# hound dogs



## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

I've seen some hound dogs on here and was wondering if those of you who own or know one think they are as food driven as a lab.

i'm watching one for a week and she is really not interested in her kibble. when she does eat, it's slow and she chews which is unlike any dog i've owned.

i've been suggesting raw as an option and I didn't know if they should expect that their hound will still be picky on raw. if they do switch, i'll feel partly responsible if it's a struggle, but i can't see how nose oriented dog could resist raw meat. at least she chews, so I think she'll handle bone in cuts pretty well.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

I do think most of them are, I have heard of some bassets being picky though. I did sort of have one at one time, Sidney was one of those that would eat some times and some times not. When we finally got the internet and I started researching dog food I put them on a barf and home cooked instead of plain old kibble and it all changed. She was never picky again and if I did feed them kibble it was a better quality. She was a basset hound.

When I got Maddie basset redbone mix she was not that into her food. She would eat really slow unlike my other dogs, but I never anymore if I feed kibble feed it plain. I either put canned or something home cooked and some water in it. When I have ever fed my hounds raw they have never refused to eat anything and have all been very easy to switch. And Maddie was 11 years old and I'm sure been on crappy kibble her whole life not one problem with her at all. I have sadly had to put her back on kibble most of the time as I did it before I had enough stuff in the freezer. I was running out of meat and I have to keep my basset on PMR because she had very bad ears and I'm not messing with success. But I will sometimes still feed her and Richter raw and have had no problem with that either.

And believe me she is no longer slow about eating, she will bark and howl at me when it's feeding time. I don't know what part the other dogs have in this because I sometimes think part of it is keeping it from the others. But Maddie is now very obsessed about her food and feeding times. I have heard of people having a hard time switching over there hounds but I never have and have never had them get cannon butt. Maybe I'm just lucky but mine have all had an iron gut.

Ok now I hope this all makes sense, I think I'm rambling, but both dogs I had before Sidney and Abigail were bassets as well so that makes 3 basset and 1 basset redbone all hounds no problem.


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## EchoEcho (Feb 22, 2012)

I've got an English Foxhound and she's extremely food motivated! Literally bounces and leaps into her crate to eat! Granted she did similar on kibble, especially when I was doing half kibble/half raw. When it was just kibble plain, she'd run into her crate and eat happily, but once I added the raw she literally could not get there fast enough. I was actually getting a bit worried that she was eating too quickly, which is another benefit of all raw in my opinion. 

Now she waits at the gate with her tail wagging waiting for her food and as soon as I come into the room with it she literally bounces with excitement over and into her crate, but she's very careful and good about chewing. I was surprised actually. At 70-75lbs she will take her time and crunch a chicken foot a 5-6 times before swallowing. 

As far as being picky... So far the only thing Echo isn't a fan of is turkey but so far she's yet to refuse a part of her meal more than once. 

And the switch in general has gone very easy for me so far. Week one I did chicken backs for the first few days, then added quarters for the rest of the week. Week two I added turkey. Week three I added pork, and then halfway through started adding beef heart and liver at the same time (small bits at first). Week four (this week) we're alternating days of boneless (pork, beef heart, liver, little bit of ground beef) and bone-in (vary chicken back, quarter, or turkey wing; also with a bit of liver, pork, and beef heart). 

I know it's much, much faster than most suggest and she has some soft poop the first day of all boneless (also increased the amounts of beef heart and liver she was getting that meal), but after that it's been good! She's still fairly young so I don't know if that made the transition easier or I was just lucky and she's got that "hound iron stomach"?

I love this story because I think it's hysterical- my best friends parents breed English Foxhounds (including Echo) and their hounds have twice now eaten light bulbs! We don't understand what on earth they think is yummy about light bulbs, but they've been fine afterwards. No change in any of them haha.


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

Yes my beagle is a mess over food. The chihuahua nto so much but he does what the beagle does. My Last dog was non chalant about food (unknown breeds) but given raw was super excited about food again.


