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Plott Hound Dog Breed Introduction
Plott Hound ( simply known as Plott) is a large scent hound originally developed in North Carolina, in the USA for hunting of bears. They are popular for their intelligent, loyal, and eager to please nature. However, they are wary of strangers. For this reason, they need extensive socialization so that they may learn to differentiate between a friend and a foe. A Plott is also a vocal breed known for its slightly high-pitched baying that assists it to hunt successfully. It is among one of the recognized AKC Coonhounds along with Treeing Walker Coonhound, Redbone Coonhound, Black and Tan Coonhound, and Bluetick Coonhound. Although, unlike other coonhounds, it was not descended from English Foxhounds but from the German boar-hunting dogs.
Plott Hound History | Origin
A Plott Hound was developed in North Carolina from the five Hanover breeds that arrived with a German immigrant, Johannes Plott in 1750. Johannes settled in the mountains where he raised a family and hunted bears with his hounds. One of his children, Henry, bred the family pack to a local stock producing a big-game hunter that was originally known as Plott’s hound.
These dogs were popular and became a sought-after breed as courageous hunting dogs. The Plott Hounds were used for tracking down raccoons, bears, wild boars, and mountain lions until the prey was cornered or stuck up in a tree. At that point, the Plott would communicate where the prey is with a steady loud baying. Plott Hounds became AKC recognized in 2006. Although, they were recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1946.
Plott Hound Lifespan
A Plott has a lifespan of 12 to 14 years.
Plott Hound Grooming
A Plott Hound sheds at low levels all-year round. Therefore, they require minimal coat maintenance with just a weekly brushing using a hound glove or a soft-bristle brush to remove dirt and loose hair. The coat should also be brushed anytime the dog returns home from the field to remove any burrs or foxtails in the coat. If not removed, they may became embedded in the skin eventually causing serious infections.
An active outdoor Plott should be regularly examined for ticks and fleas that are easily picked up in the field. Rid the coat of these parasites immediately to avoid an infestation in your house. Plott Hounds need an occasional bath every 6 to 8 weeks to prevent them from having a doggy odor using a mild shampoo and conditioner. After a bath, thoroughly rinse off the cleaning products from the coat to prevent skin irritation using lukewarm water.
Trim the nails every 3 to 5 weeks if not worn down naturally to prevent overgrowth, cracking, and splitting. Brush the teeth of a Hound at least twice a week if not daily to prevent excess tartar buildup that causes a bad breathe. Clean the ears on a weekly basis using cotton balls and an ear cleanser solution while inspecting for redness, odor, and a dark discharge. These are sign’s of a dog that is suffering from an ear infection.
Plott Hound Shedding
A Plott sheds all-year round at low levels. Rarely, some are double-coated hence shedding at moderate levels during Spring and Fall.
Plott Hound Coat
A Plott Hound has a fine, smooth, glossy, and thick coat that protects it from wind and water. However, some are double coated having a longer, smoother, and stiffer outer coat and a soft, short, and thick undercoat.
Plott Hound Hypoallergenic
Although most of the Plott Hounds shed at low levels throughout the year, they are not considered as a hypoallergenic breed. This is because shedding releases dander and hair into the environment aggravating allergies. Apart from dander and fur, Plott’s saliva, mucus, and urine have a protein allergen that triggers an allergic reaction.
Plott Hound Training | How To Train A Plott Hound
Training a Plott Hound is fairly easy because they are eager to please and highly intelligent. They thrive on positive reinforcements methods such as the use of treats, toys, verbal praise, playtime, and petting. Particularly, a Plott is easily motivated with food and praise. A Plott may become toy or food aggressive, and need to be trained to avoid these behaviors from an allergy age by touching their food bowl while eating and taking their favorite toys while playing.
Avoid using harsh correction methods such as the use of prong and choke collars, shoving, kicking, or beating. This strains the relationship between the dog and the owner. These are smart dogs that easily get bored if they do the same thing over and over without giving them a little twist. Due to its intelligence, a Plott Hound needs mental stimulation to keep him occupied or it will find ways to amuse himself that may not be so desirable.
Keep the training sessions short for a span of 5 minutes 3 or 5 times a day to avoid boredom and distraction. A Plott can be a bit standoffish with strangers. For this reason, socialization training is a must to ensure you raise a well-adjusted, mannered, and friendly dog that learns that strangers are always not so scary. This training normally starts from the age of 3 weeks while the pup is with the breeder until the age of 16 weeks after it has already settled in its new home.
