Duke
6 years old · Wells
A liver-and-tan Bloodhound whose ears drag through everything on a walk. Ear cleaning happens first, every time.
Breed Grooming Guide 5.0 · Southern Maine
Bloodhound Dog Grooming.
A Bloodhound's nose gets all the attention, but it's the ears and the skin folds that actually run a groomer's day. Those famously long ears drag through everything a Bloodhound tracks, and the loose skin holds odor and moisture in ways a short coat never suggests. K-Pup grooms Bloodhounds one at a time, mobile, with the unhurried pace this patient breed responds to best.
Ears, Skin & Scent Work
Grooming for a working nose in a loose-skinned body.
Bloodhounds come in black and tan, liver and tan, and red, all with the same short coat and dramatic loose skin. For background, see the AKC Bloodhound breed page.
The Short, Dense Working Coat
Tight and weatherproof, built for hours of trailing through brush. It sheds steadily and picks up field debris that a quick brush-out and bath clear easily.
The Longest Ears In The Breed World
Those legendary ears drag on the ground and stir up scent particles — that's their actual job. It also means they collect dirt, food and moisture constantly and need cleaning at every single visit.
Deep Facial Wrinkles
The loose, wrinkled skin around the face and neck traps drool and debris the same way it traps scent while working. Every fold gets wiped and dried, not just glanced at.
Field & Trailing Dogs
Working Bloodhounds come home from a trail with ticks, burrs and mud worked deep into the ears and folds. We do a full check before anything else, especially in Maine tick season.
Built For A Working Scent Hound
Ears and skin folds are the whole job.
Ear cleaning at every appointment, no exceptions
Long, low-hanging ears trap heat and moisture and are the leading cause of infection in this breed. We clean and dry both canals thoroughly every single visit.
Wrinkle-by-wrinkle attention
We work through each facial and neck fold individually, cleaning and fully drying before moving to the next, rather than doing one quick pass over the whole face.
A patient, low-key approach
Bloodhounds are gentle and easygoing but not fast movers. We keep the pace calm and let a dog settle into each step rather than rushing a breed that simply doesn't rush.
Post-trail decontamination
After a day in the woods, a full-body check plus a bath clears out burrs, mud and hitchhiking ticks before they get a chance to settle in against the skin.
The American Bloodhound Club maintains breed health and ear-care resources for owners.
Services
Bloodhound grooming services.
01
Full Ear & Wrinkle Groom
Bath, brush-out, thorough ear cleaning and drying, wrinkle-by-wrinkle skin care, nails and a full tick check.
02
Post-Trail Cleanup
A dedicated bath and check for scent-work and trailing dogs — ears, folds, paws and coat all cleared of field debris.
03
Ear & Fold Maintenance Visit
A shorter mid-cycle visit focused on ears and skin folds for Bloodhounds prone to irritation.
Our Process
How we groom a Bloodhound.
Every bloodhound appointment follows the same order, start to finish, in the trailer in your driveway. Typical appointment time: about 1 hr 45 min, one dog at a time.
Calm greeting and tick check
A slow, low-key introduction followed by a full-body check for ticks and burrs, especially important for dogs that trail through brush.
Ear-first cleaning
Both long ears are cleaned and checked before the bath even starts, since dirt worked deep into the canal is easier to address dry.
Full bath and brush-out
A thorough bath with a gentle shampoo, followed by a brush-out that clears loose coat from the short, dense working coat.
Wrinkle drying, fold by fold
Every facial and neck wrinkle is dried individually to prevent the moisture buildup this breed is especially prone to.
Second ear pass and drying
Ears are cleaned again post-bath and dried completely, since the long, low ears trap water more than almost any other breed.
Nails and final check
Nails trimmed, paws checked, and a last look over ears and folds before the dog heads back inside relaxed and dry.
This is the full step-by-step process K-Pup Dog Grooming uses for bloodhounds in southern Maine.
Client Spotlight
Our favorite bloodhounds.
A few of the bloodhounds we look forward to seeing on the schedule — regulars from around southern Maine who hop up on the table like they own the trailer.
Clementine
2 years old · Kennebunkport
A young trailing dog in training whose facial wrinkles already need a full wipe-down after every session outdoors.
Otis
8 years old · Saco
A calm, unhurried senior who takes every step of the groom in stride, as long as nobody rushes him.
Fun Facts
The best things about bloodhounds.
We groom a lot of bloodhounds, and every one of them reminds us why the breed has such a loyal following. Here's what we love about the bloodhound.
The nose that started it all
Bloodhounds have roughly 300 million scent receptors, and their trailing work has been used as evidence in courts of law.
Those ears have a job
The long, low-hanging ears stir up ground-level scent particles while a Bloodhound tracks, which is exactly why they drag and collect so much debris.
One of the oldest hound breeds
The breed's ancestry traces back over a thousand years to hounds kept by monks in medieval Belgium and France.
Gentle, not lazy
Bloodhounds are calm around the house but were bred for hours of sustained trailing work and have real stamina when following a scent.
Loose skin, working purpose
The wrinkled skin around the face is thought to help trap and hold scent close to the nose during a trail — form following function.
Related Breeds
Similar coats we groom.
bloodhounds share brushing, drying, and trimming needs with these breeds — each guide covers coat care, timing, and pricing for mobile grooming in southern Maine.
Where We Groom Bloodhounds
Bloodhound grooming across southern Maine.
Looking for a Bloodhound groomer near you? The K-Pup trailer runs southern Maine every week — pick your town and book a driveway appointment. See all our locations →
Kennebunkport Bloodhound GroomingKennebunk Bloodhound GroomingCape Porpoise Bloodhound GroomingGoose Rocks Beach Bloodhound GroomingArundel Bloodhound GroomingBiddeford Bloodhound GroomingSaco Bloodhound GroomingWells Bloodhound GroomingOgunquit Bloodhound GroomingYork Bloodhound GroomingOld Orchard Beach Bloodhound GroomingScarborough Bloodhound Grooming
Bloodhound Grooming FAQ
Questions bloodhounds owners ask us.
How often should a Bloodhound be groomed?
Every 6 to 8 weeks for a full groom, with ear cleaning ideally checked at home weekly given how prone this breed is to ear infections.
Why does my Bloodhound get ear infections so often?
The famously long, low-hanging ears seal in heat and moisture and get very little airflow. Regular thorough cleaning and drying is the most effective prevention available.
My Bloodhound has a strong odor even after a bath. Why?
Odor almost always comes from moisture trapped in facial folds or ears rather than the coat itself. Careful drying of every wrinkle at each groom makes a major difference.
Is my scent-work Bloodhound safe to groom right after a trail?
Yes, and it's a good idea — we check thoroughly for ticks and clear mud and burrs from the ears and coat before anything gets a chance to work its way in further.
Are Bloodhounds difficult to groom?
Not difficult, just deliberate — this is a calm, cooperative breed that simply needs unhurried, careful attention to ears and skin folds rather than a fast, generic groom.