The Differences Between Bluetick Coonhounds & Redbone Coonhounds

Coonhounds are purebred hunting dogs. Bluetick and Redbone are two of the six coonhound breeds. The six types of coonhound are Bluetick, Redbone, Black and Tan, English, Plott and the Treeing Walker. The coonhound is a medium-size dog weighing, on average, 75 pounds as adults. Coonhounds make great family pets if exercised properly. They are gentle, loving, loyal and tolerant around children. The coonhound suffers from nose deafness, which is slang for ignoring the master's commands while chasing whatever scent it came across.

  1. History

    • Coonhound breeds have become more prevalent in recent decades. The use of the coonhound began with settlers who, unfamiliar with the terrain of their new lands, needed assistance in hunting game for survival. The raccoon was an unfamiliar species to European settlers, and the coonhound was a natural tree hunter. With food scarce the raccoon was an easy dinner. Settlers took the European hound and created a breed of coonhound that would hunt in the new terrain with ease. The six coonhound breeds can be traced to the original breeding of the European hound by the settlers.

    Redbone Coonhounds

    • The Redbone Coonhound is a happy playful dog good with children of all ages according to the American Kennel Club. It is affectionate and its bark is more like that of other dogs. The Redbone has a strong desire to obey its master. When raised from a puppy to be a family dog, it does so willingly. As a hunter, the Redbone has a keener sense of smell according to the AKC. Its offers agility combined with the stamina of a husky. The Redbone is a tree hunter and bred for the purpose. They love the water and are calm enough to walk on a leash, but they are fierce hunters. Domestic cats are not safe around a Redbone coonhound.

    Bluetick Coonhound

    • The Bluetick Coonhound is bred for intelligence, devotion and loyalty as a companion for any master and family according the the AKC. The Bluetick can be aggressive, but exercise will calm it enough so it lives well indoors. The Bluetick needs a strong master to relay commands, teach what are unacceptable displays and to reinforce positive behaviors. The master must become the pack leader for the Bluetick so it knows who is boss. As a hunter, the Bluetick is headstrong. It will ignore its master's commands to chase a scent. The Bluetick likes to chase tree animals such as raccoons, squirrels and chipmunks. The howl of the Bluetick is more of a long cry that turns into a howl. Letting a Bluetick off its leash is an open invitation for it to start a chase.

    Differences

    • The difference between the Bluetick and the Redbone coonhound are in physical coloring, temperament and drooling. The Bluetick is speckled with bluish gray hair, which is referred to as a Belton pattern. The dog is speckled so heavily that areas that normally would be white in a piebald breed have blue roan. The Redbone is not piebald like the Bluetick. A purebred Redbone in today's breeding world is all red. The Bluetick drools more than the Redbone coonhound. Temperament-wise, the Redbone is more accepting of domestic living, friendlier with young children. It does not have the same level of nose deafness and obeys its master with more consistency than the Bluetick.