To socialize a Plott, expose to a wide variety of people, animals, places, surfaces, sight, situations, smell, experiences , and sounds such as whistles, baby crying sounds, sirens, lawn mowers, washing machine, and vacuum cleaners. Enrolling a Plott in a puppy class also serves as a form of socialization. These classes ensure dogs interact in a controlled environment. Puppy classes also empower the owner to not only identify and correct bad habits, but also have access to training information and assistance.
Start teaching basic command words from the age of 8 weeks after the pup joins your home. Some of the basic command words that a Plott can be taught include come, sit, stay, down, heel, leave it, etc. Teach one command word at a time until the dog is well-acquainted before proceeding to the next command word. Pet owners are cautioned against issuing a command while too excited or frustrated since the command words do not sound the same to your pet.
Effectively housebreak a Plott Hound by creating a feeding schedule, crate training, and potty training. Having a crate while potty training is an added advantage. This is because it allows the parent to monitor the pup for signs that it wants to eliminate outside such as whining, circling, squatting, restlessness, sniffing, and trying to lift a leg against the crate door.
To get positive outcomes when potty training, take a Plott to the delegated toilet area immediately it wakes up, after naptime, 20 minutes after meals and drinks, every 2 to 3 hours, following an exciting activity such as playtime, and before bed time. The bladder and bowel muscles of a puppy strengthens as it matures. Therefore, at the age of 8 months, a Plott Hound should go for potty breaks every 6 to 8 hours.
Plott Hound Behavior | Temperament | Traits
- Alert.
- Loyal.
- Fearless.
- Eager to please.
- Bold.
- Aggressive hunter.
- Wary of strangers.
- Protective.
- Athletic.
- Tough.
- Relentless.
Plott Hound Exercise
This is an athletic breed that requires plenty of exercise and outdoor time in form of long walks, runs, or play sessions with an owner in a secured yard. Daily exercise ensures a Plott Hound is mentally and physically stimulated. This breed should always go for walks on leash since it has a high prey drive.
Plott Hound Barking | Baying
A Plott Hound is a vocal breed known for a steady bark that is a slightly high-pitched baying that assists to hunt successfully. They use their loud baying sounds while hunting to indicate where the prey is. A Plott is also an alert dog that will bark to inform the owner of unusual sounds and strangers.
Plott Hound Height
A female Plott has a height of 20 to 23 inches ( approx. 53 to 63 cm ) while its male counterpart has a height of 20 to 25 inches ( approx. 55 to 71 cm ).
Plott Hound Weight
A Male Plott hound has a weight of 50 to 60 pounds ( approx. 23 to 27 kg ) while a female Plott has a weight of 40 to 55 pounds ( approx. 18 to 25 kg ).
Plott Hound Size
This is a medium-sized scent-hound. However, male Plott Hounds are slightly bigger as compared to their female counterparts in terms of height and weight. A male Plott has a height of 20 to 25 inches ( approx. 55 to 71 cm ) and a weight of 50 to 60 pounds ( approx. 23 to 27 kg ) while the female Plott Hounds have a height of 20 to 25 inches ( approx. 55 to 71 cm ) and weight of 40 to 55 pounds ( approx. 18 to 25 kg ).
Plott Hound Aggression
A Plott Hound is known for its aggressive, fearless and bold nature while hunting. They are also food or toy motivated. Therefore, they may easily develop food or toy aggression due to resource guarding. This behavior can be curbed from puppyhood by trading a delicious treat for any item that your take from your pet.
Plott Hound Bite Force
Reportedly, a Plott has a bite force of at least 200 PSI.
Apart from Plott Hounds, other dog breeds include:
Plott Hound Health Issues
Generally, a Plott Hound is a healthy long-lived breed that has a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. However, it suffers from certain health conditions such as hip dysplasia, bloat or gastric torsion, ear infection, hypothyroidism, elbow dysplasia, and von Willebrand’s disease.
Plott Hound Names
A Plott parent may decide to get a name for the Plott Hound while under the breeder’s care or a few days later after the pup joins them home so that they may understand the personality of a particular dog. Owners may get name inspirations from the heritage of the dog, coat color, personality, celebrity Plotts, nature, movies, books, songs, food, and historical figures.
