I bought a bloodhound and I'm still waiting for him to get here. I want to teach him to hunt coons and retrieve birds also. Think it'll work? My cousin has a lab that will do whatever he wants. I figured if the lab could do that, my puppy should learn how to do both and be fine. I know I'm asking a lot but it would save me the trouble of getting 2 dogs.

Good Luck, I raised dogs most of my life and most were hounds or
hound types..only ones part hound I had that would retrieve were
Cow Dogs...Catahoula's..which are 1/3 bird dogs..As to Coon Hunting w/a Blood Hound, you'd best have some really slow Coons
or an awfully lot of time and patience..they have been breed to
cold trail people and blood...most are dismally slow and don't
have a really good voice..I'd did have a part Bloodhound/Black &
Tan mix that I hunted w as a kid who would find coons when no one
else's dog could smell them..but he was fairly slow..You should
have a good Pet..Don

Use your cousins lab to retrieve your birds. If you want the dog to work for a living, hire him (and yourself )I out as a deer finder. You can't go against DNA.

So that's all I could use him for? Finding deer. Well I sure was hoping for better results but I can live with that. What about cats? Are they any good catching bobcats? Could someone write me a list of what I could use him for? If I find one good one I'll use that but really want something better than a deer dog.

They are bred for following cold trails. They have an incredible nose. It's just not in their skill set to be a retriever. Like asking a ballerina to play nose guard.

A bloodhound would trail a coon all night until he made it to the den tree, and then you still wouldn't have a coon, and bob cats are harder to tree than a coon because they're known for jumping. I doubt he will retrieve because he's just not bred for it. If you were wanting something to hunt coons, you should have gotten a coonhound, and the same goes for retrieving, you'll need something bred to do so. Your bloodhound is bred to trail on tracks that others dogs can't smell. Hope this helps!

If you want a hound that can trail and tree cats, coons ect..get
a Treeing Walker, Bluetick, Plott, Black & Tan...If you just want
to mess around and have an all round dog w/a nose..get a Catahoula..there's a lady trying to give one away on the forum

Don

Bloodhounds are best for the following: spreading the contents of your trash can all over the house, howling at everything, digging up your back yard, escaping from the house and taking you on a wild goose chase, acting like a cat on all of your furniture, slobering on your clean clothes the second you put them on, taking things OUT of the kitchen sink, cleaning off your countertops, irritating your kids, jumping on visitors, and not doing what you ask. Other than that they are great with their nose. In all honesty they are very lovable beasts if you have the patience to take all of the bad to get to the good. They are 150% loyal. They try your patience everyday. My wife and I have told each other 1,000 times that ours needs to find a new home, but Gus is still around. He can be driving you up the wall one minute and then sitting at my sons bassinet the next watching the boy sleep and it tugs at your heart. He is rambunksious(sp?), but he can be the sweetest friend in the world all in a matter of minutes. They really do need a lot of excercise, but don't let one off a leash if you are anywhere near a city. If you are out at a ranch and you know they can take off and not get into trouble go for it. Our first one got out throught the garage and before we knew he was out he was hit by a car. They live to follow their nose, and do not know to look out for themselves when they get out. They will follow anything, and if it takes them across the street they go and don't stop or look up. Good luck. I hope you can handle it. Females might be better. We are on our second male. I love him, but he will be our last. He is three and is just as much a puppy as he was two years ago.

If you want a dog to retriever your birds you need to get a retriever!!!!!!!!