The breeds · scenthound · scenthound

AKC Hound · UKC Scenthound · FCI standard 84

Bloodhound.

FCI 84: scent hound for large-game venery, service dog, tracking dog and family dog; foremost a leash hound, used to follow the trail of wounded game (as in blood-scenting trials) and to seek out missing people in police work. UKC: a trailing scenthound, expert at cold-trailing an old, cold trail. AKC mantrailing feature: the Bloodhound is the benchmark mantrailing breed..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

9.3YRMedian lifespan8.6 to 11, measured on real dogs.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

80–119LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 90 to 119 lb; breed bitches 80 to 106 lb.

2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day (RKC). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 25 to 28.3 in · bitches 22.8 to 26 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1996

Same treatment as males. Conversion cm / 2.54.

Weight

dogs 90 to 119 lb · bitches 80 to 106 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1996

As for males; low 80 is the printed mean. Conversion kg x 2.2046.

Coat

Short, dense, quite harsh and weatherproof on the body; very short and soft on head and ears; underside of tail longer and harsher (UKC). Colors: black and tan, liver and tan, solid red; small white on chest, feet and tail tip allowed. Skin thin, extremely loose, in deep folds on head and neck (AKC, UKC, FCI).

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2009

UKC text; AKC (colors and skin) and FCI 84 agree.

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · Short, dense, quite harsh, weatherproof coat (UKC). Loose, heavy skin; a large, heavy-boned dog.

DerivedUnited Kennel Club, 2009

Derived from the coat (short dense = 4). The scale is coat-only and does not account for body mass or skin folds. No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

9.3 years (8.6 to 11)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK pet dogs. Small sample (134 dogs, 71 deceased), hence the wide interval. Teng 2022 (VetCompass) does not include the Bloodhound. The AKC and RKC lines are shown beside the study and not used to set low/high.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day (RKC)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'More than 2 hours per day' = 150 min by the ruled mapping. RKC also lists the breed as a vulnerable native breed. AKC energy band 3 of 5 and mental stimulation 3 of 5 (AKC's own bands) disagree with the RKC on how much work the breed wants; both shown in the energy row.

Energy

AKC rates energy level 3 of 5 and mental stimulation needs 3 of 5 (AKC's own bands). RKC puts exercise at more than 2 hours a day. UKC: gentle and placid, somewhat reserved and stubborn; AKC standard: affectionate, shy and sensitive to correction.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands are an owner-audience summary. The temperament lines are the standards' words.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · Once a week (RKC). AKC coat grooming frequency 2 of 5, shedding 3 of 5, drooling 5 of 5 (AKC bands).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'Once a week' = 2 on the 1-5 scale. Drool and skin-fold care are not in the band.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2001

FCI 84 utilization line; FCI classifies it Group 6 Section 1.1 with working trial. In North America the working identity is human trailing (law enforcement, search and rescue, ABC mantrailing) rather than deer. Blood tracking of wounded game is the FCI's stated use but UBT's breed list does not name the Bloodhound.

Primary game

Historically deer and wild boar, hunted on a leash (RKC); in practice today a person: the Bloodhound is used to trail missing and wanted people (RKC: used from very early times in tracking humans; the Scottish sleuth-hound followed raiders and cattle thieves). FCI 84 also names wild boar in the Saint-Hubert hound's history.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC breed history text, FCI 84 history.

Also used on

Following the blood trail of wounded game in blood-scenting trials (FCI 84); finding missing people in police operations (FCI 84); competitive mantrailing under the American Bloodhound Club (AKC mantrail feature).

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2001

FCI 84 utilization. AKC feature quotes ABC judges, an editorial source.

Range

Close to the handler: a leash hound, worked on a long line rather than loose (FCI 84: foremost a leash hound). UKC: packs with other hounds.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2001

No published range figure. In a pack, UKC's 'packing behavior' describes hounds running together, which is not how it is worked as a tracker.

Search pattern

Methodical, nose-down trailing: UKC calls it a trailing scenthound with packing behavior and methodical tracking ability, exceptional at cold-trailing an old, cold trail. Worked on a long leash, usually in harness (AKC mantrail feature). AKC: experienced dogs and handlers can follow trails up to two days old; seriously skilled Bloodhounds are reported to follow trails weeks old. Competitive mantrailing trails run up to 36 hours at the most advanced level.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2009

UKC standard (trailing, cold trail); AKC mantrail feature for trail ages. The 'weeks old' figure is an anecdote in an editorial piece, not a test result; the 36-hour figure is for competitive mantrailing generally, not ABC specifically.

Field trial standard

American Bloodhound Club mantrailing: three recognized trailing titles, open to AKC-registered Bloodhounds that have passed the Event Entry Certification Test (EECT); the trail ends at a live person, trails run 18 to 36 hours at the top level in competition, and the dog follows one person's scent rather than a deer's blood. FCI classifies the breed 'with working trial'. UBT (blood tracking) tests are open to any breed but UBT's breed list does not name the Bloodhound.

Breed clubAKC, 2021

The titles and EECT come from the AKC feature quoting ABC judges (editorial); the ABC rule book itself was not read. The title names and the exact trail ages in the ABC rules are open gaps.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

26.4% · 3,752 OFA hip evaluations, all data as served Oct 8 2026; 26.4% dysplastic (mild 16.4, moderate 8.9, severe 1.1); normal 71.4% (excellent 3.3, good 43.6, fair 24.6). OFA rank 28.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own current breed statistics. OFA submissions come from breeding stock and from owners who choose to submit, so the figure describes dogs whose owners submitted, not every Bloodhound. Hou 2013 / Oberbauer 2017 not re-read for this entry.

Elbow dysplasia

14.9% · 1,932 OFA elbow evaluations, all data as served Oct 8 2026; 14.9% abnormal (grade I 11.1, grade II 2.1, grade III 1.7); normal 84.8%. OFA rank 34.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own current breed statistics, same breeding-stock skew as hips. OFA also lists cardiac, eyes, patella and thyroid evaluations for the breed; only hips and elbows are carried here.

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 5; Watchdog/Protective Nature 2; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 5; Affectionate With Family 4; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

No KENAI kennel lists the Bloodhound yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 8 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: Chien de Saint-Hubert, St. Hubert Hound, Sleuth-hound

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