Regardless of where you source the name, ensure it freely rolls off your tongue without making your embarrassed when uttered out loud in the public places. Plott Hounds and other dog breeds better understand a name that has vowels. Avoid giving your pooch a name that rhymes with the command words to avoid confusion.
If a pet shares a name with any family member or guest who frequent your household, it may cause unnecessary confusion. Get you pet a cute nickname if you settle with a long tedious name. Some of the names that Plott parents give to their pets include:
- Hunter.
- Rowdy.
- Phinneas.
- Sophia.
- Leia.
- Caesar.
- Bruno.
- Jasmine.
- Archie.
- Coco.
- Bella.
- Sadie.
- Charlie, etc.
Plott Hound Ears
A Plott Hound has soft textured, medium length, and fairly broad ears hanging gracefully with the inside part rolling forward toward the muzzle.
Plott Hound Food
The amount of food that a Plott feeds on depends on its age, metabolism, size, activity level, and body build. Plott Hounds puppies have a high metabolism rate as compared to adults or senior dogs. Therefore, a puppy should feed 3 or 4 times a day immediately they start weaning until the age of 6 months. From the age of 6 months, Plott Dogs feed a total of two meals for life with snacks in between.
As earlier discussed, a Plott Hound is susceptible to bloat. This is a life-threatening condition that results to the swelling of the stomach putting pressure on other nearby organs, cutting off the supply of blood and oxygen, and also puts tremendous stress on the heart functionality leading to shock and eventually death. AKC urges pet parents to be well-versed with the signs of bloat and what to do in such cases. To reduce the risk of bloating, Plott Hounds owners should avoid exercising their dogs one hour before or after meals, feeding one large meal but instead to split the food into two meals, and should also not allow their dogs to consume large amounts of water after eating.
Like other dogs, Plott Hounds should feed on the right amount of minerals, protein, amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, water, and fats to maintain a healthy bone structure and weight. Depending on the budget and the time of preparation needed, pooch parents may feed Plotts with dry food, wet food, home made meals, or a raw diet. Parents who prefer commercial dry or wet food should ensure the first three ingredients that are listed are proteins from a known source.
Commercial foods should also neither have fillers, chemicals, meat by-products, additives, nor preservatives. The same goes to the snacks given to the pets. Dry or wet food should also be formulated for medium-sized puppies, adults, and seniors depending on the age of your Plott. Check the physique of your pooch to tell whether it is underweight or overweight.
The dog is underweight if the ribs are visible. However, if the ribs are not visible but can be felt without pressing hard, a Plott Hound has an ideal weight. Although, if the ribs cannot be felt after pressing, the pet is overweight and should be exercised. Owners who want to switch to another pet food should gradually do this over a period of one month by mixing old food with new food. As the week progresses, the amount of old food decreases as the amount of the new food increases until the Plott Hound is only feeding on the new food.
Plott Hound Colors
A Plott has a brindled coat that may either be red brindle, yellow brindle, grey brindle, black brindle, tan brindle, maltese brindle, or brown brindle. A white spot is only permissible on the chest and/or feet.
Plott Hound Tail
A Plott has a long tail that has a saber-like appearance. The root of the tail is slightly below the topline level of the dog.
Are Plott Hounds Dangerous
No. However, Plott Hounds are naturally wary of strangers. If they are not properly socialized, they may exhibit dangerous traits such as barking, growling, or biting.
Are Plott Hounds Aggressive
Yes. Plott Hounds are aggressive when hunting. They are also known for exhibiting high resource aggression if someone approaches their toys or food bowl. However, resource aggression can be curbed during puppyhood by trading an item that the dog has for a delicious treat.
Are Plott Hounds Good Family Dogs
Yes. Plott Hounds are loyal, alert, bold, intelligent, eager to please, devoted, and excellent with children if well-socialized.
Are Plott Hounds Smart
Yes. Plott Hounds are smart dogs that are easily trainable and eager to please.
Are Plott Hounds Hypoallergenic
No. Most Plott Hounds shed at low levels all-year round while some that are double-layered shed at moderate levels in Spring and Fall. Shedding allows dander and fur to spread around the house aggravating allergies.
Plott Hound Quick Facts
- They are the official State Dog Of North Carolina since 1989.
- Plott Hounds are easily trainable since they are intelligent and eager to please.
- These are tough and relentless athletic dogs that require lots of outdoor time and exercise.
