- Also called:
- St. Hubert Hound
- Related Topics:
- Why are bloodhounds used as police dogs?
- hound
- scent hound
- On the Web:
- WebMD - All About Bloodhounds (Oct. 18, 2026)
Bloodhound
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What is a Bloodhound?
The Bloodhound is an ancient dog breed known for its exceptional scent-tracking abilities. With 230–300 million scent receptors, about 40 times more than humans, they can follow trails over vast distances. Originally bred by Belgian monks, they have a history of selective breeding for tracking.
Bloodhounds are large dogs, typically weighing 80–110 pounds and standing 23–27 inches tall. Their loose skin and long ears help trap and hold scents. The breed is known to be calm, affectionate, and gentle, though their strong tracking instincts can make training challenging. They need daily exercise within a fenced area or on a leash. Bloodhounds are also susceptible to certain health issues, such as bloat and skin infections, so owners need to provide proper care and cleaning, especially for their wrinkles and ears.
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What does a Bloodhound look like?
The Bloodhound is a large, strong dog with short hair and long ears. Its loose skin falls into folds and wrinkles, especially around the head and neck. The Bloodhound's coat comes in black and tan, red-brown and tan, or tawny colors.
Bloodhounds are known for their droopy ears and facial folds. The droopy ears stir up scents, and the facial folds hold the scent around the nose, improving their ability to trail. Because of their hanging lips, Bloodhounds can drool excessively, requiring frequent washing around the chest and face.
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Where did the Bloodhound breed originally come from?
The Bloodhound is an ancient dog breed known for its remarkable scent-tracking abilities. While the breed's origins trace back to ancient Europe, it was refined in Belgium and England during the Middle Ages. According to legend, the modern Bloodhound descends from the St. Hubert Hound, which monks bred at the Saint Hubert Monastery in Belgium during the 8th and 9th centuries. These monks selectively bred large scent hounds to honor St. Hubert, the patron saint of hunters. The monks reportedly presented these dogs to the King of France as an annual tribute, who then distributed them to nobles, enhancing their distinguished reputation. The dogs were reportedly exported to England in the 11th century.
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What are Bloodhounds famous for?
Bloodhounds are renowned for their exceptional sense of smell, possessing 230 to 300 million scent receptors, the highest among dog breeds. Their long ears and loose facial skin help trap and hold scents, enhancing their tracking abilities. Bred for tracking since the Middle Ages, they are relentless and hard to distract, making them invaluable in law enforcement and search-and-rescue operations. The accuracy of Bloodhounds' scent detection is so profound that they are the first animal whose evidence was admissible in U.S. courts, according to The Guinness Book of World Records. The modern word "sleuth" even derives from the Scottish sleuthhound, which referred to a Bloodhound.
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How do Bloodhounds use their sense of smell for tracking?
The bloodhound utilizes its extraordinary sense of smell for tracking due to having 230 million–300 million scent receptors, roughly 40 times more than humans. Their long ears and loose facial skin help stir up, trap, and hold scents close to their face.
Driven to follow scents, they are relentless trackers, hard to distract, and willing to please, making them invaluable in law enforcement and search-and-rescue. Calm and deliberate, bloodhounds methodically follow scent trails over vast distances and challenging terrain. Their accuracy is so profound that their evidence is admissible in U.S. courts.
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What special training do Bloodhounds often receive for their work?
Bloodhounds possess an extraordinary sense of smell, with up to 300 million scent receptors, which makes them excellent police dogs. Bred for tracking, they are relentless and hard to distract, yet willing to please, though they can stubbornly resist commands.
Because of their drive to follow scents, Bloodhounds can be challenging to train. However, their skills in tracking and nose work make them invaluable in law enforcement and search-and-rescue operations. Their evidence is even admissible in U.S. courts.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Bloodhound, ancient breed of dog and likely the oldest breed of hound that hunts by scent. Its scenting ability is remarkable, and it is likely the breed from which most scent-hunting hounds have derived. It has roughly forty times the number of scent receptors—about 230 million—as the average human.
