. They’re likely to bark - and their bark is loud - if someone completely unfamiliar comes into their territory when their owner isn’t around. They’re not at all vicious when trained, so they don’t offer any level of protection.

A Bloodhound will cope in a flat or apartment, so long as they get adequate exercise. Saying this, they’re best placed in roomy accommodation with space to roam.

This big dog has endless energy and needs somewhere to burn it! If you want to adopt a Bloodhound, be prepared to exercise them for at least 1-2 hours per day, ideally more. Despite their sweet-natured temperament, this breed could become destructive and hard to handle without adequate exercise.

The Bloodhound is huge - meaning it’s probably not the best travel companion! This breed would be fairly difficult to transport due to its hefty size.

A Bloodhound who isn’t used to cats or hasn’t been well-socialized may be tempted to chase once they come across a cat. However, if a Bloodhound has grown up around cats, they’re normally completely happy to live amongst one another and may even become buddies!

The Bloodhound is naturally a pack dog and will enjoy living amongst other dogs. They can get a little possessive over their food and toys, so make sure you feed them in different locations and provide enough toys for each dog.

They’re affectionate, gentle, sweet and friendly once trained and socialised, making them a great choice for families with children.

The normally pleasant and docile Bloodhound can become destructive and badly behaved if they don’t get enough exercise, so they’re not a good choice for elderly owners.

Although they make a fantastic family pet, Bloodhounds can be difficult to train and probably aren’t the best choice for inexperienced owners.