The Bloodhound is a large scent
hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, and since the Middle Ages
for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the
Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, it is known to French speakers as the Chien de
Saint-Hubert.
This
breed is famed for its ability to discern human scent over great distances,
even days later. Its extraordinarily keen sense of smell is combined with a
strong and tenacious tracking instinct, producing the ideal scent hound, and it
is used by police and law enforcement all over the world to track escaped
prisoners, missing people, lost children, and lost pets.
Appearance
Bloodhounds
weigh from 36 to 72 kg (80 to 160 lbs).They are 58 to 69 cm (23 to 27 inches)
tall at the withers. According to the AKC standard for the breed, larger dogs
are preferred by conformation judges. Acceptable colors for bloodhounds are
black, liver, tan, and red. Bloodhounds possess an unusually large skeletal
structure with most of their weight concentrated in their bones, which are very
thick for their length. The coat typical for a scenthound is hard and composed
of fur alone, with no admixture of hair.
Temperament
This
breed is gentle, and is tireless when following a scent. Because of its strong
tracking instinct, it can be willful and somewhat difficult to obedience train
and handle on a leash. Bloodhounds have an affectionate and even-tempered
nature with humans, making excellent family pets. However, like any pet, they
require supervision when around small children.
Colour types
Up
to at least the seventeenth century bloodhounds were of all colours, but in
modern times the colour range has become more restricted. The colours are
usually listed as black and tan, liver and tan, and red. White is not uncommon
on the chest, and sometimes appears on the feet. Genetically, the main types
are determined by the action of two genes, found in many species. One produces
an alternation between black and brown (liver). If a hound inherits the black
allele (variant) from either parent, it has a black nose, eye rims and
paw-pads, and if it has a saddle, it is black. The other allele suppresses
black pigment and is recessive, so it must be inherited from both parents. It
produces liver noses, eye rims, paw-pads, and saddles.
The
second gene determines coat pattern. It can produce animals with no saddle
(essentially all-tan, but called ‘red’ in bloodhounds); ones with
saddle-marking; or ones largely covered with darker (black or liver) pigment,
except for tan lips, eyebrows, forechest and lower legs. These last are
sometimes referred to as ‘blanket’ or ‘full-coat’ types. In a pioneering study
in 1969 Dennis Piper suggested 5 alleles in the pattern-marking gene, producing
variants from the red or saddle-less hound through three different types of
progressively greater saddle marking to the ‘blanket’ type. However, more
modern study attributes the variation to 3 different alleles of the Agouti
gene. Ay produces the non saddle-marked "red" hound, As produces
saddle-marking, and at produces the blanket or full-coat hound. Of these Ay is
dominant, and at is recessive to the others.
Health
Illnesses
Compared
to other purebred dogs, Bloodhounds suffer an unusually high rate of
gastrointestinal ailments, with gastric dilatation volvulus (bloat) being the
most common type of gastrointestinal problem. The breed also suffers an unusually
high incidence of eye, skin, and ear ailments; thus these areas should be
inspected frequently for signs of developing problems. Owners should be
especially aware of the signs of bloat, which is both the most common illness
and the leading cause of death of Bloodhounds. The thick coat gives the breed
the tendency to overheat quickly.
Lifespan
Bloodhounds
in a 2004 UK Kennel Club survey had a median longevity of 6.75 years, which
makes them one of the shortest-lived of dog breeds. The oldest of the 82
deceased dogs in the survey died at the age of 12.1 years. Bloat took 34% of
the animals, making it the most common cause of death in Bloodhounds. The
second leading cause of death in the study was cancer, at 27%; this percentage
is similar to other breeds, but the median age of death was unusually young
(median of about 8 years). In a 2013 survey, the average age at death for 14
Bloodhounds was 8.25 years.
No comments:
Post a Comment