Bloodline recommendations

[Ruger]

Hello, I am hoping to be a first-time plott owner and am seeking recommendations. I train German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois professionally for personal protection, tracking and obedience. Unfortunately they are not healthy enough to keep up with me on long distance hiking, I usually do about 300 miles per trip.
I am looking for probably a female plott that is very willing to please and obedient but could be trained for personal protection. Can anybody offer me an opinion as to whether Plott Hounds in general can be trained for protection, to actually bite a person not just bark? If so what bloodlines would you recommend. I have been looking at Pocahontas Kennel and am impressed with them but I really don't know much on this subject. I would also like to train for blood trailing but that is secondary to a healthy, protective hiking dog.

[SASS]

In my opinion if you are looking to do any type of protection work I would not go with a hound. I would look at maybe a stock bred cur of some type. But maybe there will be better opinions on this from other people. Most hounds are going to want to hunt first and do anything else second, that is why they are such great hunting dogs. Just one mans opinion for you.

[david]

Sass I have the same opinion and was notified of your post when I went to post mine, but rather than modify it to follow yours, have left it as it was:

I will give you an opinion, it is only that and probably worth what it cost you.

The Plott breed in general has a lot of hound blood. Hunting hounds are bred to hunt independently from their handler. Many are hard headed and can be taught to listen to you but it is not natural for them. Some of the hardest headed, track driving dogs with no quit, and no desire to listen to anyone that might ask them to (in my life) have been Plotts.

I would recommend other directions toward dogs that take pleasure being a close companion and are naturally protective of their human family. I don't think any of the seven tree hound breeds as a whole just naturally do what you are seeking. You might find individuals that do, but you would be fighting the odds.

For physical stamina I don't think you will find anything with more endurance than the working livestock breeds like the border collie. Some of the healer breeds bred for cattle have a strong urge to bite.

The Drauthar might meet your needs.

The Black Mouth Cur is another one that comes to mind. Many of them are intensely loyal and some naturally would bite if allowed, and have to be taught not to.

Maybe a cow bred Catahoula would be worth looking into. I am not sure about that.

There are probably a dozen other breeds that would suit you very well.

It's just my opinion, but I don't think a Plott (or any of the other six hound breeds)is really what you are looking for.

[Ruger]

Thank you for the advice. I have read all different opinions on the Internet and was hoping to hear from someone actually working dogs and not trying to sell one.

[david]

Another thing for you to consider is that an intact male dog is "6.2 times more likely to bite" than a female dog.

[scrubrunner]

I agree with David and sass about any hound. My vote would be a male black mouth cur. The ones I've had experience with, most were protective, trainable and would bite unless trained not to.
Catahoula also, or a cur cross. Id get a brindle one, I don't believe I've ever seen a brindle cur that wouldn't bite or a brindle cow that wouldn't try to hook you!

[SASS]

Yup ruger you are right in stock dog country. A lot of BMC's are protective, in fact most stock bred dogs that I have seen tend to be naturally protective. My friend had a few curs I think they were BMC's and they would ride in the bed of his truck and if you tried to get near his truck and he was not around they would let you know it was a bad idea. Better than any car alarm I have ever seen.

I would recommend find a cowboy that's working one of those ranches and uses his dogs everyday and see if you can get a pup from them or if they can point you in the right direction. But beware they tend to be really tight with letting any of their dogs out.

[pegleg]

I've seen some hounds that would just naturally bite but they sure weren't under anyone's control.
As a side note it's been put forward that some hounds if taught to trail people are prone to bite. I'm not sold that this is the actual trigger but it well could be.
There are some hound strains that are protective but I can't say they fit in a breed. And even those would turn your 3000 mile trip into 600000. Hounds just go about things differently.
Get a cattle dog or anything known to do what your wanting don't try getting orange juice from a lime.

[david]

Ruger, I failed to commend you on your 300 mile hikes. That is great to hear about.

So if you have an interest in Hounds, and you like to challenge yourself physically, you might consider lion hunting in wilderness areas.

Pack for survival, find an old cold lion track heading into some of the most spectacular country in North America, and put in on it. Do your best to keep up. You will see amazing country and perhaps the most majestic and mysterious animal in North America. If it was me, I would not kill it, I am far too lazy for that; and you may not be a hunter, but take your camera.

You will see places few have seen. You will wake up in the middle of some breathtaking scenery. You will have no threat from crazy hikers or whatever you are needing a guard dog for. And you will be physically challenged to the max.

Any way, congratulations on your achievements, and we hope you find the dog of a lifetime. If you choose a cur dog that will tree, (like the black mouth cur) you would have a dog capable of helping you get a lion treed if you can walk out the track until it is warm enough for the dog to take it.

[lookinup]

I have a pocohontas plott straight from Eugene and she would dang sure go the distance with you but I would not count on her doing anything but greeting strangers. Handles like a cow dog though, would be a good hiking partner. I second the drahthaar mentioned above, maybe even a german wirehair. Tried attaching picture of plott but not smart enough. Good looking dogs from Eugene no doubt.

[lookinup]

Maybe this will work

[TomJr]

The hounds I have owned will sure bite a bear or other critter without any training that just comes naturally. But I sure don't know how one would go about getting them to bite a person... its just not in their nature. I do think a Black mouthed curr could be trained in protection... at least the one I owned, it was a Male, he could jump a 6 foot fence and climb trees like a monkey too. I got him from Boar Runner on here.

[Colby]

I don't know if you've entertained it but American bulldogs that are stock bred with good build and muzzle could work well in this situation but make sure you went with a standard type or old stock bred not the Bully type of bulldogs. The bully type wouldn't do you Much good on wind and walking that kind of distance


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[Dan Edwards]

Some of your southern bred cur dogs that them fellas work on cattle and hog hunt with would be a better choice than most plotts for what you are wanting. Take care

[JTG]

If you can find a Cameron hound from the older blood of Savage Sam. They can be trained to attack on command. You can train them the same way you train for personal protection just like the Belgian Malinois. In fact they will take far more pain than German Shepherds or the Belgian Malinois.
The thing that I like about them for personal protection is, if some body comes around at night, they will wake up the dead.
One of my friends uses them for blood trailing all over Texas.
You will give up on any hike before the hounds will. I love a good Plott and I am sure any gritty bear hound will do the same with the proper training.