If you want a quiet, easygoing dog who trots politely beside you, ignores wildlife and considers a baby gate a meaningful boundary, a Bluetick Coonhound may not be your dog.
Further reading: related guidance from Rebarkable · AKC Bluetick Coonhound breed overview
I say that with a great deal of affection. I’ve trained a good few Blueticks, and I live with Lucy, my Redbone–Bluetick cross who is usually described as a redtick. She is intense, clever, athletic, incredibly capable and completely committed to whatever her nose has decided matters. Even at 10 years old, she’ll happily cover six miles in a day.
Lucy is probably an 11 out of 10 version of the breed—but honestly, most of what makes her Lucy is still very recognizably coonhound. Blueticks were developed to follow scent across difficult terrain, make independent decisions away from their handler and keep going until the job was done. That history doesn’t disappear because we put one in a suburban home and buy them a nice orthopedic bed.
What Is a Bluetick Coonhound?
The Bluetick Coonhound is an American scent hound, best known for that mottled blue-and-black coat, long ears and deep, carrying voice. They were bred to trail raccoons and other game, often working at night and at a considerable distance from the person handling them.
That explains quite a lot about living with one. A Bluetick needs stamina, persistence, confidence and the ability to keep working without waiting for constant instructions. Those are excellent qualities in a hunting dog. In a family dog, they can look like selective hearing, wandering, climbing, opening doors and treating your carefully planned training session as a mildly interesting suggestion.
They’re not unintelligent. Quite the opposite. They’re just not designed to constantly ask, “What would my person like me to do?” Their first question is often, “What is that smell, where did it go and how quickly can I get there?”
Bluetick Coonhound Temperament
Blueticks are often affectionate, social and deeply attached to their families. Many are wonderfully tolerant household dogs and can be very sweet with the people they trust. But “sweet” should not be mistaken for soft, slow or naturally easy.
These dogs tend to be:
- Persistent
- Independent
- Highly scent-driven
- Vocal
- Physically capable
- Energetic and easily aroused
- Affectionate with their people
- Prone to following through once they’ve made a decision
Lucy wants to be going. She wants to be doing. She’s smaller and more compact than many of the Blueticks I’ve worked with, but she is an absolute rocket. If there’s an obstacle, she doesn’t tend to look at me for help; she starts calculating how to get over, under or through it.
That intensity can be brilliant when it has somewhere appropriate to go. It can also overwhelm a household that expected a floppy-eared couch dog.
A Bluetick Is Basically a Nose With a Dog Attached
My husband describes coonhounds as “a nose with a dog attached,” and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more accurate summary.
I have watched Lucy walk and sniff in an exactly straight line while the rest of her body adjusted around her nose. Her shoulders, spine and back end moved over uneven ground, but that nose stayed on course. Her whole body became a gimbal for it.
This is important because sniffing isn’t a minor hobby for a Bluetick. It is central to how they investigate and understand the world. On walks, the scent may be more reinforcing than your treats. Once they’ve found a trail, they can become so absorbed that everything else drops in priority—including you.
That doesn’t mean they don’t love you, and it doesn’t mean they’re trying to be dominant. It means generations of breeding produced a dog whose brain is exceptionally good at following scent. Training has to acknowledge that rather than repeatedly competing with it and blaming the dog when we lose.
Are Bluetick Coonhounds High Energy?
Yes. Most Blueticks need significantly more than a quick walk around the block and access to a yard.
The exact amount varies by age, health and individual temperament, but they were bred for endurance. Lucy still does around six miles a day at 10 years old. That does not mean every senior Bluetick should be doing six miles—exercise needs to suit the individual—but it gives you an idea of the engine these dogs can have.
Physical exercise alone isn’t the whole answer, either. If all you do is build fitness, you may simply create a fitter coonhound who still has no idea how to settle. They also need opportunities to sniff, search, solve problems and decompress.
I like long-line walks, scent games, scatter feeding, tracking-style activities and giving them time to properly investigate an area. For a Bluetick, a slow sniff-heavy walk can be far more satisfying than marching three brisk miles while constantly being asked to leave everything interesting alone.
Can Bluetick Coonhounds Jump and Climb?
Good grief, yes.
Lucy can jump approximately 5.5 feet from standing. She clears baby gates, climbs things that were never intended to be climbed and regards ordinary household barriers as puzzles. She also opens doors—including sliding doors.
Not every Bluetick will be quite that committed, but athleticism and problem-solving are normal breed traits. If you’re relying on a low fence, a loose gate, a simple latch or the belief that “surely the dog won’t try that,” you may be in for a surprise.
A secure physical fence should be tall enough for the individual dog, checked regularly and paired with gates that latch properly. I also like a backup GPS tracker for hounds because accidents happen. Guests leave gates semi-latched, trees damage fences and humans occasionally make mistakes. With a scent hound, a small opportunity can become a considerable distance very quickly.
Are Bluetick Coonhounds Easy to Train?
They are highly trainable, but they are not necessarily easy to train.
