Where did Plott Hounds originate and who started the breed?

Answer 1

hey, i got one of them, they originate from the mom dog and the dad dog being in love.

well at least i didn't cut and paste

Answer 2

The Plott Hound is the only American hound without British ancestry. The breed's designated name honors its American founders and family tree. Seven generations of the Jonathan Plott family, beginning in the 1750's, bred their dogs exclusively within the family. A mix of bloodhounds and curs reportedly comprised the original stock. The dog's working claim to fame is coldtrailing bear and raccoons in the Appalachian, Blue Ridge, and Great Smoky Mountains of the Eastern United States. The Plott Hound is American through and through. The Plotts family have only rarely put these dogs on the market; so while the breed was officially recognized in 1946, it is still rare outside the southern states. Its is most efficient in the search for coyotes, wolves, and wildcats. They are extremely hardy and have superior hunting instincts. The breed has been carefully developed to be stronger and more persistent. They can make a good family companion but are seldom kept as one. Most people get these dogs for the hunt.

They are in the Hound group (obviously).

Answer 3

In 1750, two brothers left Germany for the Americas. They brought with them five Hanoverian Schweisshund (bloodhounds), which were known for tracking wounded animals even over old trails. One brother, Johannes Georg, survived the journey and began breeding the dogs where he settled in the mountains of North Carolina. His family continued the breeding program, adding other hunting breeds to strengthen the line, for the next two hundred years. As the fame of these hunting dogs that were used to hunt bear and boar spread, coon hunters began using them also. They have an open, unrestricted voice which notifies the hunter of their location and activity. They are noted for their stamina, endurance, agility and courage. They were recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1998 and are in the Miscellaneous Class.

The Plott Hound is eager to please, loyal and intelligent. It is a bold and fearless hunter.

The skull of the Plott Hound is moderately flat. It is rounded at the crown with sufficient width between and above the eyes. The muzzle is of moderate length. The bite is scissors. The eyes are brown or hazel with a confident, inquisitive expression. They should not look sad. The ears are of medium length, fairly broad and set high on the head. They hang gracefully with the inside part folding forward toward the muzzle. They should have a spread of seventeen to twenty inches and not extend below the nose. The neck is medium in length and muscular. It should not have loose or folded skin. The chest is deep. The topline gently slopes toward the hips. The back is well muscled, strong and level. The legs are straight, smooth and well muscled. The coat is smooth, fine and glossy. It must be thick enough to protect the dog from wind and water. Some dogs are double coated with a soft, short inner coat and a longer, smooth, stiff outer coat. Coat color may be all black, black with brindle trim, any shade of brindle including yellow, buckskin, tan, brown, chocolate, liver, orange, red, gray, blue or black. The brindle coat may have a black saddle. Some white may appear on the chest and feet. Average height is 22 inches. Average weight is 50 pounds.

Answer 4

They originated in Germany,Jonathan Plott brought them to the U.S.in 1750.

Answer 5

I actually just looked it up and it is the only hound with no british blood lines.They are named after the originator, Jonathan Plott and they are located in the southern united states only,not many are bought.

Answer 6

COUNTRY: USA
WEIGHT: 50 pounds
HEIGHT: 22 inches
COAT: Short, thick and dense
COLOR: Usually brindle; from light golden brindle to "saddled" brindle with large black mantle and brindle only on the legs; occasional smokey blue dogs; buckskins barred from registration
REGISTRY: UKC
GROUP: Hound



The story of the Plott Hound parallels that of the Plott family and their neighbors in the Great Smoky Mountains that join North Carolina and Tennessee, in what was Cherokee territory. Sixteen-year-old Johannes Plott emigrated to this area from Germany in 1750 with his brother Enoch, who died on the journey. With them came their Hanoverian-type schweisshunds. The descendants of these hounds were fostered, bred and hunted by seven generations of Plotts.

As generations of Plotts married and began families in other parts of the mountains, their hounds spread with them. The Plott's hounds ran the mountainsides for over 200 years. Used on a variety of game, these hounds were bear dogs par excellence. They didn't carry any specific breed name in the early days. Those belonging to Plotts were called Plott's Hounds, those bred by the Cables of Swain County were named Cable Hounds, etc., even though the hounds were all basically the same type and breeding. The original schweisshunds were crossed with other hounds and with cur types especially for their treeing ability. At one time, the breed was even referred to as the Plott Cur. But through the years, each of these clans maintained the original type of a tough, persistent, coldtrailing hound. H.T. Crockett, the Hannahs, the Cruse family, the Reece brothers, the Will Orr family and Blain Blevins all had notable strains.


By the 1920s, the old strains of these brindle mountain-bear dogs needed a boost. The Blevins Hounds were a strain of black-saddled tan hounds also known in the Great Smokies. Gola Ferguson, who had bred hounds of the Plott type for many years, crossed some of his with those of Blevins' type. The result of this cross, "Tige" and "Boss," was two legendary hounds that became known throughout the vast mountain range. Bred back to Plott types, they provided the boost that was needed to revive this old breed. Almost all modern registered Plotts trace to one or the other of these pillars. Even the Plott families, always able to appreciate a fine hound, bought dogs from Ferguson to improve their own stock. This cross also introduced the black-saddled brindle pattern.

When this breed was suggested for UKC registration in 1946, there were those that wanted them called Ferguson Hounds or Cable Hounds. Although many contributed to the breed, the Plott family received the honor in the final selection.

Plotts are very tough hounds who not only can coldtrail a 500-pound bear or a boar, but can stand up to that type of game when they have it cornered. As Ferguson said of one of his dogs, "Against bear, he was a one man army." One hunter's eager female Plott always tore up a bear's ear, which she'd grab and hang on to stubbornly. The Plotts are hounds of fine nose and beautiful voice, and are easily trained,

Hack Smithdeal, a well-to-do, avid bear hunter of Tennessee, did much to publicize the Plott breed. He claimed this breed to be the best he could find for bear hunting, and much of his famous pack came directly from John Plott and his son, George Plott, in the 1930s. A 1946 demonstration with SmithdeaTs hounds for the Conservation Department opened bear hunting with dogs in Michigan. From Smithdeal dogs came the hounds of the Pioneer Kennel of Dale Brandenburg, who has produced many outstanding Plotts.

Although the lighter brindle color was common earlier, after the Blevins cross the most usual pattern was a black-saddled brindle, some almost a solid black with brindling only on the legs. Other colors appear in the breed, including slate blue from the Blue Delch strain and a very few buckskins. The buckskin color has recently been barred from registration due to the fact that some of that color had come from Redbone crosses. The Plott breeders, like the Blue Gascon and Majestic promoters, want to maintain the old hunting type without adulteration from hot-nosed speed hounds.