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

thanks for the detailed responses. i really like getting a picture of how your hounds have handled food in general and raw. i think she just doesn't like her food because it smells like sawdust because she likes meaty treats. i'm so tempted to switch her while she's here but I don't want to create a pickier dog for them!

by the way she seems to be a bluetick/plott mix because she has ticking and brindle on her black body, not sure if they are different than other hounds


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

My boy is very food motivated. He always loved eating even when he was on kibble but I would say he gets a bit more excited now he's on raw. He is also not picky at all.
I have a friend with a poodle crossed with a spaniel and he is picky, so I don't envy her at all.
The only thing he wouldn't eat was thawed fish, I don't think he liked the texture and kept trying to eat it then spat it out. I eventually gave up and he now has tinned sardines which he loves.


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## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

EchoEcho said:


> I love this story because I think it's hysterical- my best friends parents breed English Foxhounds (including Echo) and their hounds have twice now eaten light bulbs! We don't understand what on earth they think is yummy about light bulbs, but they've been fine afterwards. No change in any of them haha.


That would be me =) haha - My parents have....I want to say 11 hounds at the moment. Most of them are completely and totally food obsessed. They take dishes out of the sink, things off the stove (while they're hot and cooking!), they've figured out how to open the bread drawer and get into the bread. They're a little bit out of control! (okay, probably more than a little bit). But, there have been a couple through the years that haven't been all that worried about food. One of them is mine, she's the smallest one at only 38 pounds, and I think that's partly why she's so small - she's just not that worried about food. She'll eat about half her food, then wanders away and lets someone else eat it. So, there are the odd ones that aren't into food, but I'd say about 90% of them are bottomless pits. Good luck!


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

BearMurphy said:


> thanks for the detailed responses. i really like getting a picture of how your hounds have handled food in general and raw. i think she just doesn't like her food because it smells like sawdust because she likes meaty treats. i'm so tempted to switch her while she's here but I don't want to create a pickier dog for them!
> 
> by the way she seems to be a bluetick/plott mix because she has ticking and brindle on her black body, not sure if they are different than other hounds


Blueticks and plotts are similar. Plotts are used primarily on bear and are well known for being excellent bear dogs while blueticks are used primarily on raccoons and lions. Buck (bluetick coonhound) absolutely lives to eat. He has NEVER turned down food whether it be chicken, beef, kibble, rat food, frog crickets, etc.

I have never had such a food motivated dog. He is stubborn as hell but when you have the tiniest morsel of something that MIGHT be edible in your hand he will bend over backwards to get it. He eats 2.5 lbs per day. If we feed him first, when we are trying to put Dude out with HIS food, Buck will dance around you begging for more even though he has 2.5 lbs in his belly.

Quite often, when I am eating on the couch, Buck will sit next to me and watch me. If sitting quietly doesn't work he will lay down, offer one paw, offer the other, offer them both, lay down again and at some point, all of the lights turn off one by one because maybe helping me eat in the dark will get him some food (he knows how to use the light switches). He acts like we only feed him once a week.

Post up some pictures of her. I'd love to see if I can figure out what she is. naturallyfeddogs and I have a running debate on what her Lucky is. Sometimes we thnk she is a bluetick/english foxhound mix. Sometimes we think she is a treeing walker/bluetick mix. I have come to the conclusion that she has american english coonhound in her... Although I will likely change my mind with the next sig pic she posts. Hahaha

ETA: And as you can see in my sig pic even cheese dust is to die for.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Lucky is not food motivated at all, unfortunantly. When it comes to food at dinner time, she tears it up! but otherwise for training purposes, nope. Not interested in food at all. She just really seems to so much satifaction in knowing that she has pleased you some how. Such a sweetie.

