Black and Tan Coonhound

Easygoing at home, single-minded on a scent.
A Black and Tan Coonhound
Photo: Steffen Heinz (Caronna)
Adult weight
29–50 kg
65–110 lb
Lifespan
10–12 yrs
Class · Field
also Sport, Companion

What it's like

At home the breed is generally easygoing and even-tempered, calm and friendly with people. It is bright, but it was bred to make its own decisions on a trail rather than wait for direction. Once on a scent it becomes single-minded and persistent, and its deep, baying voice carries a long way.

Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs steady training
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Friendly with everyone
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Very vocal
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

It has a short coat. It sheds through the year rather than in big seasonal moults. Plan on a brush once a week. It needs plenty of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Black and Tan Coonhound is a large dog, about the weight of a grown German Shepherd.

It is a large, rangy hound with a short, dense coat of coal black and rich tan, the tan showing above the eyes and on the muzzle, chest and legs. Its long, low-set ears hang in soft folds, and its head and expression recall the Bloodhound, though it carries far less loose skin.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
Black and Tan Coonhounds reach half their adult weight at about 5 months. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old. Most males grow into the size large-breed puppy foods are made for.
Fully grown
12 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight8
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
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Age
Male
Female
2 months
6.2–10.5 kg 13.7–23.1 lb
6.8–11.5 kg 15.0–25.4 lb
3 months
9.3–15.8 kg 20.5–34.8 lb
9.8–16.6 kg 21.6–36.6 lb
4 months
13.8–23.4 kg 30.4–51.6 lb
14.2–24.1 kg 31.3–53.1 lb
5 months
17.7–29.9 kg 39.0–65.9 lb
18.1–30.6 kg 39.9–67.5 lb
6 months
21.1–35.7 kg 46.5–78.7 lb
21.3–36.0 kg 47.0–79.4 lb
7 months
23.8–40.3 kg 52.5–88.8 lb
23.6–39.9 kg 52.0–88.0 lb
8 months
25.8–43.6 kg 56.9–96.1 lb
25.2–42.6 kg 55.6–93.9 lb
9 months
27.1–45.9 kg 59.7–101.2 lb
26.4–44.7 kg 58.2–98.5 lb
10 months
27.9–47.3 kg 61.5–104.3 lb
27.2–46.1 kg 60.0–101.6 lb
11 months
28.4–48.1 kg 62.6–106.0 lb
27.8–47.1 kg 61.3–103.8 lb
12 months
28.7–48.6 kg 63.3–107.1 lb
28.3–47.8 kg 62.4–105.4 lb
15 months
29.2–49.3 kg 64.4–108.7 lb
29.1–49.2 kg 64.2–108.5 lb

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long Black and Tan Coonhounds live yet. The 10–12 years shown is a general figure without a published source.

Where it comes from

The Black and Tan Coonhound was made on the American frontier after the Revolution, when settlers heading west and south needed a hound for raccoon, and it is believed to come from foxhounds and Bloodhounds. It trails with its nose to the ground, giving voice as it goes and at the tree, so hunters can find it. In 1945 it became the first coonhound breed the AKC registered9.

The Black and Tan Coonhound took its settled form in the hill country of the American South, especially the Appalachian and Ozark regions, where hunters bred for working ability rather than looks. Its work was trailing and treeing raccoon at night over rough ground and in harsh weather, though it was also used on opossum and larger quarry such as deer, bear and mountain lion. It is known as a cold-nosed hound, able to pick up and follow a trail that has grown old.

Breed standard

The Black and Tan Coonhound is judged against standard no. 300, in group 6, Scenthounds and related breeds4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Black and Tan Coonhound figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a large breed is most likely at the later end.

Compare with related

Bloodhound
Scent hounds · Giant
American Foxhound
Scent hounds · Large
Plott Hound
Hound · Medium
Otterhound
Scent hounds · Large
Or compare the Black and Tan Coonhound with any breed you choose
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Sources

Uncited on this page: Lifespan — no reviewed source yet, so it is a general reference figure rather than a published one.
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Parts of this page were written by AI ·