Black and Tan Coonhound Dog Breed Information

The Black and Tan Coonhound is the original American treeing scenthound, bred in the southern and Appalachian United States to track raccoon, opossum and bear by scent through forest and swamp and then hold the prey at the base of a tree with a deep, drawn-out bay until the hunters arrived on foot. The breed was the first of six American coonhound breeds recognised by the AKC, in 1945, and traces back through the Virginia Foxhound and the Talbot Hound to the same medieval bloodlines that produced the Bloodhound. NZKC recognises the breed and accepts AKC pedigrees on import, but NZ numbers are very small: only a handful of registered Black and Tan Coonhounds appear in any given decade, almost all imported from Australia or the United States rather than NZ-bred.

Adults stand 58 to 69 cm at the shoulder and weigh 29 to 50 kg, with males meaningfully taller and heavier than females. The short dense coat is always the same: rich black across the back and sides with clearly defined tan markings on the muzzle, the eyebrows, the chest, the legs and under the tail. The build is large, deep-chested and slightly Bloodhound-like in head shape, with long pendulous ears that drag low and sweep scent up to the nose during work.

Personality and behaviour

Black and Tans are affectionate, sociable and good-natured with their household. The breed was selected to live in working pack conditions and to trail with one or more partner dogs, and the wiring shows: most adults default to relaxed and tolerant with children, with other dogs, and (after appropriate introduction) with new visitors. The temperament is soft for a working hound, closer to the Bloodhound than to the English Foxhound, with a thoughtful, slightly reserved presence rather than the constant pack energy of a Beagle.

The trait that surprises new owners is the bay. The voice is the breed’s defining feature and the working tool that separates a coonhound from a sighthound or terrier. The bay is deep, full, drawn-out and astonishingly loud, designed to carry through forest at night and hold prey at the base of a tree until the hunter arrived on foot. The wiring is intact in the modern dog. NZ owners report Black and Tans baying at possums in the gum trees behind the house, at rabbits in a paddock 200 metres away, and at passing tractors. The bay is not optional and is not trainable to off; it is the sound the dog was built to make.

The second feature is the nose. The breed will follow a possum trail through bush, across a road, over a fence and into the next farm before considering whether to listen to a handler shouting in the distance. Recall in unfenced country is unreliable for life, regardless of training quality. Most Black and Tan owners use a long line in unfenced reserves and reserve free off-lead work for fully fenced rural paddocks.

The third feature is the speed of maturation. Black and Tans grow slowly and stay puppy-brained longer than most breeds; many do not settle into adult composure until 18 to 24 months. New owners expecting a Lab-pace adolescence are routinely surprised by the second year of toddler behaviour from a 35 kg dog.

Separation tolerance is moderate. The breed is more comfortable in multi-dog households where the social load is shared. Long workday absences alone produce vocalising and digging.

Care and exercise

Plan on at least 90 minutes a day of structured exercise, ideally combining steady walking with off-lead running on fenced ground and tracking or scent work. The breed is a stamina dog built for all-night raccoon hunts; sub-maximum exercise produces a destructive, vocal, escape-prone household problem.

Grooming is one of the easier loads. The short dense coat needs only a weekly brush with a rubber curry mitt; sheds steadily year-round at moderate volume. The long pendulous ears are the high-maintenance feature: they trap moisture and wax after wet bush work, swims and even drinking, and ear infections are the single most common Black and Tan vet visit in NZ. Plan on a weekly ear check and clean with a vet-recommended cleaner.

Diet is straightforward but the volume is meaningful. Adult intake commonly runs 350 to 550 g of quality dry food a day depending on size and activity. Two measured meals a day with at least an hour between food and hard exercise reduces bloat risk in this deep-chested breed. The breed drools moderately, particularly after drinking and around food; light slobber on walls and furniture is normal.

Things to watch for in NZ:

• Possum saliva and coonhound paralysis. The breed gives its name to coonhound paralysis (idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis), a neurological condition associated with raccoon saliva exposure in the United States. It is rare and not breed-restricted, but possums are the closest NZ analogue and the working scenario (catching and being bitten by a treed possum) is similar enough to be worth knowing.
• Heat tolerance. The breed handles cold easily and humid heat less well. Auckland and Northland summer days require morning and evening exercise.
• Pad and ear injuries. Working dogs pick up grass-seed abscesses, pad tears and ear-tip damage on rough NZ paddock and bush ground. Weekly checks pay off.

Climate fit in NZ is broadly comfortable. The breed was bred for Appalachian and southern US conditions (humid summer, cold winter) and handles Auckland summers, Wellington wet, Canterbury frost and Otago winter without difficulty. Upper North Island summer humidity is the only practical limit.

Where to find a Black and Tan Coonhound in New Zealand

Three honest paths.

1. Registered NZKC breeders. The Dogs NZ breeds directory lists active Black and Tan Coonhound breeders when present. Numbers are very small: often no active litters in a given year and waitlists running 12 to 24 months. Expect NZ$2,500 to NZ$4,500 per puppy. Reputable breeders hip score and discuss the bay and the housing footprint honestly.
2. Imports from Australia or the United States. The standard route for most NZ Black and Tan owners. Import costs (transport, MPI biosecurity, paperwork) add NZ$3,000 to NZ$8,000 on top of the puppy price.
3. Substitute breeds. Most NZ households interested in a coonhound profile choose a Bluetick Coonhound (slightly more present in NZ working circles), a Bloodhound for the nose, or a Beagle for a small-scale equivalent. None is a perfect Black and Tan substitute, but all are more accessible.

Avoid backyard breeders advertising “coonhound” puppies without verifiable AKC or NZKC pedigree; the breed’s working appeal in NZ possum-hunting circles makes it a target for unregistered crosses sold at premium prices.