And yes, Dude And Bucks Mamma and I have come to "temporary" conclusion. Lucky is a BluetickAmericanenglishcoonhoundWalkerhound. LOL!! She knows her hounds so well, that that will likely change before long! HA!! We'll figure it out Dude and Bucks Mamma! LOL!!


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> Blueticks and plotts are similar. Plotts are used primarily on bear and are well known for being excellent bear dogs while blueticks are used primarily on raccoons and lions. Buck (bluetick coonhound) absolutely lives to eat. He has NEVER turned down food whether it be chicken, beef, kibble, rat food, frog crickets, etc.
> 
> I have never had such a food motivated dog. He is stubborn as hell but when you have the tiniest morsel of something that MIGHT be edible in your hand he will bend over backwards to get it. He eats 2.5 lbs per day. If we feed him first, when we are trying to put Dude out with HIS food, Buck will dance around you begging for more even though he has 2.5 lbs in his belly.
> 
> ...


Don't forget, a horse treat, a pinch full of grain and some hay pellets!!LOL
(yes we were testing his "need" to eat when Jess came out to see Mo!!LOL)

Oh and the fact that he loves being around Uncle Jesse when he is eating, the poor unsuspecting fellow that he is!!LOL


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

i'm so glad you responded about buck. your old sig picture really reminded me of her with his crazy long legs and ears flapping in the air. i will get some good pics today and post them.

she wouldn't eat her kibble this morning so i stirred in a a teeny tiny bit of canned tripe I had laying around from the old days because what dog can't resist that? well it worked but she puked up her kibble halfway through eating it. apparently she can do that if she eats too fast but it wasn't fast compared to my dog so i don't know what to make of it.

it's going to be so hard not to give her raw instead while she's here. i gave her a chicken foot last night and she loved it! chewed it all nice and slow like she was savoring it. i don't think she's going to be the crunch crunch swallow type of dog


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> Don't forget, a horse treat, a pinch full of grain and some hay pellets!!LOL
> (yes we were testing his "need" to eat when Jess came out to see Mo!!LOL)
> 
> Oh and the fact that he loves being around Uncle Jesse when he is eating, the poor unsuspecting fellow that he is!!LOL


Yep. That's m'boy! He eats horse food, cat food, rabbit food, rat food, frog food (crickets), etc. If it's food he will eat it. 



BearMurphy said:


> i'm so glad you responded about buck. your old sig picture really reminded me of her with his crazy long legs and ears flapping in the air. i will get some good pics today and post them.


Hahaha. The snow one? Yea. I don't know WHAT he was doing in that picture. I think Nick was throwing snowballs to/at him. He will be one year old tomorrow so he is still all gangly and leggy. Hahaha. How old is the girl you are watching?

And yes, pics please! Haha


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

she's about 8 months old and is a rescue from Tennessee

Here's some shots to start. The white fur has black ticking and the brindle is on her legs and small part of her head. Let me know if you need want close ups or a profile shot to compare to Buck


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

She's adorable!!! The second picture... That expression is one I see on Buck's face MANY times a day. When he is super interested in something going on behind him but can't bring himself to tear his eyes away from what he is looking at.

Definitely hound but I don't see any bluetick. I can see how Plott would be possible. Maybe some Treeing Tennessee Brindle too?


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

she really looks like some plotts on you tube i saw treeing a racoon. i only thought blue tick because of the black spotting on her white fur but i guess it would have to have a lot more black to get that blue grey look.

you should post some picks of buck!


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

BearMurphy said:


> she really looks like some plotts on you tube i saw treeing a racoon. i only thought blue tick because of the black spotting on her white fur but i guess it would have to have a lot more black to get that blue grey look.
> 
> you should post some picks of buck!


Many hounds can have ticking like that as long as it is not excessive. And those are only the hounds that conform to AKC standards. Ticking isn't only seen on blueticks. A lot of people think it is but beagles, bassets, foxhounds, treeing walkers, etc can all have ticking like on the girl you've got. Full on blueticked (like Buck) is a color not seen in the show ring beagles but quite a bit in hunting beagles. I do think you are definitely right with the plott idea.