There’s a difference. A Bluetick can learn an enormous amount, but training needs to be worth their participation. Repeating cues, escalating pressure or expecting automatic compliance around scent is likely to frustrate both of you.
I use positive reinforcement, keep sessions short and pay properly for difficult work. I also teach skills in easy environments before expecting them around wildlife or a fresh scent trail. Recall is particularly important, but I would never treat training as a substitute for secure management. A brilliant recall is still being asked to compete with a brain built to trail animals independently.
With Lucy, capability has never been the issue. If I’d had her as a puppy, I honestly think she could have been the loudest but most capable agility dog imaginable—as long as there were no exciting smells, or she’d been allowed to sniff the entire course first.
That’s the Bluetick contradiction: they can be spectacular learners while also having extremely firm opinions about what deserves their attention.
Do Bluetick Coonhounds Have Good Recall?
They can learn a strong recall, but reliable off-leash freedom is not something I would assume with this breed.
Start recall work in a low-distraction space, use excellent rewards and gradually build difficulty. A whistle can be useful because it carries farther than your voice and sounds consistent. Long lines allow you to practice around realistic distractions without giving the dog repeated opportunities to disappear after a scent.
I’d also teach an emergency recall separately and protect it carefully. Use it only when it matters, reward it exceptionally well and don’t repeatedly call your dog away from every good thing without sometimes releasing them back to it.
Even with excellent training, many Blueticks are safest on a long line or in securely fenced areas. That isn’t a failure. It is sensible management for a dog whose genetic job involved traveling away from the handler while following game.
Are Bluetick Coonhounds Loud?
Yes. Coonhounds were bred to communicate across distance, and their bay is designed to carry. It is beautiful if you love it and rather less charming if you share a thin wall with someone who doesn’t.
They may vocalize when excited, frustrated, lonely, tracking something or simply because they have an opinion. Training and meeting their needs can reduce excessive noise, but I would not get a Bluetick expecting to turn them into a naturally quiet dog.
Apartment living isn’t automatically impossible, but the sound, exercise requirements and need for sniffing space make it a more demanding setup. Your neighbors deserve consideration too.
Can Bluetick Coonhounds Live With Other Dogs?
Many Blueticks are social with other dogs, particularly when appropriately introduced. Historically, coonhounds often worked alongside other hounds, so dog sociability is common—but it is never guaranteed simply because of breed.
Prey drive is a separate consideration. Cats, rabbits, poultry and small animals can trigger predatory behavior, and individual dogs vary enormously. Slow introductions, barriers, supervision and honest assessment matter. Don’t rely on affection for the household to override instinct in every situation.
Do Blueticks Settle in the House?
They can, but some need help learning how.
High-drive dogs don’t always arrive with an off switch. If every waking moment becomes exercise, excitement or entertainment, they can become increasingly demanding and struggle to regulate themselves. I build in calm routines, predictable rest, chewing, sniffing and reinforcement for settling.
A well-supported Bluetick may spend a very respectable amount of time draped over a sofa looking like they have never done anything energetic in their life. Then a squirrel moves outside and the entire dog switches back on.
Common Challenges With Bluetick Coonhounds
- Following scent: They may tune out everything else once their nose engages.
- Escape behavior: Gates, fences, doors and windows need serious thought.
- Recall: It requires careful training and may never justify casual off-leash freedom.
- Vocalization: Their bay is powerful and can carry a considerable distance.
- Difficulty settling: Some need calmness taught as deliberately as recall.
- Prey drive: Wildlife and smaller animals may be intensely interesting.
- Independence: They were bred to make decisions, not await constant direction.
- Underestimating them: A bored Bluetick may invent work—and you may not like the project.
Who Is a Bluetick Coonhound Right For?
A Bluetick may suit you beautifully if you enjoy active dogs, don’t mind noise, can provide secure management and genuinely like working with an independent mind. They’re wonderful for people who appreciate scent work, hiking, tracking and the slightly chaotic humor of living with a dog who can solve problems you didn’t know you had.
They may be a poor fit if you need reliable off-leash freedom, have close and noise-sensitive neighbors, want a naturally biddable dog or don’t have the time and patience to meet substantial physical and mental needs.
Secure space matters—but so does mindset. You need to be able to laugh when your dog demonstrates that the expensive baby gate was decorative, while still being willing to improve the setup so they cannot rehearse it again.
What Living With a Bluetick Is Really Like
Living with a Bluetick means accepting that scent will often be the main event. It means secure gates, realistic recall expectations, long sniffy walks and a dog who may be cleverer and more physically capable than is strictly convenient.
It can also mean living with an affectionate, funny, deeply individual dog who commits completely to life. They don’t do much by halves. When they sniff, they sniff. When they run, they run. When they have something to say, the county may hear it.
Lucy is an 11. She is intense even by coonhound standards. But the nose, the persistence, the athleticism, the voice, the problem-solving and the need to do are not unusual. They’re part of what makes these dogs so impressive—and exactly why people should understand them before bringing one home.
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