Has anyone been the owner of a Bloodhound. Did you, or do you think they are a demanding breed?

Don’t know much about them, but, they’re one of my favorite breeds. I couldn’t deal with the slobbering, though.

All dogs require responsibility and only owners willing to fully step up to the plate should have one. Relatively speaking, yes they are more demanding. Besides the excessive slobber, they are large heavy dogs that will require monthly heartworm prevention, flea and tick prevention, and daily food. My bullmastiffs cost $40 each every month for their flea/tick/heartworm prevention and $50 each for food. Be sure to factor that in, since these amount requirements depend on weight of the dogs.

They have a very strong odor (as most scent hounds do from their oily coats) and shed a lot, so if those things bother you, don’t get one.

They are very hard-headed when it comes to following odors. You can never trust them to come off a scent when called, or not to run in front of a car. They are oblivious when on the trail. For these reasons, they shouldn’t be off-lead in a non-fenced area.

The are very strong- although they are gentle, they can knock little kids over with exuberance, and that wagging tail is a deadly weapon!

They are short-lived- bloat is a real killer, as with any large, deep-chested dog.

You had better enjoy some BIG TIME noise. They are loud and incessant.

Thanks for the answers, I was also interested in hip displaxia problems with this hound.

@Garebo
Statistics on hip dysplasia in all breeds can be found at the website for the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.

Bloodhounds rank 20th on the list, with 26.2% of tested dogs being dysplastic.

Thing is, I live on 3 acres with lots of room for a big dog to enjoy. I still feel the particular dog within the breed can make a huge difference, but there are characteristics of a breed that can’t be denied.
The way the economy is going, I just might consider a German Sheperd.