ETA: Bluetick is allowed in show beagles but I have yet to see one anywhere. Beagles can be any hound color.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Oh I love the one where Buck has his legs back very cute. And thanks for saying what he is doing in your sig pic I couldn't figure that one out. naturalfeddogs hound looks so like the first hound in our family Angie was my sisters dog she found out in the middle of no where. We always thought she was Walker/ Bluetick wish I had a picture on my computer of her.

I would sure say Plott or Tennessee brindle and lab sure looks like some lab in there.

It's funny how every one around here likes a different kind of hound to hunt Lions with. One guy has Plotts one has English or Redticks what ever you call them and some others have Walkers. No one has Blueticks not sure why. There has been some Redbones but I haven't seen any for a while. Maddie was turned in because the gal that came and got the Walker that was with her said her husband was going to hunt Lions and she was to small.

Here's a pic of Turtles ticking.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

OMG-- that picture of Buck with his legs stretched out is to die for. You need to show more pics of him-- he has such natural personality. Very expressive...:becky:

By the way... didn't you say it was his birthday today? Happy Birthday, if it is!


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

My best friend has a pure bred 9 month old basset, and yes food is his main focus in life.


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

Herzo said:


> I would sure say Plott or Tennessee brindle and lab sure looks like some lab in there.


I would have said lab too because they are so common but she doesn't have any of the physical features except for webbed feed. Her muzzle is long and sharper than field labs. her head itself is small for her body, it has no dome so it's very flat and narrow. her eyes are droopy so you can see red in the corners. she looks black in the photo but has a good amount of brindle on her that is increasing as she gets older. her single coat is smooth and very short. she's has thicker paw pads than any dog i've seen-- they actually wrap up the front of her foot so her nails don't touch the ground. I think she's over 60 lbs

as far as her personality she is very vocal, either baying or whining, hates to be alone, and has a sensitive stomach. she does not eat fast nor does she finish ever last drop of food like a lab. she's a good guard dog and will patrol the fence line if she hears loud noises or other dogs. she's extremely submissive with other dogs but does not share high value items well. she's incredibly stubborn and doesn't really look to you for direction like a lab--but maybe that's the puppy in her. she's easily offended and hates to have her paws touched---she'll literally try to get as far away from you as possible. she's slow moving outside with her nose on the ground unless my dog is sprinting around the yard like a maniac. she uses her front paws alot to whack other dogs or you, or to get to something she wants. her bite inhibition has always been amazing for a puppy and she doesn't chew her bed/blanket in her crate or destroy her toys too much. she's very cuddly and thinks she owns the couch. i've never seen her sleep on the floor.

so mostly hound in description and traits, right?


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

i just saw that black and tan coonhounds have ectropion and she has that so maybe she's a black and tan **** hound/plott mix. her face is a bit saggier than a plott and she drools


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Herzo said:


> Oh I love the one where Buck has his legs back very cute. And thanks for saying what he is doing in your sig pic I couldn't figure that one out. naturalfeddogs hound looks so like the first hound in our family Angie was my sisters dog she found out in the middle of no where. We always thought she was Walker/ Bluetick wish I had a picture on my computer of her.
> 
> I would sure say Plott or Tennessee brindle and lab sure looks like some lab in there.
> 
> ...


Our breeder seems to have a lot of people buy his hounds for ****, lion, and hog. Hog dogs aren't as common but ***** and lions are a main use of the dogs. He doesn't have very many people at all use them on bears that I know of.

Turtles is adorable. I love hounds. I love how they are floppy and sloppy (but not too badly).



NewYorkDogue said:


> OMG-- that picture of Buck with his legs stretched out is to die for. You need to show more pics of him-- he has such natural personality. Very expressive...:becky:
> 
> By the way... didn't you say it was his birthday today? Happy Birthday, if it is!


