What's the deal with Plott Hounds?

September 16, 2017 6:39 PM

Looking to bring another dog into the family and seeing quite a few but not familiar with the breed.

My husband and I are looking to adopt another dog. We've seen a lot of Plott Hounds. We live in a rural area so that's not surprising.
The only info I could find on metafilter was suggestions for pet trackers because a mefite had an escapee Plott Hound!

How are they as family dogs? We are interested in this particular guy. He seems to be slightly smaller than males tend to be, he's 2 years old so I don't know if he'll grow much more. He also looks a little bit like he may be a mix? Not sure. His description sounds like he's a great dog but I want to know more about his breed.

We have a 13lb yorkie/border terrier mix right now. He's 10 years old. He's super chill and totally ignores other dogs. We spend time with my husbands mother/father and sister/brother in law regularly. They both have rescue dogs. They're rescued hound mutts.
We currently live in a farmhouse without a fenced in yard. There is a huge field behind our house and when we're outside our dog is on a 50ft/100ft leash and he wanders. Otherwise we take walks, play fetch. We also have 13 acres of woodland 5 minutes away that we'll be building on in a few years time. We will have a fenced area then. My husband works from home and occasionally travels. I work just over 20 minutes away Mon-Fri.

I'm mostly wondering...
Are they affectionate?
Are they good with other dogs?
Can they be destructive?
Will he try and escape?

He's nearby so I think I'd like to meet him anyway but it's important to do your homework when rescuing a dog so I want to make sure we're right for each other.

Thanks!

posted by shesbenevolent to Pets & Animals (7 answers total)

The dog rescue I work with currently focuses on the larger scent hounds, and we do see plotts in sometimes. I don't know them as well as I do foxhounds and coonhounds but I can ask our director who knows more about them. Given their houndly temperament, letting them off leash is usually not a great idea as their ears turn off once their nose find something fun. They will often wander off to the next scent and ignore you yelling their name.
The ones i've met are usually good family dogs. Sometimes they have a prey drive that means they will chase cats and small dogs, sometimes in dangerous ways. The shelter should be able to give you some ideas about how he is with Guarding food or toys especially if there's more kids in the house. Some of them are fine, some of them are not. My particular hound dog loves running at the dog park and also sleeping in the most comfortable spot on the sofa she can figure out. She's not as obsessive about food as some hounds can be. Go meet him! It sounds like you guys might have a lot to offer him
posted by PussKillian at 7:45 PM on September 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

We had one for years. She was a great dog and had good recall, no problems there. She was the perfect mix of affectionate but still independant enough not to have separation issues or be clingy. She had that I do what I want hound thing but not too bad. She did chase cats but just for the lolz, she never hurt one and played well with them even.

She had high prey drive as hounds do but unlike most scent hounds she was willing to throw down. They're big game hunting dogs and she was 100% willing to take on big game. The vacuum scared her so she growled at it then when it didn't run away she attacked it - that's very plott hound. She got on fine with other dogs and was good with kids etc but she was VERY protective and I have no doubt she would have gone after anyone she thought was a threat. Most hounds have a lot of bite inhibition, she did not. Which was fine by us as she was actually a useful watch dog, unlike the coonhound and the husky who are hopeless melodramatic cowards.

I'd definitely check this dog out. I really liked out plott and I'd be happy to have another dog like her.
posted by fshgrl at 10:45 PM on September 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

I have a bluetick coonhound. Coonhounds are wonderful dogs, but can't be off leash. I use a dog facility that has woods and trails fenced in and she runs free there a lot. She can jump a fence too, unless it it's six feet, and she can climb a four foot fence.. That is really the only drawback to a coonhound, at least for me. They are very loud and bred to trail by scent. She is very, very affectionate and good with kids and other dogs, but I have had her since she was six weeks old so I have been able to somewhat mold her. She sleeps with us at night, and in comfy spots on couches. She likes treats but never had any food anxiety at all.

We have two cats that she chases around, but she has never hurt them. These dogs need a lot of exercise, which can be a problem for some people. Coonhounds are really beautiful dogs too, and mine always gets lots of attention on walks. On a walk, she sniffs every blade of grass, every post or spot of dirt, so you can't be in a hurry.
posted by chocolatetiara at 5:17 AM on September 17, 2017 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Well the shelter wrote back and said he has changed foster homes and is receiving training and won't be available for a while. So...
Thanks for trying to help!
posted by shesbenevolent at 1:59 PM on September 17, 2017

Since you do love in a rural area, you may find yourself contemplating another large scenthound in the future and let me just say: they're wonderful. My black and tan coonhound was such a great, funny, sweet dog. He only bayed outside, never a peep in the house, was gentle with all manner of children, and was lazy as all getout. Also, kind of dumb, but in a good way. He was food obsessed, so if he's been smarter he'd have been raiding the fridge, so I'm glad he was kind of a box of hair. I put a novice rally-o title in him and could have gone farther if I'd had more time.
posted by soren_lorensen at 4:51 PM on September 17, 2017 [1 favorite]

Animal Planet had a nice series on all the different breeds of dogs - highlighting the breed's personality and making an effort to be realistic about their suitability for different families. In addition, the comment section gives you more perspective from owners. here is the write on Plott Hounds.
posted by metahawk at 5:20 PM on September 17, 2017

The state dog of North Carolina and sort of ur-scenthounds (I have a presumed Schillerstövare, so.) I know a couple of Plotts (Burma smiles an uncanny grin on command but get bitten at least once each fall by a copperhead, Willow competes in Barn Hunt with my Jack Russell mutt, and a few others.) I have a friend just north of Knoxville who runs a Plott rescue. Please PM me if you'd like me to get you in touch with her; no obligation.

My observations, worth exactly what you'be paid for them: Plotts are stubborn and independent like most hounds. Many (maybe most) cannot be trained into reliable recall and must be leashed or contained at all times. They have very reliable noses and very individual personalities, but no Plott I've met has been forgettable.
posted by workerant at 8:39 PM on September 17, 2017