THE PLOTT
By Amanda Alexander
T
he Plott is the only coonhound that is not a descendent of the fox- hound. Keeping this in mind while judging them and not compar-
ing them to the other coonhound breeds. Th ey are of German descent and were bred in North Carolina by the Plott fam- ily. Th ey were originally bred to hunt big game such as bear and wild boar and still do this day. A lot of hunters use them on raccoons also since they have a natural ability to track and tree game. Plotts of today compete in bench shows, water rac- es, field trials, nite hunts, aggression test and conformation shows. When judging the Plott your impres- sion should be of an athlete with moderate bone structure that can hunt night after night and for hours at a time. Plotts are striking with an intimidating look rather than a soft hound expression. Th ese are fearless hunters willing to risk it all to keep a boar or bear bayed until the hunters come in. Th ey are very alert and are always aware of their surroundings. Some are aloof with strangers as they typically have one “mas- ter” that turns them loose on game. Th is is a pack animal and works with other dogs, not to say there isn’t competition amongst the dogs themselves but they typically work together. One of the characteristics that sets the Plott apart from the other coonhound breeds is their color. Th ey are the only breed that comes in brindle. Several di ff erent shades of brindle is acceptable along with a black sad- dle and brindle legs. Plotts come in “buck- skin” which is also a fawn and “maltese” which is a blue coloring but is required to have a brindle base. Plotts can also be solid black. Th eir ears are set moderately high to high and should not have a pendulous look to them. It’s a disqualification if their ears go past their nose when checking length. Th ere’s nothing about a Plott that gives
you an impression of “houndiness”. Th eir head should neither be square or narrow but moderately flat skull with roundness at the crown. Muzzle is medium length with equal plains with the skull. Flews should not be excessive. Topline is level slopping from withers to hip slightly and tail set is below the croup. Th eir tail should always be carried up as this is in our standard and it shows temperament. A fearless, determined hunter as the Plott is does not hunt with their tails tucked but up and proud as they track game. Plotts feet are very important just as any hunting or performance breed. Th ey are the shock absorbers and a flat, splayed foot causes problems the whole way up the leg. Th is is a disqualification in the breed to have such feet and hunters
take this into consideration. All parts of the Plott are developed to accommodate rough terrain, and able to handle the impact of hunting day or night. Th eir coat can either be short and smooth but thick enough for protection or a double coat that has a softer under coat and a sti ff er outer coat for pro- tection. In my experience I have seen the Plotts that are mostly used on coon with a short smoother type coat and the big game hounds tend to have the thicker, harsh type coats with more brush on their tails. Plotts should cover ground e ff ortlessly when they are turned loose on game so they need to have proper reach and drive as an endur- ance hunter not a speed hunter. Th ey work by scent and use their voice to communi- cate with the hunter to let them know when
282 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , F EBRUARY 2014
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