For other uses, see Bloodhound (disambiguation).
Other names

Chien de Saint-Hubert
St. Hubert Hound

Sleuth hound
Origin Belgium
United Kingdom
Weight Male 46–54 kg (101–119 lb)
Female 40–48 kg (88–106 lb)
Height Male 64–72 cm (25–28 in)
Female 58–66 cm (23–26 in)
Coat short and dense.
Colour black and tan; liver and tan; red
Life span 7–8 years
Classification / standards
FCI Group 6, Section 1.1 Scenthounds: Large #084 standard
AKC Hound standard
ANKC Group 4 (Hounds) standard
CKC Group 2 - (Hounds) standard
KC (UK) Hound standard
NZKC Hounds standard
UKC Scenthounds standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)




Bloodhound puppy

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.



Colour types

Main article: Coat (dog)









Chien de Saint-Hubert

The St. Hubert hound was, according to legend, first bred ca. 1000 AD by monks at the Saint-Hubert Monastery in Belgium; its likely origins are in France, home of many of modern hounds. It is held to be the ancestor of several other breeds, like the extinct Norman hound, and Saintongeois, and the modern Grand Bleu de Gascogne, Gascon Saintongeois, Ariegeois and Artois Normande, as well as the bloodhound. It has been suggested that it was a dog of mixed breeding, not at all uniform in type.[7]


They appear to have been more highly thought of during the reign of Henry IV (1553–1610), who presented a pack to James I of England. By the end of the reign of Louis XIV (1715), they were already rare.[10][11] In 1788, D’Yauville, who was master of the Royal hounds, says those sent by the St Hubert monks, once much prized, had degenerated, and scarcely one of the annual gift of six or eight was kept.[12]


Writers on the bloodhound in the last two centuries generally agreed that the original St Hubert strain died out in the nineteenth century, and that the European St Hubert owes its present existence to the development of the Bloodhound.[10][13][14][15]


English Bloodhound 1563
Bloodhounds used to find deer 1826
Ancestor of pedigree Bloodhounds, 1902
Bloodhounds circa 1915



It also seems that from the earliest times the Bloodhound was used to track people. There are stories written in Medieval Scotland of Robert the Bruce (in 1307), and William Wallace (1270–1305) being followed by 'sleuth hounds’.[21][22] Whether true or not, these stories show that the sleuth hound was already known as a man-trailer, and it later becomes clear that the sleuth hound and the Bloodhound were the same animal.



The earliest known report of a trial of the Bloodhound's trailing abilities comes from the scientist Robert Boyle, who described how a Bloodhound tracked a man seven miles along a route frequented by people, and found him in an upstairs room of a house.[26]

With the rise of fox-hunting, the decline of deer-hunting, and the extinction of the wild boar, as well as a more settled state of society, the use of the Bloodhound diminished. It was kept by the aristocratic owners of a few deer-parks[26] and by a few enthusiasts,[11] with some variation in type, until its popularity began to increase again with the rise of dog-showing in the 19th Century.[10] Numbers, however, have remained low in Britain. Very few survived the Second World War, but the gene-pool has gradually been replenished with imports from America. Nevertheless, because of UK quarantine restrictions, importing was expensive and difficult, throughout the 20th century, and in the post-war period exports to the USA, and to Europe where the population had also been affected by the war, considerably exceeded imports.[27]






During the late 19th century, Bloodhounds were frequent subjects for artists such as Edwin Landseer[32] and Briton Riviere; the dogs depicted are close in appearance to modern Bloodhounds, indicating that the essential character of the Bloodhound predates modern dog breeding. However, the dogs depicted by Landseer show less wrinkle and haw than modern dogs.[15]

