General Description

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The Plott Hound has a face full of cute expressions.  The breed’s rounded head has a long rectangular muzzle which ends in a large black nose.  Small round eyes show off this dog’s emotions.  Large floppy ears hang down past their bottom lip.  On their muzzle, their upper lip is loose and hangs past their bottom lip, too.   A muscular neck usually with a dewlap leads to their broad shoulders and deep chest.  From their body stretches long muscular legs that end with small, webbed feet.  Their stomach should be sunken in and their tail is long.  Sleek fur covers their body and resembles the coat of a Great Dane.  Coat colors can be brindle - which is most common, blue slate, or buckskin; they also commonly have black covering their back.

This is the state dog of North Carolina. The black covering on this breeds back is commonly known as a saddle. Some buckskin dogs have been found with no brindle in their coat at all. The colors ranged from sandy red, red fawn, yellow orche, cream, a dark fawn, and a gold tan. True old time Plott's were not near as 'hound like' as they are today. There is great debate between Plott breeders and hunters. This debate is centered around the name Plott hound and the hound like appearance todays breed has, their large floppy ears for example. The original Plott's were bred with a mix of Swisser, Mountain Cur and Leapord Dogs. This created a game hunting dog with short non- hound ears that did not droop and in fact can become slightly erect. Through the years, many Plott breeders wanted a more hound like, longer legged dog. This is why some Plott's look more like the longer legged English bred hounds as compared with the medium legged, shorter eared old time Plott.

Character

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The Plott Hound can be a sweet family dog and a serious hunting dog all in one day.  Family is important to this breed that loves attention from the family.  Around children this dog is affectionate and calm.  The Plott Hound is intelligent, learns quickly, and is courageous.  They make a great family dog for someone who also hunts, because they can be “switch hats” easily. 

General Health

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The Plott Hound does not get many diseases, but they eat quickly which means some diseases are common.  The most common two are twisting of the stomach and gastric torsion also more commonly called bloat.  The most deadly is the twisting of the stomach.  Their life expectancy is between 12-14 years.

History

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The Plott Hound comes from non-British hound stock.  In the 18th century, seven generations of the Plott family started breeding their hounds to improve the stock.  In fact, they are such amazing hunters that they could even track bears.  The breed was recognized in the mid-1940’s, but the Plott family still keeps a tight leash on the breed and rarely makes puppies available to the general public.

Maintenance

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Brushing should be done to the Plott Hound once every week or two.  Most important is cleaning out their ears often because their ears will get dirty quickly.  Exercise is extremely important to the Plott Hound as it is to all hunting dogs.  Running off leash should be allowed often, and they would enjoy being able to hunt as well because that is good mental and physical exercise.  One important thing to remember is to not let them exercise after eating a lot because that can cause twisting of the stomach.

Ideal Environment

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The Plott Hound is great for family activity as well as for hunting.  This dog is friendly and social with children and family members, but they are sometimes not friendly around strangers.  This dog is intelligent and needs a firm owner for training.  The Plott Hound should be allowed to run off leash which means an apartment is not a suitable living condition.  A sturdy fence is required to keep this dog in.  An important thing is to be careful while feeding to prevent bloat and the twisting of the stomach.

Plott Hounds are scent hounds, which means they follow game with their nose. They should only be let off a leash or be able to run free in open areas with no traffic. Plott Hounds tend to wander off due to their curious nature.

Plott Hound Q&AAsk a Question

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  my 4 year old female plott hound seems to have acid reflux, and has lost energy. any ...

  my 4 year old female plott hound seems to have acid reflux, and has lost energy. any comments? She burps a lot and wakes up and has to sit up.

  Asked by Anonymous - 1 answers
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  Our rescued Plott seems to be an escape artist. Any tips on how to keep her in her crate ...

  Our rescued Plott seems to be an escape artist. Any tips on how to keep her in her crate (indoors) while we're gone?

  Asked by Anonymous - 1 answers
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  Can Plott Hounds be good around resident cats?

  Can Plott Hounds be good around resident cats?

  Asked by Anonymous - 7 answers
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  I cannot get my three-year-old female Plott hound to perform a "Down" in Basic ...

  I cannot get my three-year-old female Plott hound to perform a "Down" in Basic Manners class. She has learned the other basic commands but this one frustrates both me and the instructor, who cannot get her to do it...

  Asked by Anonymous - 2 answers

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