The Bluetick Coonhound is a striking, intensely vocal scent hound prized for a "cold nose", the ability to work old, faint trails other hounds give up on. That remarkable nose, paired with a loud bawl and serious stamina, is behind almost every training problem owners face. Work with the hound rather than against it and the Bluetick is a friendly, easygoing housemate. Here are the five mistakes that cause the most trouble, and what to do instead.
1. Expecting off-leash reliability
The Bluetick's cold nose will pick up and follow a trail that is hours old, and once it does, your recall stops existing. Owners who trust open ground are left calling a dog that is already locked onto a scent and gone. Treat reliable off-leash freedom as a securely fenced goal, build recall on a long line, and accept that a working nose will always win against a cue outdoors.
2. Expecting to eliminate the bawl
The Bluetick was bred to bawl and bay at game, and that deep, carrying voice is hardwired, not a fault to train away. Owners who expect a quiet dog are constantly frustrated. Manage the bawling with exercise, mental work, and a "quiet" cue, but accept that this is a deeply vocal breed; silence is not a realistic goal.
3. Underestimating the exercise need
This is a working hound with real stamina, and an under-exercised Bluetick turns that energy into destruction, escape attempts, and round-the-clock noise. Owners who provide only short walks are quickly overwhelmed. Give it long daily walks, sniffing time, and a job for its nose, and the same dog becomes famously laid-back indoors.
4. Relying on praise instead of food
Scent hounds are strongly food-driven and comparatively indifferent to verbal praise, so owners relying on "good boy" find the dog unmotivated, especially outdoors where smells compete for attention. Pay competitive wages: use genuinely high-value treats against the scent drive, and the Bluetick engages far more willingly.
5. Providing no nose-work outlet
A scent hound denied the chance to use its nose is a frustrated, under-fulfilled dog. Owners who skip scent enrichment miss the easiest way to satisfy the breed. Build in nose work, tracking, and find-it games, and you get a calmer, happier, more focused Bluetick that has somewhere to put its remarkable talent.
What works with Blueticks
Treat off-leash as a fenced-only goal, manage the bawl realistically, meet the real exercise needs, motivate with food, and feed the nose with scent work. The throughline is honoring a cold-nosed working hound: respect the nose and the voice, give both an outlet, and the Bluetick Coonhound is a friendly, capable, devoted companion.
TailorPup's Bluetick plan uses food-based motivation, includes a barking-management protocol, builds nose work in, and treats off-leash as a fenced-only goal.
Start your Bluetick Coonhound's plan free at tailorpup.com →
Related: How to Train a Bluetick Coonhound · Recall Training · Barking Solutions