Bloodhound

Yes — heavily and constantly. The loose lips and jowls mean drool flings onto walls, furniture, ceilings, and you, especially after eating, drinking, and exercise. Experienced owners keep cloths in every room and in the car. This cannot be trained or bred away; it is structural. Honestly assess your tolerance before getting one — drool is the single most common reason house-proud owners regret the breed despite loving the dog itself.

Realistically, no. Once a Bloodhound locks onto a scent it is effectively deaf to recall and will trail for miles, including across roads — this is hardwired, not disobedience. Exercise on a harness and long line, and provide a securely fenced (5-6 foot, dig-proofed) yard. Off-leash freedom is only safe in fully enclosed spaces. A microchip and ID tags are essential because trailing-off-and-lost is the breed's classic emergency.

Typically only about 10-12 years, relatively short for a dog. Gastric bloat is the leading cause of premature death — many owners elect preventive gastropexy surgery for that reason — alongside cancer and joint disease in this large, deep-chested frame. Feeding two or three smaller measured meals with rest afterward, keeping the dog lean, and treating bloat signs as an immediate emergency are the highest-impact ways to protect the lifespan.

Yes — they are among the most gentle, patient, and tolerant breeds with children and other dogs, and rarely aggressive. The real cautions are physical, not temperamental: an 80-110 pound dog can easily knock a small child over in play, and the drool, hound odor, and shedding are constant household realities. Supervise toddlers around the dog's size and bulk, and teach children to respect the dog rather than fearing its temperament.

Yes, by general-obedience standards — not from low intelligence but because they were bred for centuries to make independent decisions on a trail and are motivated by scent over pleasing you. Recall is the weakest point and may never be reliable around scent. Use short, high-value, positive sessions, set realistic goals for basic manners, and channel the nose into legitimate tracking or scent games. Expect a polite companion, not a precision obedience dog.

The short coat itself is easy — a weekly hound-glove brush handles shedding. The grooming burden is elsewhere: the deep facial and lip folds need cleaning and drying several times a week to prevent skin infection, the long heavy ears need weekly cleaning to prevent chronic otitis, and the breed carries a strong natural odor that over-bathing makes worse. Budget grooming time for folds and ears, not for the coat.