Pet Health And Care >> Dog Breed >> Plott hound

Plott Hound Breed of Dog:

Plott hound dogs are medium sized and very athletic dogs that were historically bred to hunt for boar.

These muscular, agile dogs will usually come with a brindle coat and are well known for their endurance and raw power. History shows that the dogs were initially bred in Germany, where they were extensively used for hunting, but two of them had travelled to America with their master, Johannes Plott.

While there is no significant evidence to suggest that Johannes Plott ever ventured into North Carolina, where the breed is very prominent, his son did and is said to be primarily responsible for the initial breeding of these dogs. The Plott breed is till today, the state dog of North Carolina.

While the strain was kept pure in the early stages, other offspring were crossed with other breeds, but essentially the plott hound dog is very recognizable even to this day. The thigh muscles are probably the strongest muscles in the creature’s body and provide a substantial amount of energy to help in its spring. The feet also have webbed toes that help it maneuver itself through mushy landscapes. While most hounds have a low, gruff growl or bark, the plot hound has a rather curiously high pitched voice.

The Plott hound dogs are known to be extremely loyal as well as intelligent – making them relatively easy to train. Other strong character features include the animal being very strong willed and courageous and it is in fact not the least bit scared to play with a bear. It is essential that the animal is allowed to socialize during its formative years in order to prevent it from suffering from any character flaws like aloofness. Moreover, it is essential that the animal be trained by someone that has a character as strong as the dog as anything less may lead the canine to believe that it is the leader of the pack. This could lead to a number of character problems like a lack of discipline, destructiveness or even over protectiveness about objects around the house.

Most of the health problems surrounding the breed stem from the fact that the plott hound breed eats their food extremely quickly, causing some gastric problems as well as potentially lethal twisting of the stomach. Avoid exercising the dog just after a big meal, but allow time for proper digestion. The dogs will usually live for a period of about 10 to 14 years under adequate living conditions.

Submitted on January 5, 2010