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Redbone Coonhound

The Redbone Coonhound is a medium-to-large American scenthound — typically 20 to 32 kg and 53 to 69 cm at the shoulder — with a solid mahogany-red coat, long pendulous ears, and a deep chest built for stamina over rough country.

Redbone Coonhound dog breed portrait
Redbone Coonhound — gallery 2
Redbone Coonhound — gallery 3
Redbone Coonhound — photo by Nina Quka (Pexels)

Size

44-71 lb

Lifespan

12-15 years

Exercise

30-60 minutes

Shedding

Moderate

Experience

Match to owner routine

Is This Breed Right for Me?Compare Redbone CoonhoundsCare Guide
By Mr Pet Lover Team·Updated
Fact-checked against the sources listed on this page, including American Kennel Club, ASPCA, AVMA. Not individually reviewed by a veterinarian. Editorial standards
This article is for general information only. Always consult your veterinarian for medical decisions about your pet.

Decision first

Is a Redbone Coonhound right for you?

Start with fit before history or trivia. These are ownership signals, not guarantees about any individual dog.

Best suited for

  • Households with children.
  • Homes with other compatible pets.
  • Apartment homes with a consistent routine.
  • Owners seeking a manageable daily exercise routine.

Think carefully if

  • You need a dog with almost no daily routine.
  • You cannot keep up with grooming and preventive care.
  • The dog will spend most days alone without support.

Conditional fit

Apartment fit depends on exercise, enrichment, noise management, and outdoor access.

Daily reality

Redbone Coonhound commitment snapshot

The best breed choice is the one whose daily care actually fits your calendar, budget, and home.

Daily exercise

30-60 minutes

Match activity to age, health, weather, and training goals.

Coat care

Moderate

Grooming needs vary by coat, shedding, and lifestyle.

Time alone

Needs planning

Most dogs need gradual alone-time conditioning and support.

Structured facts

Redbone Coonhound at a glance

The measurements and traits that most affect day-to-day life with this breed.

Group

Hound

Weight

44-71 lb

Height

21-27 in

Lifespan

12-15 years

Temperament

Even-Tempered | Amiable | Eager to Please

View all characteristics and methodology

Lifestyle fit

Apartment suitability
Likely fit
Child friendliness
Often good, with socialisation and supervision
Other-pet fit
Often compatible with careful introductions

Owner commitment

Exercise
30-60 minutes
Grooming
Moderate
Shedding
Moderate
Training
Moderate

Environment and health

Health risk
Needs planning

Ratings combine structured breed data, visible breed fields, and editorial context. They are planning aids, not predictions for an individual dog.

Daily life

Redbone Coonhound temperament and behavior

The Redbone Coonhound is a medium-to-large American scenthound — typically 20 to 32 kg and 53 to 69 cm at the shoulder — with a solid mahogany-red coat, long pendulous ears, and a deep chest built for stamina over rough country. It was developed in the American South to tree raccoons and trail larger game, and it is, first and last, a working nose attached to a tireless body. Understanding that is the difference between an owner who is happy with this dog and one who is overwhelmed by it. In the home a well-exercised Redbone is genuinely even-tempered, mellow, affectionate, and good-natured — the breed's devotees describe a kind, almost soft expression and a companionable nature. But the off-switch only works after the dog has been worked. The two traits that define daily life with a Redbone are the nose and the voice: once a Redbone locks onto a scent it can become functionally deaf to recall and will follow the trail, and the breed has a loud, carrying bay it was selected to use. Neither is a behavior problem to be trained away; both are the job the breed was built for. The Redbone is right for an active owner or hunting household that can deliver 60 to 90 minutes of real daily exercise, has a securely fenced yard (a scent over the fence line is an escape plan), can tolerate or buffer a loud hound voice, and will always walk this dog on lead or in enclosed space. It is also genuinely good with children and other dogs when raised with them. It is the wrong dog for an apartment with thin walls, an owner expecting reliable off-lead recall, or anyone who wants a low-exercise companion — an under-worked Redbone bays, escapes, and chews. Decide on the exercise, fencing, and noise realities first; the affectionate temperament is real but it is the reward for meeting the breed's needs, not a default.

Even-Tempered | Amiable | Eager to Please

Even-Tempered

A common Redbone Coonhound temperament descriptor that should be interpreted alongside training, exercise, and household fit.

Amiable

A common Redbone Coonhound temperament descriptor that should be interpreted alongside training, exercise, and household fit.

Eager to Please

A common Redbone Coonhound temperament descriptor that should be interpreted alongside training, exercise, and household fit.

Owner note

Temperament labels are starting points, not guarantees. Meet the individual dog and ask about behavior history whenever possible.

Care essentials

How to care for a Redbone Coonhound

What looking after one actually involves: exercise, grooming, food, training, and routine health.

ExerciseAs needed
  • Moderately active breed needing 30-60 minutes of daily exercise.
GroomingAs needed
  • Brush 2-3 times per week.
TrainingAs needed
  • Consistent, patient training works best.
NutritionAs needed
  • Feed high-quality dog food appropriate for age, size, and activity level.
Veterinary CareAs needed
  • Annual wellness exams, vaccinations, dental care, and parasite prevention.

Care calendar

Daily

  • Meals, water, exercise, interaction, and a quick health check.

Weekly

  • Grooming, nails, ears, teeth, and body-condition review.

Annually

  • Veterinary exam, vaccination review, and preventive-care planning.

Health planning

Redbone Coonhound health risks and screening

Every breed has individual health variation. Use this profile for planning and discuss medical decisions with a veterinarian.

