The Plott “Coon Hound”
“Plott Hound”

Dog breed info
Plott
Weight Male: 50 — 60 lbs
Weight Female: 40 — 55 lbs
Height:Male 20” — 25”
Height Female 19” — 23”
AKC Rank 2008 #125
Lifespan: 11—13 yrs
Group Hound
Origin: United States

Dog Breed Info – The Plott

Breed Overview

Origin: 1750. Scent hound. Original function: Cold trailing, Bear hunting Today: Cold trailing, bear hunting, coon hunting. Other names—Plott hound, or Coon Hound. Drools a lot.

In 1750, a young fellow named Joahannes Georg Plott brought some of these dogs with him to his home in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, USA. The dogs proved to be excellent cold-trail trackers and hunters. They didn’t just find bear, boar, coyote and wolves, but could hold them at bay. This dog could even bring down a 500 pound bear. The Plott family bred their line of cold-trail brindle dogs for seven generations. As the family grew, the dogs were distributed across the mountains and became far reaching. In the early 1900’s, crosses with other breeds such as the Bloodhound were made to improve the strain. The dog was used mostly for bear, boar and mountain lions but could also tree raccoons. Coon hunters were more common than bear hunters so this was good, In 1989 it was designated the official state dog of North Carolina and in 2007 was registered by the AKC in the Hound Group.

Plott’s are fairly fast at learning commands and obedience. They MUST be trained, starting at 4 or 5 weeks old and continuing on. The most effective method of training is by clicker training and positive reinforcement.. If your dog is well trained in obedience., you’ll have a great companion and house pet. The clicker is effective, easy and dogs love the system.

Crate Training

Want to crate train your Plott Hound puppy? It’s easy and if you’re interested, take a look and you’ll see what to do. Crate training your puppy will save many headaches and problems.

Potty Training

The Plott puppy is generally fairly easy to house train, potty train, toilet train, housebreak or whatever you want to call it. If you have a puppy, decide if you want to crate or paper potty train it. For the best results, we have a page at Crate vs Paper Potty Training so you decide and from there you can get all the information you need to get the job done. Always praise the pup profusely when she goes potty in the RIGHT PLACE so she knows she has done a good thing. Either method will work for this breed.

If you have an older dog, take the dog outside every two hours until she gets the idea which door leads to her potty area. Older dogs catch on to the potty or housebreaking pretty fast once they are shown what to do.

This is an able and confident scent hound that has been used for years to track cold trails for bear and coon in the wild. While totally at home in the field and woods, the Plott hound is also right at home in the house with his family and with kids. This is a fine family house pet and does well with children. The Coon Hound craves lots of human companionship and closeness. They love hiking and jogging so this dog makes a good buddy for the active outdoors’ man. While affectionate, loyal and loving around the house, out on the trail the dog will take on the biggest of bear and win. He’s a courageous hunter but is headstrong and can be stubborn. The dog is wary of strangers but that is short lived as they warm up fast. The Plott is a pretty good watch and guard dog and can become a fairly ferocious fighter if provoked. Basically, this is a good natured dog but with the ability to get serious work done, whether it’s hunting big game or guarding the family.

The key to owning a good dog of this breed is heavy socialization at a young age, starting around 4 or 5 weeks. This is something to check for when buying or adopting one. The dog must be well socialized, trained, starting very young,

If you happen to get a Plott with a separation anxiety problem, that can be dealt with by investing a few hours of work on your part and some “tough love.”

Friendly Toward Other Dogs

Will pick and choose his dog friends. Can be aggressive toward dogs not to his liking. Should not be trusted with strange dogs such as in a dog park.

Friendly Toward Other Pets

.Maybe. Best if raised with the other house pets. He is capable of running cats up trees. Can usually be taught to exist with other dogs in the family.

Friendly Toward Strangers

Wary of strangers but makes friends quickly once the stranger is introduced.

Playfulness

Somewhat playful. Enjoys fetching balls, swimming, romping with older kids.

Quite affectionate, very loyal and loves human companionship.

Older children 6 or 7 and up are fine. Very young kids, toddlers and such should be closely supervised or kept away entirely. Generally, this dog has a good tolerance for children.

Good with Seniors over 65?

No—may need too much exercise.

Living environment

House with medium to large fenced yard, farm or ranch. Needs room to run and chase balls or Frisbees for games of fetch..

An apartment is okay only IF the dog can get out for enough exercise daily.

Energy level

Fairly high energy.

Must have adequate exercise. Needs a long walk and is a good jogging partner and also loves swimming. Supplement with a game of fetch or any activity to keep the dog active and moving.

The dog must be kept on leash when walking as they like to chase after animals and / or wander off in search of the unknown, forgetting they are supposed to be walking with you.

Good watchdog. Has an unusual high-pitched bark which is unique.

Good guardian of family and property. Can become fierce if sufficiently provoked.

Brush with a medium to stiff bristle brush on a weekly basis to remove dead hair. Besides, the dog will love the extra attention.

Suggested Reading For The Plott Click on the cover photos for more book information and reviews.

3rd book from left – “101 Dog Tricks” is stimulating mental exercise for your dog. There are things in this book I had no idea existed!

The book on the far right is by the American National Red Cross and deals with dog illness, emergencies and injuries. It’s a valuable reference manual for all dog owners. Vol 2, 2008, includes a DVD.

In the event you decide to go looking for Plott puppies, be SURE to find reputable breeders that REALLY know what they are doing. Be sure the puppy has been VERY well socialized and started in obedience training. That’s important for this breed.

I just visited Pets4you.com and PupCity.com, two very good sites for locating breeders. Neither one has a breeder listed for this dog! Try surfing online for Plott Breeders or puppies or clubs and see what you might turn up if you are determined to find a puppy.

Plott Rescue

In the event you are seriously considering the adoption of an older dog and are looking for a Plott Rescue group or groups in your state, here are several links that might help:
Petfinder – Plott Rescue – (Nationwide) As I write this, Petfinder is listing only 341 of these dogs available for adoption in the USA. That number can change, but it is an indication of how scarce this breed is in the country.
Adopt A Pet This is an interesting site that may give you some ideas. It’s worth checking out. There are a few Plott Rescue groups online and don’t forget your local kennels and newspapers.

This is basically a healthy breed. These are dog illness and medical issues this breed is prone to that have been listed by various veterinarians at different times over the past decade or so and some pertain to puppies and very young dogs that a breeder would deal with.

The information contained herein has been gathered from numerous books by veterinarians and is intended as general information only. Every dog and situation is different. You must see your vet. Our information is for general interest only and not intended to replace the advice provided by your own veterinarian.