The breed’s name derives not from any notion of bloodthirstiness or aggression in the dog but from its “blooded” (meaning aristocratic) ancestry. Although the hound was known in ancient Greece and Rome, it was allegedly refined as a tracker in the Middle Ages. According to legend, the modern Bloodhound derives from the revered St. Hubert Hound, bred and developed by monks in the 8th and 9th centuries at the Saint Hubert Monastery in Belgium. The monks bred large scent hounds in honor of St. Hubert, the patron saint of hunters, in what some have called one of the earliest dog-breeding programs in history. They reportedly gave their amazing hunting dogs to the king of France as an annual tribute and he in turn gave the dogs to his nobles, further solidifying their distinguished reputation. The dogs were reportedly exported to England in the 11th century.
- Former names: St. Hubert’s Hound, Sleuthhound
- Breed group: Hound
- Height at withers: 23–27 inches (58–69 cm)
- Weight: 80–110 pounds (36–50 kg)
- Life span: 10–12 years
- Did you know? Edwin Brough, an English silk manufacturer and respected Bloodhound breeder and trainer, became famous when two of his Bloodhounds, Burgho and Barnaby, were invited in 1888 to assist in the search for serial killer Jack the Ripper. When Brough later exhibited three of his hounds at the Westminster Kennel Club show in New York City, he contributed to the spread of the breed in the United States and helped to establish the breed standard.
Typically docile and deliberate, the dog has a mild-mannered appearance and gait that some have mistakenly interpreted as laziness. The dog, however, has been one of history’s most active breeds, used and valued since antiquity as a relentless tracker of both prey and people. The breed continues to assist law enforcement in tracking people and aiding in search-and-rescue operations, and according to The Guinness Book of World Records, it is the first animal whose evidence was admissible in U.S. courts. In fact, the modern word “sleuth” derives from the Scottish sleuthhound, which referred to a Bloodhound and which in the 19th century became an epithet for a detective.
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The Bloodhound is a large, strong dog with short hair and long ears; its loose skin falls into folds and wrinkles about the head and neck. The droopy ears are said to stir up scent, and the facial folds reportedly hold the scent around the nose, improving its ability to trail. The coat is black and tan, red-brown and tan, or tawny.
Care and upkeep
Although the dog’s coat requires only occasional brushing and bathing, the area around the chest and face may need more frequent washing, even daily, if it accumulates drool and begins to smell. Because of its hanging lips, a Bloodhound can drool excessively. Many owners have the dog wear a bib if the drooling becomes intolerable. If a dog shakes its head, the drool can easily be spread to anything nearby.
Its ears may be held back with a soft scrunchie or snood to prevent them from dragging in the dog’s food and water bowls, and its large paws can also track in considerable dirt. Obviously, this is not a breed for owners obsessively concerned with cleanliness.
The dog’s deep wrinkles should be cleaned and kept dry to prevent skin infections. The dog’s low-hanging ears should also be checked regularly, because they can trap bacteria, moisture, and heat and prevent air from circulating inside, breeding infections. Bloodhounds are also susceptible to red eyes. Because its lids can droop away from the eyes, the tear ducts are pulled down, allowing eyelashes and other elements to irritate the eyes; if the irritation persists, a veterinarian visit may be necessary. Like all deep-chested dogs, Bloodhounds can suffer bloat—which occurs when a large dog’s stomach fills with trapped gas, fluid, or food—putting them at risk for gastric dilation-volvulus (GDV), in which the stomach twists, cutting off the blood flow to vital organs, sending the dog into shock, and potentially causing a buildup of toxins that can cause the heart to stop. Bloodhound owners should learn to recognize the symptoms of this potentially serious condition.
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Temperament
The Bloodhound is driven to trail. Once it is on a scent, it is hard to dissuade the dog or even distract it. Because of this instinct, the dog can be a challenge to train. It is willing to please, but it is not a quick responder and can stubbornly resist commands.
It is typically calm and affectionate and widely considered laid-back, but it needs at least an hour daily walk or run outside. Because of its tendency to follow a trail, this exercise should be done on leash or in a fenced area.
It is an amiable breed that generally gets along well with other dogs and people. It is not quarrelsome. It is gentle with children and older adults but can pull very hard when on leash. Not surprisingly, the dog excels in the organized sports of tracking and nose work.
These are well established and widely accepted generalizations about the breed. Individual dogs may differ in behavior and temperament.