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Working bloodhound


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Is there such a thing anymore as a working bloodhound? I have a great tracking bitch (Bavarian mountain hound X Irish springer spaniel) and would like to breed her to a working (not show) bloodhound or bloodhound cross. 

I know in the 1980's and 90s there were working bloodhounds crossed with dumfriesshire foxhounds that resulted in superb dogs and resurrected many bloodhound lines that were dying out. 

Has the working bloodhound gone? Are there any hybrids still working that are part bloodhound? 

I'm in Ireland, so particularly interested in Irish packs. Thanks. Mark 

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Just remember that bloodhounds work ourely on ground scent. The disturbed grass, soil, etc of the footprints. Dogs like spaniels air scent. They pick up particles of scent carried in the air and those that have fallen to the ground along the track.  Dogs like GSDs can do both and some favour ground scent, others air scent. If you cross two types you don't know what type of tracking dog you will get.

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5 hours ago, LuhLeeke said:

Also seen some bloodhound x in Aus, they'd even lug pigs and were being marketed as such

They use practically any likely dog for pigs over here in Oz and bloodhounds and their crosses mostly are quite popular now. Pit/bloodhounds are supposed to be good in thick scrub.

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8 hours ago, LuhLeeke said:

Do they need to be crossed back generations or does bloodhound not affect the dog's lugging ability? I seen a BA x coonhound cross, IIRC it was a rough cur, and would only catch on smaller pigs. However bloodhounds are a fair bit rougher than coonhounds in my experience so it'd make sense to me if they were better at retaining lugging potential.

There was a hunter that used first cross pit/bloodhounds and reckoned they were really good. I know a guy with bloodhound/mastiff first crosses that work well and are good guards as well. I think they add bloodhound for the nose obviously in thick country. I don't know about pures but I can't see why they wouldn't lug when dogs like labs will. The pit/bloodhounds are a nice style of dog, the ones I saw looked like brindle hounds with long ears, slightly shorter and lean muscled. I'm more a terrier, lurcher person myself but the mrs used to catch pigs for a living and she didn't like pit in her dogs as she reckoned they would fight pigs instead of working them. Most of her dogs were mastiff types with English bull terrier.

Edited by Aussie Whip
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No different to any bred theres those that take to it naturally and those that do not.  back in the day theres plent of stories of blood hound were used in dingo packs they would start the track the kangaroo dogs would make the catch and hold but the bloodhound would be straight on the throat. theres been a young couple on Youtube that have a couple of purebreds they run with a cross the male hound lugs up no problem the bitch is a bailer. 

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