Plotts tell me the history- short version

[Big Mike]

Since the subject came up what breed of dogs were used to develop the Plott breed???

[Brindle]

To make it short. The Plott family (humans) came over from germany and settled in south carolina in the mid 1700s. They brought five dogs with them. They kept them in the family to breed for many many years. And then they took on the plott breed name. (some say they might have a little cur in their ancestory, but who really knows) hell that was almost 300 years ago. They were bred for BEARS it just so happens they have a nose too so they can run cats. YES contrary to popular belief there is some cold nosed plott dogs.

[Rockcreek]

To make it short. The Plott family (humans) came over from germany and settled in south carolina in the mid 1700s. They brought five dogs with them. They kept them in the family to breed for many many years. And then they took on the plott breed name. (some say they might have a little cur in their ancestory, but who really knows) hell that was almost 300 years ago. They were bred for BEARS it just so happens they have a nose too so they can run cats. YES contrary to popular belief there is some cold nosed plott dogs.

The guys on Smithdeal would disagree, they said there was no proof on the original papers when the Plott family came to America, that they brought any dogs with them at all. They think that it is a breed that originated in the US. I could see a hound/ bulldog / curdog combo that worked, making the Plott breed, but what do I know, I'm just a dumbass, dumb enough to keep Hounds.

Take care.

I don't have a dog in this hunt... just letting you know what they think.

[oswald]

IF YOU GOOGLE HANOVER HOUND YOU WILL SEE A HEAVY BODIED BRINDLE DOG THAT I THINK WAS LIKELY PART OF THE BLOODLINES BROUGHT TO AMERICA. ALSO PLOTTS THAT COME OUT MALTESE MAKE ME THINK WHATEVER BREEDS FORMED THE WEIMERANER ARE PRESENT IN THE PLOTTS ORIGINAL DOGS TOO. ONCE THOSE DOGS GOT TO NORTH CAROLINA AND ALL THOSE DIFFERENT FAMILIES STARTED HUNTING THEM THEY WERE CROSSED TO HI-TAN DOGS FOR SURE. THAT SADDLEBACK TRAIT IS STILL STRONG TODAY. I HAVE ALSO OWNED HEAVY HAIRED PLOTTS WITH FEATHERED TAILS THAT I THINK CAME FROM ELKHOUND CROSSES. BACK IN THOSE DAYS WHEN HUNTING PUT THE FOOD ON THE TABLE I BET THEY BRED THE BEST OF WHATEVER THEY HAD!

[nmplott]

Patterson,
I think you nailed it on the hand the purpose of breeding dogs back then. Dogs had to hold thier own when it came to their purpose. They were tools of necessity back then, if they did not work they gone, and if they required more energy than they put out they were gone. I heard from an old timer that von plott used to cross in the wiemaraner dogs to get that maltese color. Official registries are really a thing of recent times, for most they are just over a hundred years old and the data used to compile the data bases then did not have all that information we do now. So where exactly did this breed come from, who knows just like the other breeds we have accurate records that date back until a certain point but anything beyond that is ..............

[plottpappaw]

fella's there were papers. ihave actually had them in my hands. one brother liked cur looking dogs the other liked hound looking dogs. john was the cur guy and von the hound. they brought 5 dogs with them from germany but the original use was hogs on royal property. i've also had my hands on the original copy of that. von worked at the prison so you can guess where the hound come from. they also used to breed to wolves. the "wolf tree " was just recently cut down and plott valley is in north carolina i know this because i can be in front of the old home place in less then ten minutes, the man i buy my feed from used to be baby sitted by johnathan plotts wife. the feature dog for the plott exhibit was raised in my front yard.

[George Streepy]

In 1750, two young brothers left Germany and immigrated to America with three brindle and two buckskin Hanoverian Hounds. One boy died on the way but the other, sixteen year old Johannes George Plott, settled in Bute County, North Carolina. He Anglicized his name to George built a home, married, raised his family and bred his dogs. His son, Henry, continued the breeding program and for the next seven generations (over 200 years), the Plott's were mountain men who bred the family dogs and used them to hunt bear and occasionally boar. As Plott men built homes and raised families all over the Smoky Mountains, their dogs became known by their family name and were referred to as the Plott's hounds. During that time hounds of similar breeding and type were raised by other mountain families and were likewise called by their owner's family name.

That was on the AKC site. I couldn't tell ya if it is true or not.

[Pops]

your feed guy must be dang old to have been baby sat by jonathan plott's wife since he settled in NC in 1750s.
there is no actual record of the Plott family BRINGING dogs from germany, but they did have them when they got to NC. the original plotts were curs old Mont would tear you a new one for calling them hounds. i believe they picked up curs as they moved down toward NC.
as to what else went in them...
the Dentons bred blevins hound into them which brought in the solid black.
Vaughan admitted to adding bloodhound (to my knowledge).
Taylor Crockett is alledged to have crossed in dane (resulting in many large dogs over 100# in condition) and pit bulldog. i haven't yet read anything about whether he owned up to any crossing.
i seriously doubt the wolf thing as EVERY recorded attempt in the last century to improve any kind of working dog by crossing in wolf has resulted in a dismal failure. yes there are wolf hybrid programs around, no none of then has produced any significant number of dogs that work AT ANYTHING (except being a difficult PITA pet that often gets dumped in rural areas).

