How trialing has changed yet another breed

When I was a boy, most of the blueticks were of this type.

When I was growing up, one of the most common dogs in West Virginia was the bluetick. It wasn’t always used as a coonhound. It was often kept as a general varmint hound and farm dog, but they all had a distinct appearance. They were all rather large dogs with heavy dewlaps and long-ears. They resembled the Grand Bleu de Gascogne hound from which we know that all blueticks descend. Perhaps the best way to think of them is of a somewhat less exaggerated bloodhound with black or black and tan spots and heavy roaning  (or “ticks”).

Today, the old-fashioned blueticks are not as common as they once were. Indeed, a lot of blueticks now are built on racier lines with less pendulous dewlaps.  The dogs are not nearly the size they once were, with most dogs weighing not much more than 75-80 pounds (and that’s for a big dog) and some bitches falling as small as 40 pounds.

The standard for the breed reflects the current style, which makes some sense. At least the coonhound breeders get functional conformation. That’s more than I can say for other breed clubs. Smaller dogs don’t overheat as easily as big dogs do, and more gracile frame is more advantageous when you are wanting a dog to run fast and hard for a long distance.

However, I don’t think that such a form would have ever existed but for the existence of coonhound trials.  As we have seen, trials have totally changed the conformation of the Labrador retriever, which used to be a relatively beefy animal. I call some of the trial-type Labs “Labrawhippets,” because that’s what they look like.

In response to the change in the bluetick, a group of breeders of the old-fashioned blueticks has formed their own registry. Their registry is the American Blue Gascon Coonhound Association. The name they take is of the old Grand Bleu de Gascogne. This breed very closely resembles the old-fashioned bluetick, and it is believed to the primary ancestor of the breed.  One theory goes that the French imported these dogs were supposedly imported to Louisiana, where they existed among the settlers for centuries. It’s also possible that Grand Bleu de Gascogne was the primary ancestor of the southern hound in England, which was common south of the River Trent and is believed to be major ancestor of the British foxhound and harrier breeds. The Southern hound existed until the nineteenth century, and it or some variety derived from it could have been the ancestor of the bluetick.

Another theory is that the Grand Bleus were the hounds given to General Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette, and these dogs were the ancestors of the bluetick. However, I take a more holistic approach. It’s very possible that all of them are true to a certain extent. The bluetick was a landrace hound of the American frontier for centuries. It’s only been in the past few decades that we’ve tried to parse this breed into a standard form with a standard history and appearance.

The American Blue Gascon Hound standard calls for a bigger dog with much longer ears and more of a dewlap. These dogs can stand 30 inches at the shoulder, and the minimum weight for a dog is 90 pounds.

Now, these dogs are probably not going to be run at the same speed and at the same temperature as the smaller hounds. It’s just physically impossible, but I can see why someone would want one of thes dogs. They are a heritage breed with a very good nose that can detect cold trails as well virtually any bloodhound.

My cousin recently purchased a dog of this type. He’s three months old and weighs nearly 30 pounds. He looks a lot like the cartoon character “Goofy,” but he’s already baying the masked quarry. In a few months, he’ll be in serious coonhound training, running with the more disciplined older dogs.

And although we may never have a consensus on this breed’s history or conformation, it is good to know that these dogs are still worked. I think the world be a sorry place without “Ol’ Blue.”