Hip dysplasia — abnormal development of the hip joint leading to laxity, pain, and progressive arthritis; relatively common in this medium-to-large breed. Signs include hind-end stiffness, a bunny-hopping gait, and reluctance to rise or exercise. Screening of breeding dogs (OFA/hip evaluation) reduces incidence; weight control slows progression.
Gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat/GDV) — a life-threatening emergency in deep-chested breeds where the stomach distends and twists; it can kill within hours. Feeding multiple smaller meals, avoiding vigorous exercise around feeding, and recognizing a swollen abdomen with unproductive retching as an immediate emergency are essential.
Chronic ear infections (otitis) — the long, heavy, pendulous ears trap moisture and debris, making recurrent ear infections a predictable, recurring health and cost issue; weekly checking and post-swim drying are necessary maintenance, not optional.
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) — an inherited degeneration of the retina causing gradual vision loss and eventual blindness, with night-vision decline often the first sign; a DNA test is available and ophthalmic screening of breeding stock is advised.
Eyelid conformation problems (ectropion) — the outward-rolling lower eyelid that exposes the eye, predisposing to irritation and conjunctivitis; the houndy facial conformation makes this a breed-relevant concern needing veterinary management if symptomatic.

Responsible ownership

Finding a Redbone Coonhound responsibly

A responsible path can be a documented breeder or a good rescue match. The important part is transparency and support.

Reputable breeder

  • Ask for documented health screening relevant to the breed.
  • Meet the breeder, parent dogs where appropriate, and review medical history.

Rescue or adoption

  • Check breed-specific rescue groups and reputable shelters.
  • Ask about temperament, medical history, foster notes, and support after adoption.
  • Match the individual dog's age, energy, and behavior history to your household.

Warning signs

  • No health documentation.
  • Pressure to buy immediately.
  • No questions about your home or experience.
  • Unclear return policy or unwillingness to provide references.

Original purpose

Redbone Coonhound history

History is useful when it explains today's behavior, coat, exercise needs, and training style.

Read the breed history

The Redbone Coonhound is an American breed developed in the southern United States, with foundation stock tracing to red foxhounds and Irish-bred red hounds brought by settlers in the late 18th and 19th centuries, refined in states such as Georgia and Tennessee. Breeders selected deliberately for a solid red dog with the nose, voice, stamina, and water-and-rough-terrain ability to tree raccoons and trail larger game such as bear and cougar over punishing country. The breed is named for its distinctive solid mahogany-red coat and, by some accounts, for early breeder Peter Redbone. It was recognized by the United Kennel Club early in the 20th century and by the American Kennel Club in 2009. Its working development as a versatile, hot-and-cold-nosed, hard-driving hunting hound directly explains the modern dog's powerful prey and scent drive, loud carrying bay, deep-chested stamina build, and the easy-going temperament it shows once its very real exercise needs are met.

Redbone Coonhound — gallery 2

Lower-page context

Redbone Coonhounds in culture

Where the breed shows up in film, sport, work and folklore — the enjoyable part, once the practical questions are answered.

Fun facts

  • The Redbone Coonhound belongs to the Hound Group.
  • The average lifespan of a Redbone Coonhound is 12 to 15 years.
  • Redbone Coonhound dogs are valued for their even-tempered, amiable, eager to please nature.

Redbone Coonhound FAQs

How long do Redbone Coonhound dogs live?

A healthy Redbone Coonhound typically lives 12 to 15 years, a solid span for a medium-to-large breed. The factors most under your control are weight and joint care for hip health, vigilant ear hygiene to prevent chronic infection, and bloat-aware feeding. A lean, well-exercised Redbone with a sensible feeding routine reliably reaches the upper end of that range; an overweight, under-exercised one does not.

Are Redbone Coonhounds good with children and other dogs?

Yes — this is one of the breed's genuine strengths. Redbones are even-tempered, mellow, and affectionate at home and are typically good with children and with other dogs, especially when raised together, reflecting their pack-hunting background. The realistic cautions are size and exuberance around small toddlers and a strong prey drive toward small running animals. Supervise young children and introduce cats and small pets carefully.

How much exercise does a Redbone Coonhound need?

Plan on 60 to 90 minutes of real daily activity — long walks, running, or scent and trailing games. This is a stamina-bred working hound, not a low-energy companion: an under-exercised Redbone bays excessively, escapes, digs, and chews. Mental scent work counts toward the total. Without meeting this need, most of the breed's reported behavior problems appear, so honest assessment of your available time is essential before choosing one.

Are Redbone Coonhounds loud, and can they live in an apartment?

They are loud — the breed was selected to bay on a trail with a carrying voice, and that vocalization is instinctive, not a trainable flaw. They can technically adapt to apartment life only with exceptional daily exercise and noise-tolerant neighbors, but it is a poor default fit: the combination of a loud hound voice and high exercise needs makes a house with a securely fenced yard far more realistic for both dog and owner.

Why is recall so hard with a Redbone Coonhound?

Because the breed was deliberately bred to lock onto a scent and follow it independently, often for hours, ignoring distractions including its handler's voice. This is a feature of the working hound, not disobedience. Practically, you should not rely on off-lead voice recall against an active scent — use secure fencing, a long line in open areas, and on-lead walking near roads and wildlife. Train recall, but never trust it absolutely on a fresh trail.

What is the most dangerous health issue in a Redbone Coonhound?

Gastric dilatation-volvulus, or bloat. As a deep-chested breed the Redbone is at elevated risk for this rapidly fatal emergency where the stomach distends and twists. Learn the signs — a swelling abdomen, unproductive retching, restlessness, and drooling — and treat them as an immediate emergency vet visit. Feeding multiple smaller meals and avoiding hard exercise around mealtimes are the practical preventive steps every owner should adopt.

Sources

Every claim on this page traces to a published source. Each opens in a new tab so you can check it yourself.