[Pops]

In 1750, two young brothers left Germany and immigrated to America with three brindle and two buckskin Hanoverian Hounds. One boy died on the way but the other, sixteen year old Johannes George Plott, settled in Bute County, North Carolina. He Anglicized his name to George built a home, married, raised his family and bred his dogs. His son, Henry, continued the breeding program and for the next seven generations (over 200 years), the Plott's were mountain men who bred the family dogs and used them to hunt bear and occasionally boar. As Plott men built homes and raised families all over the Smoky Mountains, their dogs became known by their family name and were referred to as the Plott's hounds. During that time hounds of similar breeding and type were raised by other mountain families and were likewise called by their owner's family name.

That was on the AKC site. I couldn't tell ya if it is true or not.

the AKC also claims the irish wolfhound is the same dog that exticnted the wolf in ireland, even though there is absolute positive records that the modern version was created in the 1860s by a british army captain named graham using mostly scottish deerhound, greyhound & a touch of great dane.
showies will make up whatever story they want about their dogs.
another example is the american stafforshire terrier (the AKC pit bull). the AKC site claims it is the same dogs they registered in 1936 as staffordshire terriers (and now register as staffordshire bull terriers) except that literature from that time (& yes i have some) show that they knew of the APBT/yankee terrier/american bullterrier as a distinct & seperate breed from the english staffy bull.
i could keep going but you get the point.

[plottpappaw]

johnathan plott was von's brother and von aint been dead all that long maybe they named more than one the same name. i would rather not argue. until last some time back i was an avid plott man until i realized that they had been bred out and the ones i had sucked. i have done mountains of research and reading along with quizzing family members and close friends to the family and know several men who hunted with von and johnathan. they are rather old them selves

[plottpappaw]

on the wolf thing again when you here the story from a plott child actually remembering a female in heat being tied to the tree for that purpose not real prown to call them a liar. if you ever get a chance or unlucky enough to see it come out you'll notice the eyes don't quite look right when the light hits them kinda green looking. actually seen one last year with the eyes i describe. but you are correct it really wasn't what you would want he is no longer with us.

[George Streepy]

Pops,

I put the disclaimer at the end. And I agree "showies" will say what pleases them. If in fact the Plott family came to NC in the 1750's the actual facts are going watered down at best. Shoot, most people can't keep track what has happened in the last 20 years not to mention the last 250 years. I would recon that any dog that showed promise would have been bred in those days. Who really knows?

I do get your point.

[plottpappaw]

to be more precise john a. plott was the eldest son of montraville and julie plott with henry vaughn "von" plott being the youngest. documented picture will show john and von being together in 1976.

[plottpappaw]

i believe arguing history will get us no where in a hurry. i can only share what i have learned from family still living men who hunted with the majority of the so called big five and the history of the hound that us embedded in the area in which i live where the lore of the plott hound derived. my grand father remembers men on horse back riding out of town with sacks with little brindle heads sticking out them. i'm even related to some of the families that the plotts outcrossed too. so in a round about way its a family history.

[Hunter]

You also got the Ferguson's, Cable's (who I know several ancestors of) and who knows, who else that raised Plotts from the Plott family. The Plotts would let family friends take pups so that "if" they made it they could breed back to them. You got to remember tho back in those days it wasn't like it is today. The Cables for instance lived in Hazel Creek (what is now part of the Smokey Mountain National Park and Fontana Lake) and it is no easy task to walk from "Plott (Maggie) Valley" to Hazel Creek. Hell it's a chore to do it on horse back. You just didn't have the time to walk your bitch across miles of mountains to let her get bred. You bred her with what was standing in the yard because it's a safe bet what ever else was standing in the yard got the job done or it wouldn't be there. I'm sure there are other breeds in the plotts even in recent time. Who cares. Every single breed has had to come from something no matter if it's a blue dog, red dog, walker dog, black N Tan.. they all have been bred for a specific purpose. If you really want to know the Plott history here it is. There was a family named Plott that settled in western N.C from somewhere. At some point they became known for having exceptional bear dogs. Where and what these dogs were only the Plott men that stuck a bitch and a stud together will know for sure. Many years later a rich man with the last name of Smithdeal bought up several of their packs and made them even more famous. He wasn't as much a houndsmen as he was just a man with a bunch of money to blow. He got the breed registard and he along with some of his drinking buddies came up with the standards that are upheld today. Like it or not that is the trueth as best I can tell it unless you can raise the dead and have the horse tell it himself. But, not all is totally lost. There was a select pack of dogs that a Ferguson man had (many believe the dogs should have been named Ferguson not Plott) that were true old stock. It is said that Mr. Ferguson done as much for the Plott hound as any other man or group of people. If you want to see this lineage of dogs contact Mr. Marion Allison. He is as best I remember a direct descendant to Mr. Ferguson. If you see one of his dogs you will not forget them. They have a distinct look about them and you can pick them out of a crowd. Some people love Plotts and some hate them. I've had a few that bit the bullet but, I've had alot of walkers bite it too.. My favorite color is brindle. I make no bones about it. There are several different breeds in brindle color but, the plott have what I want. There is always going to be a bunch of this when you get acouple people together that are passionate about their dogs..... and both are right. It's not always a bad thing either. Just keep it sporting.