Origin issues

Throughout most of its history the bloodhound was seen as a dog of English or Anglo-Scottish origin, either of unknown ancestry,[23][33][34][35] or, more recently, as developed in part from the St. Hubert.[13][14][30][36][37] It was only in the 19th century that it was claimed, primarily by Le Couteulx, to be the St Hubert itself.[10] Medieval hunting pictures show raches and limers, of the general sagax type, with hanging ears and lips, but not having the specific characteristics of the bloodhound. 16th century descriptions of the St Hubert as short-legged, and only medium-sized[8][9][38] have led to speculation that the main European antecedent of the bloodhound was rather the Norman hound, which was very large, than the St Hubert.[12] Others such as the sleuth-hound, the Talbot, the dun-hound[14] and the southern hound, as well as pack hounds, have also been supposed to have contributed to its make-up. Some writers doubt whether anything certain can be said about specific breed ancestry beyond the last few centuries.[3][30][37] The picture given by Le Couteulx and D’Yauville of the St Hubert was that it changed considerably through mixed breeding, and perhaps degenerated, before its disappearance,[10][12] while the bloodhound which replaced it, preserved its original character. However, it is apparent from 16th century pictures that the bloodhound itself has changed considerably.[20][34] The modern St Hubert is the English bloodhound, in descent and type. Generally, national and regional variants of hounds, terriers, spaniels etc. have been recognised as separate breeds, France in particular having many regional breeds of hound;[7][12] the bloodhound’s identification as the St Hubert makes it an anomaly in this respect. Whether the bloodhound is British or Belgian in origin is ultimately not something one can prove historically, depending as it does on whether one chooses to regard two related animals differing in tradition, and history, and somewhat in type, as separate breeds, or variants of the same one.

Breed standard



The word 'bloodhound' is recorded from c1330.[16][41] Most recent accounts say that its etymological meaning is ‘hound of pure or noble blood’. This derives from an original suggestion of Le Couteulx de Canteleu[10][13] in the nineteenth century, which has been enthusiastically and uncritically espoused by later writers, perhaps because it absolved this undoubtedly good-natured dog from suggestions of bloodthirstiness. Neither Le Couteulx nor anyone since has offered any historical evidence to support this view. The suggestion sometimes seen[30] that the word derives from 'blooded hound' is without basis, as the expression does not appear in early English, and 'blooded' in this meaning is not found before the late eighteenth century. Before then 'bloodhound' had been taken to mean, 'hound for blood', or ‘blood-seeking hound’. This was the explanation put forward by John Caius,[23] who was one of the most learned men of his time, and had an interest in etymology, in the sixteenth century. It is supported by considerable historical linguistic evidence, which can be gleaned from such sources as the Oxford English Dictionary (OED): the fact that first uses of the word ‘blood’ to refer to good breeding in an animal post date the first use of ‘bloodhound’; that other comparable uses, as in ‘blood-horse’ and ‘blood-stock’ appear many centuries later; and that derogatory uses of the word ‘bloodhound’, which any suggestion of noble breeding would sadly weaken, appear from as early as c1400.[42] Other early sources tell us that hounds were supposed to have an interest in blood, and that the bloodhound was used to follow the trail of a wounded animal.[22][36] In the absence of anything in early usage, or any historical evidence whatsoever, to support the modern explanation, the older must be regarded as correct.[43] In the 2012 on-line edition of the OED[41] the entry for 'bloodhound' has been brought up to date, for the first time pronouncing specifically on the etymological meaning. Clearly the editors have found no historical plausibility in the idea that the name refers to good breeding, which they do not even mention.

Working the Bloodhound

Police dogs with the French police.

Scenting ability

The Bloodhound's physical characteristics account for its ability to follow a scent trail left several days in the past. Under optimal conditions, a Bloodhound can detect as few as one or two cells. The Bloodhound's nasal chambers (where scents are identified) are larger than those of most other breeds. The olfactory bulb in dogs is roughly forty times bigger than the olfactory bulb in humans, relative to total brain size, with 125 to 220 million olfactory receptors.[44] Consequently, dogs have an olfactory sense 40 times more sensitive than a human's.[45]:246 In some dog breeds, such as bloodhounds, the olfactory sense has nearly 300 million receptors.[44]


