Plott Hound Grooming

About the Plott Hound

North Carolina's state dog, and the odd one out among American coonhounds.

Every other coonhound descends substantially from English Foxhounds. The Plott does not: it comes from German boarhounds brought to the United States in the 1750s by the Plott family and kept as a distinct line for generations, and it was bred to hunt bear and boar rather than raccoon.

That history shows in the dog rather than the coat. Plotts are harder, more determined and more willing to face large game than the other coonhounds, and they are notably tenacious.

The coat is a five minute job: short, smooth, fine and glossy, usually brindle, occasionally with a slightly thicker double coat in some lines.

What actually takes time is the ears, the nails and the skin, and that is true of every hound there is.

Five minutes of coat

Go over the dog with a rubber curry mitt or a hound glove once a week. That lifts the loose hair, spreads the oils and gives the coat its shine.

Shedding is moderate and year round, with a heavier change in spring and autumn, when twice a week helps.

Bathe every couple of months or after a hunt, since a working Plott will come home covered in things a house dog does not.

Do not clip. There is nothing to take off and the coat protects the skin in cover.

Some lines carry a slightly heavier coat with a soft undercoat, which sheds more but changes nothing else.

Use the weekly session as the skin check. On a short coated hound everything is visible: ticks, scrapes, thorn punctures, lumps and the abrasions a working dog collects.

Thorn and bramble injuries are common in a dog that hunts in cover, and a puncture that closes over can abscess, so a small hole that swells needs a vet rather than watching.

The ears, which is the whole job

Every hound has the same ear problem, and it is worth understanding why rather than just being told.

The ear leather is long, hangs down and lies flat over the ear canal. That was selected for: a hanging ear sweeps scent up toward the nose as the dog works with its head down.

The cost is that the canal gets no airflow, stays warm and stays damp, which is what yeast and bacteria need.

So check the ears weekly. Lift the leather, look and smell. Wipe the visible part with a vet-approved cleaner. Dry thoroughly after every bath and every swim.

Do not push cotton buds into the canal and do not pour anything in without veterinary advice.

Head shaking, scratching at an ear, a yeasty smell, redness or a dark discharge all mean it has already started, and repeated infections need a vet rather than another bottle of cleaner.

A Plott that hunts is also collecting seeds, burrs and dirt in the ear on every outing, so check after work rather than only on schedule.

Nails, pads and a working dog's feet

A hunting Plott wears its nails down on rock and hard ground. A pet Plott on grass and carpet does not, and the nails get long enough to change the way the dog stands.

Trim every three to four weeks and do it little and often, since a hound nail that has been left long has a long quick that has to be receded gradually.

Check the pads after every hunt. Cuts, cracks, thorns and worn pads are routine in a dog working rough country, and a pad injury is easy to miss until the dog limps.

Clear the hair between the pads and check between the toes.

Interdigital cysts turn up in short coated hounds and look like a swollen red lump between the toes. They need veterinary treatment rather than home cleaning.

Teeth brushed. Hounds chew and lose teeth to fractures more than most.

Feel for ribs monthly. A Plott should be lean and hard, and this is a breed that gets fat quickly when it stops working.

The hard end of the hound group

Worth saying plainly, because the coat makes this look like an easy dog to book in.

Plotts were bred to hold bear and boar at bay, and the breed retains the determination that took. They are courageous, intense and physically strong, and they do not back down easily.

With people they are usually loyal and affectionate, and they are not aggressive by nature. But a Plott that has decided something is not happening is a genuinely difficult dog to move, and forcing it works badly.

They are also loud. The bay is what the breed is for, and a Plott in an unfamiliar salon is likely to use it.

Prey drive is extreme, so a salon with cats or small dogs loose is worth asking about, and doors matter.

Handling from puppyhood, and a calm groomer who is not in a rush, are the two things that make appointments easy.

They are otherwise healthy, with hip dysplasia and bloat the two worth knowing about, and bloat is a real emergency in a deep chested dog.

What to tell your groomer

Say a bath, a rubber mitt, nails, ears and pads. There is nothing to cut.

Ask for the ears lifted, checked and dried thoroughly, since that is the actual work.

Ask them to check the pads and between the toes, especially if the dog works.

Say the dog is loud by breed rather than distressed.

Say the prey drive is extreme, so cats and small dogs should not be loose.

Say forcing does not work with this breed and a calm slow appointment does.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the Plott Hound