Plott Hound Dog Breed Information

The Plott Hound is a dog breed belonging to the scent hound category. It is the national dog breed of North Carolina. Traditional use of the Plott Hound is to hunt bears.

The medium-sized Plott Hound is a cunning and confident hunting breed. Here is everything regarding the Plott Hound breed.

Origin & History

The Plott Hound descends from the mountains of western North Carolina. Its German heritage makes it a unique breed among the Coonhound breeds. Further, the ancestors of the Plott Hound were five Hanover Hounds which a German immigrant named Johannes Georg Plott brought with him in 1750.

Hanover Hounds were used to being boarhounds in Germany. North Carolina, on the opposite hand, had bears. Thus, that’s why Plott trained his dogs to hunt. Plott settled in the mountains along with his family. His son Henry, bred the hounds with the local dog breeds. As a result, a big-game hunting breed was originated which was named as the “Plott Hound”.

The early Plott dogs were used for multiple jobs. Besides hunting, they were the protector of the home and livestock, herders and even guardians of the family children. These days, the Plott Hounds are engaged in a variety of tasks. Search and rescue teams employ them and they track cougars for tagging purpose by the wildlife agencies.

The Plott Hound is the official state dog of North Carolina since 1989 and a recognized member of the United Kennel Club since 1946. Furthermore, it is also recognized by the AKC since 1946 where it ranks 134th among the breeds registered.

Are the Plott Hounds child-friendly?

Yes, the Plott Hounds are quite friendly with children. In fact, they are extremely good with older children who know how to treat dogs. But they are not recommended for families with smaller children.

The hounds can become possessive of their food dishes. Hence, no matter if the dog is well-trained and socialized, they should not be left alone with the young kids.

Behavior, Temperament & Personality

The Plott Hounds are smart and loyal dogs with a curious and playful temperament. These dogs are great attention seekers and love the attention of the people. In addition, they are always eager to please their masters and family members. They are willful to approach and like to be held by the people. So, protective of their home and family, they are excellent family dogs.

Taking about the personality, Plott Hounds have a bright, confident, kind and courageous personality. Besides, Loyal and affectionate with family, the Plott Hounds are, somewhat, wary of strangers. But they get along with them very quickly. They have an independent and stubborn which is a great problem while training.

The Trainability of the Plott Hound

Mildly intelligent, the Plott Hounds are relatively easy to train. But the independent and stubborn streak of them comes into play while training. They are confident and alert dogs that like to run the show on their own. So, to control this, they should be socialized thoroughly with gentle exposure to people and other pets.

Facts about the Plott Hound

Here are some facts about the Plott Hound:

• The Plott Hounds were once bred with leopard-spotted dogs.
• Although there are many color combinations available, all Plott Hounds are Brindle.
• They are the official state dog of North Carolina.
• It is one of the cheapest dog breeds. (starting from $300 USD)

Common Health Issues of the Plott Hound

The Plott Hounds live a normal life of 12-14 years during which they suffer from various diseases. Some of them are:

Hip Dysplasia

It is a hereditary disease where malformation of the hip joints of the Plott Hounds occurs.

Gastric Torsion

Gastric Torsion is a disease that occurs when a dog’s stomach is bloated because it is full of foreign material, food items and gas.

Color Patterns

The Plott Hound are found in six different colors which are as follows:

• Red Brindle
• Tan Brindle
• Brown Brindle
• Black Brindle
• Black
• Blue Brindle

Size

The height of a female Plott Hound is 50–58 cm weighing around 18-25 kg. Wheras, a male Plott Hound is 50–71 cm weighing about 23–27 kg.

Price of Plott Hound puppy

A mother Plott Hound gives birth to 6-10 puppies at a time. You’ll need to pay an amount of $300 to $500 approximately and even higher for a purebred Plott Hound puppy.

Which dog breeds are they similar to?

Here are some dog breeds that are similar to the Plott Hound:

• Hanoverian Scenthound
• Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound
• Mountain Cur
• Carolina Dog
• Transylvanian Hound

Visit Doglime for more dog breeds’ information.

• Dog Breeds That Start With P
• Short Coated Dogs