WINGATE — Even though the Plott hound was recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1946, was declared the North Carolina state dog in 1989, and admitted to American Kennel Club registry in 2007, many folks are unfamiliar with this distinctive breed and its history. When I was a small child my grandmother told me tales of my great-grandfather’s bear hunting trips. I wish I’d asked her more about those dogs and how they were bred. We can safely bet they were selected for being able to do the job.

I once saw an interview of an elderly gentleman who hunted with his hounds. He was asked about methods for selecting award-winning dogs. “I figure if their daddy can do the job and their mama can do the job, odds are their pups will too.”

That’s about the most succinct description for selective breeding I’ve heard to date. There’s not much need to get into details of health, stamina and structure traits of sire and dam. Those things are must-haves, implicit to do the job.

Therefore, it’s safe to assume that brothers Johannes and Enoch Plott picked five superior working dogs, Hannoverischer schweisshunds, to take with them when they set sail for the Americas in 1750. It’s said that Enoch Plott took ill and was buried at sea. However, by 1759, young Johannes Georg Plott and his hounds were settled in the Swiss-German area of New Bern.

“Hounds of the World” by David Alderton tells us that Johannes Plott’s dogs were substantial hounds, trackers of big game like wild boar and bear, with the noses to strike a track and the hearts to hold prey at bay until human hunters arrived.

The American Kennel Club states, “Johannes anglicized his name to George, built a home, married, raised his family and bred his dogs. His son, Henry, continued the breeding program. Over the next 200 years, the Plott descendants were mountain men who used their dogs to hunt bear and boar. The dogs became known by the family name.”

The AKC breed standard outlines the Plott as “a hunting hound of striking color that traditionally brings big game to bay or tree; intelligent, alert and confident. Noted for stamina, endurance, agility, determination and aggressiveness when hunting, the powerful, well muscled, yet streamlined Plott combines courage with athletic ability.”

Today’s AKC Plott hound stands between 20 and 25 inches at the withers and weighs 40 to 60 pounds with the females being slightly smaller and lighter than the males. The distinctive coat can be any shade of brindle, solid black, any shade of brindle with a black saddle. A rarer shade of buckskin is acceptable. The complete Plott hound breed standard and photo is available at www.akc.org.

An in-depth, excellent overview of the breed’s early history and present day development is “Strike and Stay, the Story of the Plott Hound” by Bob Plott of Statesville. The Plott hound is also featured in a Dog World magazine article (October 2009) by Kim Campbell Thornton.

It’s useful to remember another trait enabling hounds to do the job — intelligence combined with a good measure of boldness. Whatever breed of dog you might fancy, make absolutely certain that you understand its needs, can meet those needs and take the time to find a reputable breeder. The American Plott Association contact is Susan Steger: sssteger@msn.com. The National Plott Hound Association (UKC) contact is Pam Slaughter: shoddyshod@verizon.net.

As for my grandmother’s stories of her own parents: “Ma thought she heard Pa holler he was getting near home so she stepped outside to holler back then went in to start supper. She thought she heard him holler again much closer, but when she went to see, it wasn’t Pa at all, but instead there at the creek big as life was a ... .” Listening to tales like that, no wonder I forgot to ask many questions!

— Maggie Blutreich is a certified professional dog trainer, charter, professional member No. 30 of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, an American Kennel Club canine ambassador and public education coordinator. Send questions: with the subject line, ”Enquirer-Journal.”