Temperament
The Redbone Coonhound is an excellent companion and family pet. They love to be with their owners and family, and are happy just doing things with their humans, or sitting nearby, watching them. A Redbone who has been left out of the family fun is a broken hearted one. Overall, they are very affectionate and loving: they will often leap to their feet to greet their master upon his return home and a typical Redbone will shower everyone with love, licking the face of their family and friends. They are very happy if you pet them, and love it. They are also a very boisterous breed and make excellent house pets by day and hunters by night. Redbones are very sensitive and being overbearing will only result in a broken spirit. They are very gentile with children, even small infants and easily tolerate a small child playing tag or a crawling baby tugging on their long ears.
Redbones are very intelligent and can be trained to do almost anything. They are widely used for hunting bear, racoons, mountain lions, and bobcats. They can track game over long distances using both their eyes and nose. This breed has a very loud baying bark that it will use while tracking and treeing. Redbones do not reach full maturity until the age of two years old, comparatively slower than many other breeds. While Redbone Coonhounds may take longer to train than other coonhound breeds, the end result is an accurate, confident dog that is able to track and tree with consistancy. If not hunting with the dog, and excellent outlet is to train as a watchdog. They are a highly alert and focused breed.
Redbone Coonhound History
In the late 1700's Scottish immigrants brought with them red colored foxhounds to Georgia, dogs which would be the foundation stock of the Redbones. Later, Bloodhounds were added to the mix. The name came from an early breeder, Peter Redbone of Tennessee. Over time, breeders followed a selective program that led to a coonhound that is more specialized for hunting prey. They are agile enough to track over mountains or in meadows and like to swim if necessary. Originally, the Redbone had a black saddleback, but defined breeding has lead to the pure red tone. Small amounts of white on the chest, between the legs, or on the feet is not uncommon.
Grooming
This breed is a light shedder, an occasional brushing will suffice.
Health Problems
A healthy and hardy breed that has very few known diseases or genetic health isssues. The most common is obesity.
Appearance
Redbones have a well proportioned build with a head and tail held high and proud. The face has a pleading expression, with sorrowful dark brown or hazel eyes and long, drooping ears. These dogs are great at getting what they want because of their facial expressions. Generally, weights range from 45-70 pounds. Males are typically larger and heavier boned than females.