The German Shepherd Bloodhound Mix (Ultimate Guide)

The German Shepherd and the bloodhound are incredibly popular as purebreds.

But in recent decades they have been crossed together to produce the German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix, and the result is a dog that offers the best of both worlds…

What is the German Shepherd Bloodhound Mix?

The German Shepherd Bloodhound Mix is best of both worlds. A combination of The German Shepherd and The Bloodhound breeds.

The German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix tends to display the intelligence, agility, and confidence of a German shepherd, with the outstanding scent tracking capability of the bloodhound, making them the perfect trail dog for seeking out the scents of just about anything or anyone you’d want to find.

In this article, we’re going to touch briefly on the parent breeds before going into depth on the many characteristics of the German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix.

(Please feel free to scroll ahead to any section that catches your attention.)

Here goes!

The German Shepherd

german shepherd

For a long time now, and still to this day, the German Shepherd (GSD) breed remains one the most popular breeds of dog the world over.

And in the American Kennel Club, they are ranked the second most popular breed, beaten only by the golden retriever.

And their popularity should come as no surprise, given their characteristics.

They are incredibly intelligent, have a lot of confidence and an excellent work drive, and are very loyal and protective toward their adopted family.

And it is these characteristics that have made them such a popular choice as police dogs, and military dogs.

What’s more, they can also be quite affectionate and playful, making them splendid companion dogs to boot.

The Bloodhound

Bloodhound

What the bloodhound breed is best known for is its amazing scent tracking abilities and a work ethic to match.

They hunt extremely well with their noses, and will keep on the trail for as long as it takes to find what they’re looking for.

For these reasons, they’ve become particularly popular with organizations such as the police force.

They’re great for sniffing out and detecting foreign substances, and are also super valuable for search and rescue missions. And the police also use them for attack and apprehension, too.

They don’t seem to be quite as popular as a companion breed, but they are quite friendly and docile as family pets.

Why Would You Breed A German Shepherd And A Bloodhound?

As we alluded to in our introduction, a German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix produces the best of both worlds.

You get the outstanding intelligence, agility, and confidence of a German shepherd, mixed with the incredible scent tracking ability and determination of the bloodhound.

What’s more, a German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix tends to make for a better companion pet than the German shepherd, because they are less aggressive and protective than German shepherds, which makes them substantially more docile, and consequently more welcoming to other animals, passers-by, and house guests.

AKC Recognition

As it’s not a pure breed, the American Kennel Club doesn’t maintain a registry for the German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix.

However, German Shepherd-Bloodhound mixes can enter the Canine Partners Program, which allows mixed breeds to participate in AKC events.

When entered, the German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix tends to do very well in Tracking, Rally, and Search & Rescue titles.

How Popular Is The German Shepherd Bloodhound Mix?

Despite German Shepherds and Bloodhounds being crossed for many decades, they still remain a fairly rare breed.

This is because these two breeds, particularly the German shepherd, are far more valuable to breeders as purebreds.

And while there are clear advantages to producing a German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix, as we have already discussed, the sheer value of the German shepherd as a purebred outweighs the advantages of any crossbreeding.

In fact, such breeding is very rarely deliberate, and when it does happen, it’s usually a result of accidental breeding.

General Characteristics Of A Bloodhound-German Shepherd Mix

The German Shepherd Bloodhound Mix

A German Shepherd-Bloodhound crossbreed has most of the traits of both breeds, so you’ll definitely see quite a lot of similarities, but you’ll also notice some differences, too.

Here are some general characteristics of a bloodhound-German shepherd mix:

Size

The German Shepherd-Bloodhound is generally larger than either parent breed.

Depending on how much of the bloodhound gene is present, they may even reach up to 100 pounds or more. This is because they typically have quite large bones, together with thick muscles.

Their size is pretty similar to that of a standard sized bloodhound, but they can grow up to 27 inches tall.

Males tend to be both larger and heavier than female German Shepherd-Bloodhound mixes, and their weight increases in proportion to their size.

Coat Color And Patterns

Both parents come from a long line of predominantly black dogs, so their coat color is highly likely to be black.

The German shepherd part of the mix will probably retain its typical white markings, though. But you can also see them in other colors, such as liver and tan, black and tan, or sometimes even red.

German Shepherds tend to have solid colors, whereas bloodhounds often have spotted coats.

It’s entirely possible to produce an all black German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix, but this would be extremely unusual.

Coat Thickness

Because the German shepherd is known for having a double-coated coat, it’s no surprise that the same thing usually applies to the German Shepherd-BloodHound mix.

