Despite the common perception of Bloodhounds being lazy porch dogs, they are far from it! These wild rascals have more energy than most people can handle, so training your dog properly is imperative from the start! Whether the Bloodhound will be a used as a detective dog, assitant for hunting, or simply a happy member of the family, there are guidelines that must be enforced to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship!
Bonding Before training your bloodhound, and teaching it how to perform as the you like, it is necessary to bond with your pup right away. When the Bloodhound becomes a part of your life, you become a huge part in theirs too! If you do not bond, respect, and care for the dog, the dog will not respond to commands, and will become negligent to its owner. If you are too eager to teach your hound how to become an expert detective, slow down! As the dog begins to respect you as its caregiver, it will love, help, and be a man’s (and woman’s) best friend: detective or not. All hounds start as similar, wrinkly faced dogs, and it is your responsibility to maximize their potential, and God (or evolution) given gifts. Training After you have created a trusting relationship with your dog, it is time to teach and enforce rules and guidelines about what the dog can do. While these dogs are extremely intelligent, they are also very stubborn. To counteract their teenage-like ways, you must constantly enforce boundaries of where they can go. Due to the dog’s stubborn nature, if the rules are not strictly applied, they will defer to their own rules which may conclude in chewed up furniture. Whether you reward your dog with treats, affection, or toys, consistency is the key! To get a full guide on how to train your bloodhound, check this out for more: http://www.misslazy.com/family_pet.htm Caring for the dog In addition to the psychological connection that must be made to sustain a healthy relationship with your hound, there are some specific health issues that must be remedied to keep your hound physically healthy: Susceptible diseases/conditions Fold Dermatitis is a skin condition that creates redness, sores, and odor on parts of the skin that are especially wrinkly and foldy. Since hounds have an immense excess of skin, they are susceptible to this disease. To stop the disease before it happens, rough scrubbing and cleaning of areas around the ear, stomach, inner legs, and back can reduce the chances. If the dog has obtained the disease, there are various ointments and antibiotics to treat the infected area, with success depending on the severity of the condition. Bloat is a condition when the hound’s stomach is distended with gas or air and is unable to vomit in order to get rid of the excess air. This condition impedes blood flow to the heart and blood pressure consequently drops. If medical assistance is not sought out when bloat is discovered, the outcome can be fatal. To prevent this condition, feed your Bloodhound in smaller quantities, and more feedings. Some symptoms of bloat are excessive drooling, “retching” without the ability to throw up, depressed, and lethargic. For more information on these diseases and condition, make sure to check out the "Health" page! /health.html |
Make sure to treat your Bloodhound in some way!
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