Human trailing

There are many accounts of bloodhounds successfully following trails many hours, and even several days old,[30][31] the record being of a family found dead in Oregon, in 1954, over 330 hours after they had gone missing.[15] The bloodhound is generally used to follow the individual scent of a fugitive or lost person, taking the scent from a ‘scent article’ – something the quarry is known to have touched, which could be an item of clothing, a car seat, an identified footprint etc.[30][47] Many bloodhounds will follow the drift of scent a good distance away from the actual footsteps of the quarry, which can enable them to cut corners and reach the end of the trail more quickly. In America, sticking close to the footsteps is called ‘tracking’, while the freer method is known as ‘trailing’ (in the UK, ‘hunting’), and is held to reflect the bloodhound’s concentration on the individual human scent, rather than that of, say, vegetation crushed by the feet of the quarry.[47][48] Having lost a scent, a good bloodhound will stubbornly cast about for long periods, if necessary, in order to recover it.[14][23][30] The bloodhound is handled on a tracking harness, which has a metal ring above the shoulders, to which a leash is attached, so that the hound’s neck is not jerked up when the leash becomes taut, as it would with a collar. The leash is at least long enough to allow the hound to cross freely in front of the handler, some handlers preferring quite a short leash, giving better communication with the hound, others liking something longer, maybe twenty or thirty feet.[47]


It is generally agreed that the basis of initial training is to make the experience enjoyable for the puppy or young hound, to keep its enthusiasm high.[14][47][49] Whitney preferred waiting till the hound is 18 months old, to start training,[30] but others start as young as possible, say three months.[15][47] Training can be started by running short trails on a family member whom the puppy sees walk away, at first remaining visible, and later going out of sight. Even though familiar with the scent of the ‘runner’, it can be given a scent-article to sniff, and given the command to follow. It can also be introduced to the tracking harness, which is put on just before the trail starts, and removed as soon as it is finished. On reaching the runner the puppy is given lavish praise and perhaps a reward. Generally in training the handler must know exactly where the runner went, so that he does not encourage the hound when it is wrong, or ‘correct’ it when it is on the scent,[14][49] but he should not be too ready with his corrections if the hound goes astray, or it may come to rely on him. He should give the hound time to realise its mistake and put itself right, if possible. As training progresses the handler learns to ‘read’ his hound’s behaviour. The hound must trust its nose and the handler must trust the hound. From early hot trails on a familiar person, the young hound progresses to colder trails on the scents of strangers. Later training can be designed to teach particular lessons: crossing trails with false scents, having the runner start out with a companion, who leaves him somewhere along the trail, laying a trail on ground frequented by wild animals. This will teach the hound not to change on to other humans, or riot on animal scents (known as ‘staying clean’ [US], or ‘freedom from change’ [UK]).[14][47][48] It also needs to work over a variety of ground and learn to cope with distractions of many kinds, as well as being introduced to 'negative trails': given a scent article which has not been handled by anyone in the area, so that it will learn to indicate to a handler that the required scent is not there.[47][48] If it is becoming discouraged it can revert to simpler tasks to recover enthusiasm.




A common misconception is that Bloodhounds are employed in packs; while this is sometimes the case in Britain, where foxhound blood is mixed into them to increase speed, in North America, Bloodhounds are used as solitary trackers. When they are on a trail, they are usually silent and do not give voice as other scenthounds. The original use of the Bloodhound as a leash-hound, to find but not disturb animals, would require silent trailing.[20]


Trials in Britain



Bloodhound packs

The Coakham pack of Bloodhounds starting a human trail in England


Noteworthy bloodhounds

Grafton was the bloodhound in Landseer's famous painting Dignity and Impudence (1839). Both dogs in the picture belonged to Jacob Bell.[32]

Mr T A Jennings' Ch Druid, known as 'Old Druid' was the first bloodhound champion. Born in 1857, he was later bought by Emperor Napoleon III for his son, Prince Eugene Louis Jean Joseph, and taken to France. Photographs of him, of another famous hound, Cowen's Druid, and a bitch named Countess, appear in a rare book[11] from 1865 in the British Library, and may be the oldest photographs of bloodhounds to have survived.




The US Army 615th Military Police Company's mascot is a bloodhound named for the company's pet and mascot during Vietnam named Andy.

