Bloodhound
The best nose of any animal people work with, and its trail evidence has stood up in court. Once it is following, it stops noticing anything else.
Overview
The Bloodhound has the best nose of any dog and possibly of any animal. It can follow a trail that is days old over ground that has been walked on since, and a Bloodhound's identification of a trail has been accepted as evidence in American courts.
The loose skin, the long ears and the heavy wrinkles are all scent equipment: they trap and hold the odour around the nose while the dog works with its head down.
Temperament
Gentle, patient and immovably stubborn. Bloodhounds are famously good natured with people and children and completely useless as guard dogs.
Once on a trail a Bloodhound is gone, and it will follow for miles without noticing anything else including roads. That is not a training deficiency, it is a hundred and fifty pounds of single mindedness doing exactly what it was bred for. Recall is unreliable and always will be.
Care and grooming
The wrinkles and ears are the work. Facial folds need wiping several times a week or they develop skin fold dermatitis, and the long ears need weekly cleaning and drying.
They also drool heavily and constantly, which is a genuine lifestyle consideration. Bloat is a serious risk in this deep chested breed, hip and elbow dysplasia occur, and ten to twelve years is the expectation.
Living and exercise
An hour and a half or more a day, with the nose in use. Trailing work is what they want.
A strong lead, a harness rather than a collar, and a fence they cannot go through. They are strong enough to pull an adult over when they catch a scent, and that is worth taking literally.
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