Redbone Coonhound
The Redbone Coonhound is mellow and kind. As a hunter, they are courageous and tenacious. This active breed enjoys long bouts of exercise, followed by plenty of rest and recuperation with their people.
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Redbone Coonhound Traits
General Appearance
These medium-to-large dogs are known for their muscular stature and stunning red coat. Everything about a Redbone Coonhound is sleek and streamlined. They have long, drooping ears, and expressive brown eyes.
Coat and Coloring
The Redbone Coonhound has a short, smooth, coarse coat that is typically solid red. They may have a darker muzzle and can have a bit of white around their feet and chest.
Distinctive Physical Traits
Besides their overall sleek and muscular nature, the Redbone Coonhound is famous for its beautiful, typically solid red coat. Some say the breed looks as though it’s carved from mahogany.
Redbone Coonhound Temperament
For the most part, the Redbone Coonhound is even-tempered and affectionate. Their eager-to-please attitude makes them good candidates for training. With the proper training and the right amount of exercise, this breed excels as a family dog.
They are, however, an active breed that requires regular daily exercise, and it’s important to always keep them leashed or in a secure area when they are outside because of their hunting instincts.
Redbone Coonhound History
In the 18th and 19th centuries, raccoon hunters in the United States commonly owned red dogs with unknown ancestry.
Despite their unclear origins, these red dogs had unmatched hunting prowess, mainly as it related to hunting and treeing raccoons. These dogs came to be known as ‘Redbone.’ Eventually, breeders decided to produce a hound with the Redbone’s typical color, conformation, and skill.
The foundation stock for the Redbone came from Georgia in the 1840s from a fox hunter and breeder named George F.L. Birdsong. The first dogs from this breeding program—which crossed foxhounds with Bloodhounds and, later, Irish hounds—were called “Saddlebacks.”
Although these dogs had red coats, most of them also had black saddle markings. Through selective breeding, breeders were able to breed out the black saddle in favor of a dog that was solid red. These became known as Redbone Coonhounds.
Redbone Coonhound Care
Nutrition
The Redbone Coonhound is an active breed that does best with high-quality dog food that’s suited to their particular age, as well as any additional health concerns.
As with any dog, it’s important to monitor the amount of food and treats that you give your Redbone Coonhound, especially since some older dogs are prone to gaining weight as they age. Your veterinarian is always a good source to help provide you with appropriate nutrition and feeding guidelines.
Grooming
The Redbone Coonhound’s short, smooth coat is easy to care for; a once-weekly brush with a grooming mitt should help remove loose hair and keep shedding to a minimum.
All dogs require regular dental care, including at-home teeth brushing and professional dental cleanings, and the Redbone Coonhound is no exception. Maintaining good dental hygiene is important for their overall long-term health.
Exercise
The Redbone Coonhound is an active hunting dog that requires plenty of daily exercise to remain happy and healthy. Luckily, they enjoy many activities that they can partake in with their people, like running and hiking. They also make excellent candidates for dog sports like Coonhound trials and agility.
Training
The Redbone Coonhound has an eager-to-please attitude that makes them easy to train, especially when you start the training early.
Breed Group
Hound
The most common ancestral trait of this group is being used for hunting. Some use acute powers of scent to follow a trail while others demonstrate the gift of stamina as they run down a quarry. Beyond these two common traits, however, generalizations about hounds are hard to come by as the group is comprised of a very diverse lot of breeds.
