This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, June 2011 issue.
For those new to the Bluetick Coonhound, I am hoping this will give you a better insight into how and why the Bluetick came to be.
Historical information for the Bluetick Coonhound is difficult to find prior to the 1920’s, back to the time of George Washington. It is believed that General LaFayette brought 5 French hounds and gave them as a gift to General Washington. These hounds are believed to be the French Stag hounds that were popular at the time. There were 2 types of stag hounds known during this time: a white hound, the Grand Gascon Saintogeois, and a blue hound, the Grand Bleu de Gasconge. Gen. Washington probably used them for small game hunting and in packs.
During this time and into the years that followed, several crosses were made with English Foxhounds in the Virginia area, probably trying to get a faster, hotter-nosed hound. Big game hunters were more interested in a hound that could run a cold track (a track that is several days or weeks old) and come up with the game at the end. They wanted a more resolute (maybe slower) and colder-nosed dog than was being bred at the time. This desire helped to begin the movement to separate the Bluetick from the English Coonhound.
The Bluetick Coonhound was originally classified as an English Coonhound. Bluetick and Redtick puppies were born in the same litter. The blue ones were classified as Bluetick, and the red ones were classified as English. A group of breeders got together and in 1946 created the first Breed Standard and petitioned UKC to officially recognize the Bluetick Coonhound as a separate breed.
A select group of men are considered the foundation of the Bluetick Coonhound that we know today. Some of these breeders include: Bill Green, the Lee brothers, O.O. Grant, Henry O. Smith, and Elbert Vaughn, among others. Bluetick breeders wanted larger, cold-nosed, and more resolute dogs. They continued to breed for the type they were looking for while maintaining the blue color. Blueticks were mainly used to put food on the table or hunt for hides.
Because the origins of the Bluetick Coonhound are not very clear until the 1920’s and later, the popular belief is that the modern-day Bluetick is descended from the Grand Bleu de Gasconge. The Gasconge hound is still bred today and is considered a separate breed from the Bluetick Coonhound.
There are several theories of how the modern Blueticks came to be. Some of these theories are discussed below.
The first theory is that the Grand Gascon Saintogeois and the Grand Bleu de Gasconge were bred together and then selectively bred for the blue color and other traits that were prized by hunters. These include: drive, fast-tracking, cold-nosed, and hard hunting ability. These are some traits that are still bred for in the Bluetick today.
There were some French hounds brought into the US via Florida and Louisiana as well. These were the French Tri-Colors, Porcelains, and Gasconges. Again, selective breeding to get the desired hunting traits and the blue color remained a top priority.
Another theory on the early breeding is that another cross was made with the Grand Gascon Saintogeois (the white hound) rather than the Grand Bleu de Gasconge (blue hound) during a period from 1934-1948. Thus began another series of selectively breeding for the blue color and the desired hunting traits.
As years passed and more emphasis was put on hunting for raccoons, the size and shape of the Bluetick became more refined and sleeker than those that are considered the foundation stock. There are some breeders that want to try to get back some of the larger hounds of yesteryear. In order to do this, they are breeding high-quality Bluetick stock with the Grand Gascon Saintogeois in an attempt to recreate the original line of Blueticks.
