Black and Tan Coonhound

The breed was developed in the United States, largely in the Appalachian and southern states, by settlers who needed a hound that could work rough country after dark. The foundation came from the Talbot-type hounds of medieval England by way of the Bloodhound, crossed with the black and tan Virginia Foxhound, producing a dog with the Bloodhound's nose and the foxhound's speed and endurance.

The job was treeing: finding the trail of a raccoon, following it however cold or convoluted, and then baying at the base of the tree the quarry had climbed until the hunter arrived. Because the work happened at night over unfenced ground, the hound had to be self-reliant and had to have a voice carrying enough to be located at a distance. Both traits were selected for hard, and both are still very much present.

The Black and Tan was the first of the coonhounds to gain formal recognition, admitted to the American Kennel Club in 1945; the United Kennel Club had registered the breed since 1900. It remains far more numerous in working hunting circles than in the show ring, and pedigrees still commonly trace to field-bred stock.

This is a substantial hound. Males generally stand 25 to 27 inches at the shoulder and females 23 to 25 inches, with weights typically between 65 and 110 pounds depending on sex and type; field-bred dogs are often lighter and rangier than the heaviest show specimens. The build is powerful but not coarse, made for covering ground with long, rhythmic, effortless strides.

The colour is fixed and unmistakable: a coal black body with rich tan markings above the eyes, on the sides of the muzzle, on the chest and legs, and beneath the tail, with black pencil markings often visible on the toes. The coat is short, dense and glossy, thick enough to protect the dog in cover and in cold weather.

The head shows the Bloodhound inheritance, with a domed skull, deep flews and long, thin, low-set ears that hang in graceful folds and reach well beyond the tip of the nose. The eyes are hazel to dark brown and the expression is soft and slightly mournful. The tail is carried up in a saber curve when the dog is working.

Indoors, the breed is famously mellow. A well-exercised Black and Tan is calm, unobtrusive and affectionate, tolerant of children and generally sociable with other dogs, which reflects generations of hounds expected to travel and hunt in company.

Outdoors it is governed by its nose. Once a scent is picked up the dog's attention narrows completely, and recall in the presence of a fresh trail is unreliable in most individuals no matter how well trained. Off-lead freedom is therefore only safe in genuinely secure ground, and a great many lost-dog reports for this breed begin with an open gate.

Voice is central to the breed and cannot be trained away. Black and Tans bay, howl and bawl, and the sound carries a long way, which is a serious consideration for anyone with close neighbours. They are also independent thinkers, bred to make decisions without a handler, so they take instruction on their own terms.

They are typically friendly rather than protective with visitors, though many will announce someone at the door in a voice that sounds far more alarming than the dog's actual intentions.

The breed's working role is night hunting of raccoon and opossum, and it is also used on larger quarry including bear and deer in some regions. Trials run by hunting registries test exactly that job: the ability to strike a trail, run it accurately, and locate and tree the quarry, scored on accuracy and voice as much as speed.

The same nose makes the breed useful in tracking and man-trailing sports, and Black and Tans compete successfully in AKC tracking and scent work events. Their stamina also suits long-distance hiking, though never off lead in open country.

As a household companion the breed's strengths are its steadiness and tolerance; its limits are its voice, its roaming instinct and its need for real daily exercise.