It was indeed his birthday! Thank you. I shall tell him you said so! Linsey says it is Timber's first birthday too! And Gunner's (unofficial) birthday is April Fools! Lots of birthdays over just a couple of days! Lots of spring puppies.

I have a spring puppy and a fall puppy. Dude's unofficial birthday is November 15th. I can't remember exactly when in November it was so we made it the 15th. Hahaha



BearMurphy said:


> I would have said lab too because they are so common but she doesn't have any of the physical features except for webbed feed. Her muzzle is long and sharper than field labs. her head itself is small for her body, it has no dome so it's very flat and narrow. her eyes are droopy so you can see red in the corners. she looks black in the photo but has a good amount of brindle on her that is increasing as she gets older. her single coat is smooth and very short. she's has thicker paw pads than any dog i've seen-- they actually wrap up the front of her foot so her nails don't touch the ground. I think she's over 60 lbs
> 
> as far as her personality she is very vocal, either baying or whining, hates to be alone, and has a sensitive stomach. she does not eat fast nor does she finish ever last drop of food like a lab. she's a good guard dog and will patrol the fence line if she hears loud noises or other dogs. she's extremely submissive with other dogs but does not share high value items well. she's incredibly stubborn and doesn't really look to you for direction like a lab--but maybe that's the puppy in her. she's easily offended and hates to have her paws touched---she'll literally try to get as far away from you as possible. she's slow moving outside with her nose on the ground unless my dog is sprinting around the yard like a maniac. she uses her front paws alot to whack other dogs or you, or to get to something she wants. her bite inhibition has always been amazing for a puppy and she doesn't chew her bed/blanket in her crate or destroy her toys too much. she's very cuddly and thinks she owns the couch. i've never seen her sleep on the floor.
> 
> so mostly hound in description and traits, right?


Things you listed and how they compare to Buck:

-Very vocal: Yes
-Hates to be alone: Definitely
-Sensitive stomach: Nope. Buck has an iron gut but this can vary in dogs of the same breed
-Does not eat fast: Buck hoovers his food and that's why I have to feed him by hand or one huge frozen chunk
-Doesn't finish every last drop: You could eat off the floor after Buck is done with it
-Good guard dog: Yep
-Submissive with other dogs: Nope but not overly dominant
-Does not share high value items well: Yep. All high value chew times have to be supervised
-Incredibly stubborn: Heck yes
-Doesn't look to you for direction: Yes. Hounds are bred to work away and independently from their handlers
-Easily offended: Nope. Nothing bothers him. You can yell until you are blue in the face and he just looks at you like, "Are you done yet?"
-Hates to have her paws touched: Nope, doesn't bother him but this, IMO, has to do with training
-Slow moving outside: Nope, but he is still very young
-Nose to ground: Yep
-Active with other dogs outside running: Yep
-Whacks with front paws to play: Yep
-Uses front paws to get something she wants:Yep
-Great bite inhibition: Yep
-Doesn't chew bed or blanket: Yep
-Doesn't destroy her toys: It depends. Some he will and some he won't
-Very cuddly: Not always but a lot of hounds are independent in this aspect
-Loves the couch: Yep

Keep in mind, though, that Buck is a one year old, intact male purebred bluetick. The girl you've got it a mutt so if she DOES have lab or something else in her, it could take the place of some of the hound personality in her.


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

thanks for the feedback! her personality is the opposite of my lab/bc mix so that frustrated me at first but I am getting used to the hound nature. i really do love how goofy they are and she's not a spaz like my dog so it's not that hard to manage the both of them at the same time


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Yea sounds like a hound personality. I would think if it was lab then she would be really food motivated since there both that way. I had a basset that hated her paws touched also. I don't know about the bite thing all the hounds I have known have been big biters to hands. And I also had a basset that was kind of a picky eater till I started feeding her better. I was feeding more barf and some home cooked mixed with better kibble then she started eating every meal unless she didn't feel well.


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