A black and tan coonhound is a hunting dog breed. It is mostly employed for raccoon hunting.  This scent dog was developed in the United States through hybrids between the Bloodhound and the Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound.   The Talbot Hound, which was discovered in medieval England after the 11th century, is the ancestor of the Black and Tan Coonhound. Its lineage is then traced back to the Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound via the Bloodhound and Foxhound. The American Kennel Club recognized the Black and Tan Coonhound as the first of the six coonhound breeds in the Hound Group in 1945.

The Appalachian, Blue Ridge, Ozark, and Smokey Mountains are where the Black and Tan Coonhound originated. They trailed in the same manner as their Bloodhound forefathers, snout to the soil but at a faster rate. They would track any species, but raccoons and opossums were their specialties, and they commonly trailed at night. When the quarry was cornered, the hounds would bark.

Power, agility, and attentiveness are all there, as well as the capacity to cover ground quickly with strong repetitive leaps. Every hound has a characteristic voice that can be identified by its owners from a long-range. The Redbone Coonhound, Plott Hound, Bluetick Coonhound, American English Coonhound, and Treeing Walker Coonhound are the other breeds that were not recognized until the 2010s.

Body Structure

 The ears are long, wide, and thin, with a low and far back position on the dog’s head and a lengthy dangle down the neck, and the eyes are hazel to brown. Muscular legs that are long in proportion to body length are part of the breed standard. The tail is positioned somewhat below the back’s natural line. The dog’s tail is carried at a straight angle when it is attentive or exciting. The black and brown markings are comparable to those of the Rottweiler and Doberman. The bark of the Black and Tan Coonhound is loud and baying. It has a short, thick, and shiny coat.

Male Black and Tan Coonhounds should be 64–69 cm tall, while females should be 58–64 cm tall, according to the FCI breed standard, which does not mention a weight range. The United Kennel Club does, however, provide guidelines for males weighing 23–34 kg and females weighing 18–29 kg. The UK’s height proportions differ from the FCI’s, allowing males to be 58–69 cm tall and girls to be 53–66 cm tall.

Behavior

Indoors, the Black and Tan Coonhound is calm, friendly, peaceful, and discreet; outdoors, however, its powerful hunting instinct takes control, and it can be tough to prevent it from chasing once it begins. It is robust, strong, and stubborn, as becoming a dog of its ancestors. The Black and Tan Coonhound is friendly and tolerant of children, although a rambunctious child may find it too demanding. It is wary of strangers and may bark and scream in their presence.

Training and Caring

The Black and Tan Coonhound can run for kilometers, but it prefers to go for a nice stroll or a modest run, with the occasional foray into the field. It has the ability to stray if it picks up a scent, so a secure environment is required. It merely needs to be brushed once in a while. Drooling is common in Coonhounds, and the face may need wiping on a frequent basis. In order to avoid ear infections, the ears should be checked on a frequent basis.

Health

Although there is a danger of hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, ear cancer, and other ear infections, and eye problems in Black and Tan Coonhounds, they are generally healthy. The average number of births is eight puppies. The average lifespan is 10–12 years.