Fictional bloodhounds

In popular culture

See also


  1. 1 2 Topsell, Edward (1607). History of Four-footed beasts.
  2. Piper, Dennis (1969)Colour Inheritance in the Bloodhound Available from The Bloodhound Club, UK
  3. 1 2 Robinson, Roy (1989). Genetics for Dog Breeders. ISBN 0-08-037492-1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kennel Club/British Small Animal Veterinary Association Scientific Committee. 2004. Purebred Dog Health Survey. Retrieved July 5, 2007
  6. "Association of Bloodhound Breeders Health Survey 2013" (PDF). Association of Bloodhound Breeders. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  7. 1 2 Johnston, George (1979). Hounds of France. ISBN 0-904558-43-6.
  8. 1 2 Charles IX (1625). La Chasse Royale (Chs vii,viii) (in French). Retrieved September 27, 2009.
  9. 1 2 du Fouilloux, Jaques (1561). La Venerie de Jaques du Fouilloux.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Le Couteulx de Canteleu, Baron Jean-Emmanuel (1890). Manuel de Vénerie Française.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Le Couteulx de Canteleu, Baron Jean-Emmanuel (1865). La Vénerie Française à l'Exposition de 1865,à l'Union de Tous les Chasseurs de France.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Buchanan-Jardine Bt MFH MBH, Sir John (1937). Hounds of the World.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Brough, Edwin (1902). The Bloodhound and its use in Tracking Criminals.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Lowe, Brian (1981). Hunting the Clean Boot. ISBN 0-7137-0950-2.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Brey, CF; Reed, LF (1978). The Complete Bloodhound. ISBN 0-87605-052-6.
  16. 1 2 Anonymous (c. 1330). Guy of Warwick (line 6737).
  17. Anonymous (c. 1350). William of Palerne or William and the Werwolf (line 2183).
  18. Anonymous (c. 1350). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (line 1436).
  20. 1 2 3 4 Turbervile, George (1575). The Noble Art of Venerie or Huntyng.
  21. Barbour, John (1375). The Bruce.
  22. 1 2 Henry the Minstrel (Blind Harry) (1470). The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Caius, John (1576). Fleming, Abraham, ed. Of Englisshe Dogges.
  25. 1 2 Ash, Edward C (1927). Dogs, their History and Development (2vols).
  26. 1 2 Boyle, Robert (1772) [1673]. Birch, T, ed. On the Strange Subtilty of Effluviums/Of the Determinate Nature of Effluviums.
  27. Kennel Club Breed Record Supplements
  28. The Bloodhound, the St Hubert and the FCI, in Barwick M: Aspects of Bloodhound History
  29. Master of the Hounds Article on Christiane Barnard, American Bloodhound Club Bulletin summer 1989
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Whitney, Leon F (1947). Bloodhounds and How to Train Them.
  31. 1 2 3 Tolhurst, William D (1984). Manhunters! Hounds of the big T as told to Lena F Reed.
  32. 1 2 Treuherz, Julian (1993). Victorian Painting.
  33. Edwards, Sydenham Teak (1800). Cynographia Britannica.
  34. 1 2 Gesner, Conrad (1563). Thierbuch.
  35. Lee, Rawdon B (1902). Modern Dogs.
  36. 1 2 Jesse, George R (1866). Researches into the History of the British Dog in two volumes.
  37. 1 2 Dalziel, Hugh (1879). British Dogs.
  38. Cotgrave, Randle (1611). A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues.
  39. 1 2 Daniel, F W (1995). The Association of Bloodhound Breeders 1897-1995.
  40. de Bylandt, Comte Henri (1897). Races des Chiens.
  41. 1 2 The Oxford English Dictionary.
  42. Anonymous (c1400) Alliterative Morte Arthure (line 3640).
  43. The Derivation of the Word "Bloodhound", in Barwick M : Aspects of Bloodhound History
  44. 1 2 Coren, Stanley (2004). How Dogs Think. First Free Press, Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-2232-6.
  47. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tolhurst, William D (1991). The Police Textbook for Dog Handlers.
  48. 1 2 3 4 Virginia Bloodhound SAR Association. Procedures for Utilizing the Mantrailing Bloodhound.
  49. 1 2 3 Johnson-Ferguson, Colonel Sir Edward, Bt. Bloodhounds and their Training, revised R A Oldfield. Association of Bloodhound Breeders.
  50. The Kennel Club Year Book (any recent year)

Further reading

External links

Look up bloodhound in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chien de Saint-Hubert.