They’re typically covered in a soft, dense undercoat, with a thicker outer coat.

This outer coat is usually longer than the average dog’s, and it can range anywhere between three quarters of an inch to one inch or more.

Strength

Like all dogs, the strength of the German Shepherd-Bloodhounds mix depends on the amount of bloodhound genes they inherit.

But because of their large size and build, they are generally quite strong dogs.

Because of their large size and strength, they could easily topple over a small infant or knock down a vulnerable senior citizen, which is something to be wary of.

But sadly, their strength is not quite enough for carrying heavy goods.

Speed And Stamina

When deliberately breeding to produce a German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix, key features you may wish to see are speed and stamina, since these would be excellent characteristics for a search and rescue dog.

While German Shepherds can be very fast indeed, reaching top speeds of up to a whopping 30 mph, the bloodhound breed is unable to match that.

But what they lack in strength, they make up for in stamina, and the ability to put more time and energy into their efforts.

But the truth is, you never really know how a German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix is going to turn out in terms of their speed and stamina, because it depends on which genes they get from each parent.

Ideally, of course, it would be nice to achieve the agility and speed of the German shepherd together with the stamina and perseverance of the Bloodhound.

Temperament And Personality

Because of the bloodhound genes, the temperament of a German Shepherd-BloodHound mix is typically much more mellow than either parent breed, and they’re also considerably calmer than German Shepherds.

You can expect a German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix to generally be good-natured, and with proper training and socialization, they can also be friendly and display an even, gentle temperament.

Because of the mix of bloodhound and German shepherd genes, the German Shepherd-BloodHound Mix is typically more intelligent than either parent breed.

They’re also highly trainable and very eager to please their masters. This is what makes them such excellent dogs for search and rescue missions, and for other police dog tasks besides.

Potential Health Issues

While the German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix tends to be rather healthy on the whole, there are some potential health issues that could make themselves known…

As with any large dog, a German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix can be prone to hip and joint issues, such as dysplasia of the hips and elbows.

So if either parent displayed such issues, these could come up in the crossbreed.

The other main health issue to look out for is ear infections, and to a slightly lesser extent, skin infections.

If your German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix has low-hanging ears and folds of skin like their bloodhound parent, then you must keep them as dry as possible at all times, and check them frequently to spot any signs of irritation.

A further potential problem is issues with their digestive system and bloating.

Lifespan

Both parent breeds have relatively long lifespans, with the German shepherd lifespan coming in at between 12 and 14 years, while that of the Bloodhound comes in at between 10 and 12 years.

This would suggest that the average lifespan of a German Shepherd-Bloodhound mix would typically fall between 10 and 14 years, and it often does.

However, you should not underestimate the effects of a healthy diet and exercise on the lifespan of a dog, no matter what the breed.

You can boost their chances of a long and happy life by feeding them a high quality diet, and by ensuring that they get plenty of physical exercise to keep them in shape.

We also recommend that you occasionally take them to your local veterinarian for general health check monitoring, just to be on the safe side.

Exercise Requirement

Like many large dogs, a German Shepherd-bloodhound mix requires lots of exercise.

They need frequent walking and play time, and we would recommend at least 30 minutes of intensive exercise at the bare minimum on a daily basis.

Examples of such exercise include the likes of chasing after a ball or Frisbee.

Alternatively, you could take your German Shepherd-bloodhound mix for really long walks each day, totaling at least one hour every day.

If your German Shepherd-bloodhound mix doesn’t get the exercise they so sorely need, you could risk them expending their energy in more destructive ways, such as by chewing on household furnishings.

Trainability

Because of the mix of bloodhounds and German shepherds, the German Shepherd-bloodhound mixes tend to be very trainable.

However, this is largely because of their German shepherd heritage, since German shepherds are known to be one of the most trainable breeds of dog there is.

But the ease with which a German Shepherd-bloodhound mix can be trained is also influenced by the Bloodhound genes also.

This does not mean to say that the German shepherd-bloodhound mix won’t be as trainable as their German shepherd parent, but if they’ve inherited the Bloodhounds outstanding sense of smell, they could very easily become distracted by different scents when they are being trained.

However, when carrying out search and rescue missions, they will not stop until the mission is won.

Grooming

As with all dogs, regular grooming is essential to ensure that their coats stay in good condition.

As for how often their coat needs to be groomed, this depends on which parent they take after the most.

In addition, you should regularly brush their teeth, and bathe them using an appropriate shampoo.

Wrap Up

So, the German shepherd-bloodhound mix is a lovely dog that not only makes for an excellent search and rescue dog, but also makes for a great family pet besides.

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