Black and Tan Coonhound
A moonlit nose with a bawling voice — the South's original night hunter.
Vital stats
| Size | Large · 58–69 cm |
| Weight | 29–45 kg |
| Life expectancy | 10–12 years |
| Energy | Moderate-high — 60 min/day |
| Shedding | Moderate, year-round |
| Coat | Short, dense coat · black with tan markings |
| Group | Hound · FCI №300 / AKC |
| Origin | Southern United States |
| FCI group | 6 — Scent hounds and related breeds · FCI 300 |
Breed traits
Friendliness
Care
Mind
The Black and Tan Coonhound by the numbers
The Black and Tan Coonhound facts owners search for most — price, lifespan, weight, shedding and colours, in one place.
Widely bred, so you can usually find a litter from a registered breeder without a long wait. Ongoing costs run high — more food, bigger doses at the vet, and pricier insurance.
We don't quote a single figure: the real price swings with breeder, region, bloodline and health testing — and a rescue costs a fraction of a breeder's litter. Adopting is almost always the cheapest route.
Temperament
Built from Bloodhound and foxhound stock to work cold trails alone in the dark, the Black and Tan is independent on the job and wonderfully lazy off it — a calm, friendly housemate that transforms the instant a scent crosses its path. It announces the find in a rolling bawl its hunters could identify from a mile away.
Habits & quirks
Trail announcer
Each dog's bawl is distinctive — hunters knew whose hound had struck by voice alone.
Champion napper
A night worker by heritage, it treats daytime sofas as a professional obligation.
Ground-reading
Walks proceed nose-down, at the speed of scent, not the speed of you.
Counter cruising
That tall frame and food-driven nose make unattended dinners short-lived.
Health
The Black and Tan Coonhound is a robust, old working breed without a headline inherited disease, so the care that keeps it well is mostly the ordinary kind done properly. The ears earn top billing: long and low-set, they hang over the canal and trap moisture, exactly what an infection wants, so check and clean them every week and dry them after a wet day out. The bigger safety issue is the nose. A struck trail erases all memory of you, so a tall, secure fence and a lead on walks are not optional — they are how this hound stays alive near a road. Keep him lean off the trail, where he is happy to do nothing at all, and mind that a food-driven nose and a tall frame make an unattended counter fair game.
Nutrition
| Containment | A six-foot fence and a lead on walks are non-negotiable — a struck trail erases all memory of you. |
| Ears | The long, low-set ears trap moisture; check and clean them weekly to prevent infections. |
| Exercise | An hour of daily sniffing walks or trailing games; scentwork tires it far better than jogging. |
| Training | Food-led, patient and short — this hound obeys when convinced, not commanded. |
Off the trail the Black and Tan is wonderfully lazy, a champion napper that treats the sofa as a professional obligation, so it is easy to overfeed a dog that spends most of the week resting. Feed to the work it actually does: a weekend of trailing burns far more than a quiet week indoors, and the bowl should follow. Weigh the meals rather than filling by eye, count the training treats in the day's total — this is a deeply food-led hound — and aim for ribs you can feel under the short, dense coat. A lean coonhound moves better and lasts longer; the food motivation that makes it trainable also makes weight the thing to watch.
Puppy guide
A Black and Tan puppy is sociable and easy-going, and the habits you build now are the ones you keep for a decade. Two jobs come first. Teach recall as a happy, well-paid game long before the nose takes over, and never fully trust it once it does — a long line and a secure garden are the safety net a coonhound needs for life. Get him used to having those long ears handled and cleaned from the start, so the weekly check is routine rather than a wrestling match. Socialise him widely, give the growing body sensible rather than punishing exercise, and let him meet other dogs — off the trail he is a mellow, friendly housemate, and he stays that way with company.
Training
Train a Black and Tan with food, patience and a short session. It is friendly and clever, but it was bred to work a cold trail alone in the dark, so it obeys when convinced, not when commanded — and nothing you can offer competes with a fresh scent. Start early, keep sessions brief and rewarding, and pay recall generously every single time, because a cheap reward always loses to a trail. Train recall as if it matters and manage the rest with a secure fence rather than hoping the training holds; the nose will win the argument on the days you least expect it.
Life expectancy
Black and Tan Coonhounds live 10–12 years. The Black and Tan Coonhound is a hardy, long-working breed, and you keep it sound into old age the same way you keep it happy: an hour a day of real sniffing work, a lean weight it carries easily, ears checked and dried every week, and a secure garden so the nose never leads it onto a road. Give it a job for its body and its mind, and this mellow night hunter stays healthy for years.
Similar breeds
Breeds with a similar build and background — worth a look if this one isn't quite the fit.
Breeds that look like this
Common questions
Are Black and Tan Coonhounds good family pets?
Yes — off the trail they're mellow, affectionate and good with children and other dogs. Budget for baying, drool and a nose that plans its own outings.
Do Black and Tan Coonhounds bark a lot?
They don't so much bark as bay — a deep, musical bawl bred to carry across miles of woodland. Close-quarters neighbours will have opinions.
Can a Black and Tan Coonhound be walked off-lead?
It's unwise anywhere unfenced — once the nose engages, recall stops existing. Long lines and secure fields are the honest compromise.
Does the Black and Tan Coonhound shed a lot?
Moderately. The Black and Tan Coonhound sheds a fair amount, steadily through the year with heavier seasonal patches. A weekly brush keeps most of the loose hair off your floors and clothes.
Is the Black and Tan Coonhound hypoallergenic?
Not really. No dog is truly hypoallergenic, and the Black and Tan Coonhound's shedding coat releases plenty of the dander that sets off allergies. If someone at home is allergic, this isn't the easiest breed to live with — spend time around one first.
Is the Black and Tan Coonhound easy to train?
Reasonably. The Black and Tan Coonhound is trainable with consistency and rewards, though it isn't the quickest study. Keep sessions short and positive, and be patient with the basics like recall.