Acoonhound, colloquially acoon dog, is atype ofscenthound, a member of thehound group. They are an American type ofhunting dog developed for thehunting of raccoons and also for feral pigs, bobcats, cougars, and bears. There are six distinct breeds of coonhound.
Foxhounds were found to be inadequate for hunting American animals that did not hide near the ground, but instead climbed trees, such asraccoons,opossums,bobcats, and even larger prey likecougars andbears.[2] The dogs were often confused or unable to hold the scent when this occurred, and would mill about. This led to the development oftreeing hounds by hunters and dog breeders. Foundation dogs were chosen for a keen sense of smell, the ability to track an animal independent of human commands and, most importantly, to follow an animal both on the ground and when it took to a tree.[2]Bloodhounds specifically were added to many coonhound lines to enhance the ability to track.
Coonhounds can hunt individually or as a pack. Often, hunters do not chase their quarry along with the hounds, unlike organized foxhunting, but wait and listen to the distinctive baying to determine if the prey has been treed.[3] Coonhounds are excellent at hunting all manner of prey if trained properly.[4]
Coonhounds were bred fortreeing behavior, as exhibited by this Redbone Coonhound.
The third is theEnglish Coonhound, recognized by the UKC in 1905. The English has the widest color variation of the coonhound breeds, coming in redtick, bluetick, and tricolor patterns.
TheBluetick Coonhound and tricoloredTreeing Walker Coonhound were originally considered varieties of the English, but were split off and recognized as different breeds by 1946 and 1945, respectively.[9]
ThePlott Hound, a darkbrindle in color, was the last to be recognized, in 1946. It is the only coonhound that does not descend from foxhounds; instead, its ancestry traces back to German boar-hunting dogs.[10]
The Black and Tan Coonhound was the first to be recognized by theAmerican Kennel Club, in 1946.[11] The other coonhound breeds were not able to be AKC-registered until the 2000s; the Redbone and Bluetick Coonhounds were both recognized in 2009,[12][13] the English in 2011 (as the American English),[14] and the Treeing Walker in 2012.[15]
In 2008, the UKC recognized theAmerican Leopard Hound as a scenthound breed. It is used for hunting raccoons, as well as other game animals.[16]
As a breed that is often used to hunt raccoons, coonhounds are susceptible to "Coonhound paralysis," or more accurately, acute canine idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis (ACIP). This condition is the often result of a dog coming into contact with a raccoon's saliva, typically through a scratch or bite, though some cases do not involve raccoons at all.[17] Despite the name, any breed of dog can contract the disease, but it is more commonly associated with coonhounds due to their use as raccoon hunting dogs. The disease is compared toGuillain-Barre syndrome in humans, resulting in progressive atrophy to leg muscles, starting with the rear legs and moving forward, and in some cases impacting respiratory muscles.[18]
A study of 90,000 dog's patient records found coonhounds to be predisposed toatopy/allergic dermatitis with 8.33% of coonhounds having the condition compared to 1.08% formixed-breeds.[19]
