medium-to-large breed
Redbone Coonhound
The solid red coonhound, and the easygoing one of the family once the work is done - affectionate, gentle with children, happy to sleep through most of an evening. The catch is everything that made them good at the job. A Redbone's voice was built to be heard across a valley, the nose overrides recall entirely, and the drop ears need cleaning every week of their life.
Pup Height
21-27 in
Pup Weight
45-70 lb
Males 22-27 in, females 21-26 in. The standard asks only for weight in proportion to size; most adults fall around 45-70 lb. Solid red is preferred, a dark muzzle is acceptable, and a little white on the chest or feet is permitted. A short, smooth coat. Recognized by the AKC in the Hound Group since 2009. Source: AKC breed standard.
Pup Lifespan
12-15 years
Your pup, at a glance
What’s Life With This Pup Really Like?
High. Affectionate and happy to share the sofa once the day's work is done.
Very good. Gentle and tolerant with children they are raised around, with the usual caution that a sixty-pound hound on a scent does not watch where small people are.
Mixed. Good with dogs - they were bred to hunt in packs - but cats and small animals trigger the instinct to chase and tree.
Very high. A deep, carrying bay used freely, especially when bored or on a trail, and not something training removes.
High outdoors, relaxed indoors. They can hunt for hours and then sleep through the evening.
Low to moderate. A short coat that sheds steadily but is easy to keep on top of.
Friendly and moderate. They enjoy a game, but scent games hold their interest far longer than a ball.
Moderate. Some drool around food and water, far less than a Bloodhound.
Fair. More willing than many coonhounds and very food-motivated, but a scent still outranks commands.
Moderate. They announce visitors loudly and then greet them warmly.
Very low for the coat. The weekly ear care is what matters.
Low. The voice and the nose need space and distance from neighbors, and neither trains away.
Lifestyle fit
Could This Be Your Best Breed?
Redbone Coonhounds suit country owners who hunt, hike or run, with a fence that holds and $1,600 to $2,700 a year set aside. They gain weight easily, so measured portions and weekly ear care are part of the routine across twelve to fifteen years. Skip this one if the walks would all be in town and the yard backs onto someone else's bedroom.
Living Space
A rural or well-spaced home with a secure fence. Redbones are relaxed and easy to share a house with, but the voice carries a long way and the nose will find any gap under a gate, so close neighbors and an open yard both work against them.
Pup Experience
Better with some hound experience, though a patient first-time owner who accepts the nose and the noise can manage. Redbone Coonhounds are sweet-natured and more willing than some coonhounds, and they still stop listening the moment a trail gets interesting.
Daily Pup Time
An hour or more of real exercise daily, on a long line or behind a fence, plus weekly ear cleaning and careful portion control.
Allergies & Coat
The Redbone Coonhound scores 3/10 for shedding and 5/10 for drooling. No dog is truly hypoallergenic. The allergens come from dander and saliva, and a coat that sheds this little leaves far less of them on your furniture, floors, and clothes.
Quirks & challenges
The Not-So-Easy Stuff
The Voice Carries
A deep, sweet bay built to be heard at night from far away. Training can reduce it indoors but never removes it.
Nose First, Ears Second
On a scent a Redbone stops hearing you. Off-leash in open country is how they get lost.
Weight Creeps On
Food-mad and happy to lounge, they gain weight fast once the hunting stops. Measure every meal.
Ears Need Weekly Care
Long drop ears hold warmth and moisture. Weekly cleaning and drying prevent infections that keep coming back.
Counter-Surfing
Tall, clever and driven by food. Anything left on a counter or table is fair game.
Small Pets Are Quarry
Bred to chase and tree small animals. Cats raised with them may be fine; the neighbor's cat is not safe.
The good, the bad & the hairy
Health, Care & Costs
Understanding the health risks and ongoing costs of a Redbone Coonhound helps you plan for a happy, healthy life together.
12-15 years
$40-$65
per groom (bath, nails and ears), every 8-12 weeks - a short coat needs little ($150-$300/year)
$1,600-$2,700/year
all-in (food, routine vet, grooming, insurance, incidentals)
Health Risks
Conditions this breed is prone to.
The hip joint forms loosely, so the ball and socket wear instead of gliding, leading to arthritis and sometimes surgery. Ask to see hip evaluations for both parents, and keep puppies lean while they grow.
Long, heavy ears that seal in moisture, on a dog who spends time in wet undergrowth and water. Structural rather than inherited, and the most predictable recurring cost in the breed - weekly cleaning and thorough drying is real prevention.
Redbones love food and are content to lie around once exercise drops off, so weight gain is common, especially after neutering or in older dogs. Extra pounds put more strain on the hips and shorten life. Measured meals and regular body-condition checks keep it in hand.
Cataracts and other eye problems are reported in the breed. Breeding dogs should have a current eye examination by a veterinary ophthalmologist, and any cloudiness or change in vision is worth a prompt vet visit.
An immune reaction, often triggered by raccoon saliva, that attacks the nerve roots and causes weakness spreading from the hind legs. Most dogs recover fully over weeks to months, but they need careful nursing while they cannot walk.
The stomach fills with gas and can twist, cutting off its blood supply, and it is fatal without emergency surgery. Deep-chested hounds carry some risk - feed two smaller meals and keep hard exercise away from mealtimes.
Insurance & Health Coverage
A generally healthy, long-lived working hound, so cover here is about the everyday claims that add up and the occasional emergency.
Ears are the first thing likely to land in the notes. Infections start young and come back, and once they are on the record an insurer can exclude them for life - which is a strong reason to arrange cover while the puppy's history is still clean.
The larger bills are joints, bloat and coonhound paralysis. Hip surgery and bloat surgery both run into the thousands, and paralysis can mean weeks of hospital or nursing care, so check that a policy covers hospitalization and not only procedures. Keeping a Redbone lean is the cheapest protection of all.
Get a Pet Insurance Quote
Care needs
The Daily Routine
Grooming
A short, smooth coat that needs a weekly rub with a rubber curry brush or hound mitt and little else. The ears are the real job - checked and cleaned weekly, and dried after any swim or wet walk. Nails need regular trimming on a heavy dog that may not wear them down on soft ground.
Exercise
An hour or more a day, and it should give the nose something to do. Long-line walks, hiking over varied ground, scent work and swimming all suit Redbones. They are calm indoors when that need is met, and restless and loud when it is not.
Food & Weight
Two measured meals a day rather than one large one, with hard exercise kept clear of mealtimes because of the bloat risk. Redbones are enthusiastic eaters and gain weight easily, so weigh food, count training treats and adjust portions as activity changes - you should be able to feel the ribs easily.
Similar breeds
If This Isn’t Quite the One
American English Coonhound
The closest relative in type - a fast, hot-nosed coonhound with a similar build and voice. The English comes in ticked and spotted coats and tends to be more intense; the Redbone is solid red and usually more laid-back at home.
Bluetick Coonhound
Another Southern treeing hound with a big voice. The Bluetick is slower and colder-nosed, built to unpick an old trail, and generally harder to train than the Redbone.
Black and Tan Coonhound
A heavier, more Bloodhound-like coonhound with longer ears and more drool. Both are mellow indoors; the Redbone is lighter, quicker and a little easier to handle.
Plott Hound
A brindle big-game hound from the same Southern hunting tradition. The Plott is more tenacious and can be warier of other dogs; the Redbone is typically more sociable and easygoing.