The Plott Hound is among the most interesting of breeds!

In addition to being the state dog of North Carolina, the Plott Hound is one of the few Coonhound breeds to originate in the United States without any English Foxhound ancestry. Furthermore, the Plott is unique among AKC breeds in having its standard explicitly mention and allow for identification marks on the rump marks, marks that are not penalized in the show ring. To our knowledge, no other AKC breed standard includes a similar provision.

This muscular and streamlined hunting hound is best known for its striking brindle-striped patterns, though solid colors also occur. Of the colors and markings accepted by the AKC, most are various shades of brindle, and the United Kennel Club breed standard notes, “All things being equal, brindle is preferred.” Among the remaining solid colors—black, maltese (a rare blue-gray), and buckskin—the rarest is buckskin, especially when it appears without any brindle striping. Buckskin is uncommon because it is caused by a recessive gene, and perhaps because the breed has been selectively bred for the dominant brindle pattern which hunters and breed enthusiasts seemingly have favored, it remains rare.

Genetically, if two brindle Plott Hound parents both carry the hidden buckskin gene, their puppies will, on average, be 25% solid buckskin (receiving the buckskin gene from both parents), 50% brindle but carrying the buckskin gene (one brindle gene and one buckskin gene), and 25% brindle without the buckskin gene. Because only puppies that inherit the buckskin gene from both parents will display the solid buckskin color, and because most breeders have selected for brindle over generations, buckskin Plotts remain rare despite being part of the breed’s original genetic makeup.

This rarity makes it hard to find a photo of a buckskin Plott, but thanks to Camille Jones, we have her consent to share the photo she took of a lovely buckskin Plott Hound she encountered a while back at the Hangtown Kennel Club dog show in Placerville, California:

 

Camille never caught the dog or owner’s name, but she wisely recognized the unusualness of the dog’s color and seized the opportunity to snap his photo.

Spotting a true buckskin Plott Hound remains a special and uncommon experience for enthusiasts of the breed.

Anyone interested in reading more about the breed may like the following:

Three Things You May Not Know About the Plott

Top photo of brindle Plott Hound by © Whughes98144/Dreamstime.com