Skip to content
Fawn whippet standing on a sandy beach

Bloodhound breeders

The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) calls the Bloodhound the most famous of the scent hounds, and notes that it has been bred in Britain since before the year 1300.

{"hide_search_input":false,"hide_near_input":false,"input_size":"","bar_flex_wrap":"","bar_flex_wrap_md":"","bar_flex_wrap_lg":"","input_border":"","input_border_opacity":"","input_rounded_size":"","btn_bg":"","btn_rounded_size":"","btn_rounded_size_md":"","btn_rounded_size_lg":"","bg":"","mt":"","mr":"","mb":"3","ml":"","pt":"","pr":"","pb":"","pl":"","border":"","rounded":"","rounded_size":"","rounded_size_md":"","rounded_size_lg":"","shadow":"","css_class":""}

Advertise your Bloodhound puppies, litters and stud dogs

Do you breed Bloodhounds? List your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so that buyers looking for Bloodhound puppies for sale can find you. Your free basic profile shows your location, website, social media links, breeds and categories. You can advertise Bloodhound puppies for sale, promote a Bloodhound stud dog to other breeders, and explain the hip, elbow and eye testing you carry out so buyers know before they enquire. For a vulnerable native breed with few litters each year, a clear listing helps suitable homes find you.

No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.

  • Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
  • Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
  • Premium showcase for your services and prices, previous customers, awards, video, gallery and health certificates, with your phone and email shown to buyers.
  • Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
  • Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.

Create your free breeder profile Advertise a litter Advertise a stud dog

Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Bloodhound

The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) calls the Bloodhound the most famous of the scent hounds, and notes that it has been bred in Britain since before the year 1300. Its ancestors may have been hounds kept at the monastery of St Hubert in Belgium. In the 19th century British Bloodhounds helped to save the French Chien de St Hubert from dying out, and in parts of Europe the breed still goes by that name. It was first used on a leash to hunt deer and wild boar, and from very early times to track people. In Scotland it was known as the sleuth-hound and, until about 1600, was used on either side of the border to hunt down raiders and cattle thieves. Bloodhound working trials still take place today, with hounds following the line of a person across the countryside.

The Bloodhound is a vulnerable native breed, a term the RKC uses for British and Irish breeds with 300 or fewer UK puppy registrations in the previous year.

Size. This is a large, heavy hound. The breed standard gives a height of about 66 cm (26 in) for dogs and 61 cm (24 in) for bitches, with average weights of around 41 kg and 36 kg; some dogs reach 50 kg.

Coat and grooming. The coat is smooth, short and weatherproof, in black and tan, liver and tan, or red. It sheds, and the RKC suggests grooming about once a week. The Bloodhound Club warns that the long ears end up in food and water bowls and need regular cleaning inside, and that drool is part of daily life with the breed.

Exercise and home. The RKC lists more than two hours of exercise a day and suggests a large house, a large garden and a country setting. Bloodhounds follow their noses, and the breed club advises that training takes considerable patience.

Temperament. The breed standard describes an affectionate hound that gets on with companions and other dogs without quarrelling, and that can be somewhat reserved and sensitive. The club adds that Bloodhounds should not be left home alone for long, can be lifelong chewers and do bay. The RKC gives a lifespan of under 10 years.

Bloodhound health tests

The RKC recommends pre-breeding screening in two tiers. It strongly recommends the Good Practice tier as a minimum: prioritising genetic diversity, plus hip and elbow scoring. The Best Practice tier adds an eye examination, and the RKC says responsible breeders should complete both. There is no breed-specific RKC DNA testing package for the Bloodhound and no additional breed-specific breeding restrictions.

The Bloodhound is in Breed Watch Category 2. The Bloodhound Club reports that the breed moved there from Category 3 on 1 January 2025, and that the RKC highlighted low uptake of hip and elbow scoring and some concerns about temperament. The points judges are asked to look for are eyelids turned inwards or outwards, excessive skin on the head or body, dermatitis in skin folds, nervous temperament, and incorrect hind conformation or poor rear movement.

The Bloodhound Club's surveys identify cancer and gastric torsion (bloat) as the main causes of death, and the club warns that bloat is usually fatal unless a vet is called at once. The Bloodhound Joint Breed Health Group also covers skin conditions and eyelid problems such as entropion and ectropion, and the club lists heart testing and a DNA test for degenerative myelopathy (DM) among the checks responsible breeders like to carry out.

  • BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme (RKC Good Practice)
  • BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme (RKC Good Practice)
  • Prioritising genetic diversity, for example with the RKC inbreeding coefficient calculator (RKC Good Practice)
  • BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme (RKC Best Practice)
  • Breed Watch: Category 2
  • Status: RKC vulnerable native breed

Choosing a Bloodhound breeder

A responsible Bloodhound breeder will ask you as many questions as you ask them. The Bloodhound Club says buyers should expect to be questioned closely about their home and lifestyle, to meet the breeder at least once, and to see the puppies with their mother. Ask for hip and elbow scores and an eye certificate for both parents and check them on the RKC Health Test Results Finder; the club also lists heart testing and a DM DNA test as checks responsible breeders like to do. Because the breed is in Breed Watch Category 2 and is a vulnerable native breed, a good breeder will talk openly about temperament, eyes, skin and genetic diversity, and will share the inbreeding coefficient of the mating. The club suggests that at collection you receive the pedigree, a diet sheet, a receipt, RKC registration papers and a written contract, with advice available for life.

  • May I see the hip, elbow and eye results for both parents?
  • What is the inbreeding coefficient of this litter compared with the breed average?
  • How do the parents behave with visitors and other dogs?
  • What signs of bloat should I watch for, and what do you advise to reduce the risk?
  • Will you take the hound back at any age if I cannot keep it?

Bloodhound questions

Is the Bloodhound a vulnerable native breed?

Yes. The RKC lists the Bloodhound as a vulnerable native breed, a term it uses for British and Irish breeds with 300 or fewer UK puppy registrations in the previous year. That is one reason litters can be hard to find.

How much exercise does a Bloodhound need?

The RKC profile lists more than two hours a day, and the Bloodhound Club says a couple of hours a day is the minimum. Bloodhounds follow scent readily, so secure areas and patient training are important.

What health problems affect Bloodhounds?

The Bloodhound Club's surveys point to cancer and gastric torsion (bloat) as the main causes of death, and the breed's joint health group also covers skin and eyelid problems. The RKC recommends hip, elbow and eye screening before breeding, and the breed is in Breed Watch Category 2.

How big is a Bloodhound?

The breed standard gives a height of about 66 cm for dogs and 61 cm for bitches, with average weights of around 41 kg and 36 kg. Some dogs reach 50 kg.

More for Bloodhound owners and breeders

Official sources