So, you’re hearing whispers about the Labrador Retriever Plott Hound mix, eh? Sounds like a cool combo on paper, I get it. Folks think they’re getting the best of both worlds, a kind of super-dog.
I got pretty deep into looking at these myself a while back. Thought, hey, Lab’s friendliness, Plott’s smarts and that incredible nose – what’s not to love? Seemed like a straightforward path to an awesome companion.
My journey with this mix, though, it wasn’t about owning one directly. Nosiree. It was more like an… an immersion experience, shall we say, courtesy of my brother-in-law, Mike. He’s a good guy, but sometimes he jumps in with both feet before checking the depth of the water.
What We Thought We Were Getting vs. The Furry Reality
Mike, bless his heart, dives headfirst into things. He went out and picked up ‘Moose,’ a Lab-Plott pup, thinking he’d get a chill hiking buddy, something to calmly explore the trails with. We all pictured this noble, easy-going dog. You know, the kind you see in those outdoorsy commercials, looking majestic on a mountaintop.
What we actually got was a furry little tornado with a voice that could wake the dead. And boy, did he use it, especially at 5 AM. My ‘practice’ with this specific mix started with the frantic phone calls. ‘Hey, can you come over? Moose ate the arm of the sofa.’ Or, ‘Moose dug up the entire backyard looking for… well, we still don’t know what he was after.’
The energy levels were just off the charts. I mean, I’m a pretty active person, I like a good long walk, but this dog was next level. We’d take him out for hours, proper running and playing, and he’d still be bouncing off the walls when we got home. My sister, Mike’s wife, was seriously losing her mind. She said it was like having a perpetual motion machine powered by chaos.
Then there was the ‘Plott’ part coming through strong. Super smart, yeah, which sounds great until you realize that also meant he was super good at figuring out how to get into trouble. Childproof locks? Please. Moose saw those as a personal challenge. And the nose! Oh, that nose. Once he caught a scent, forget it. He was GONE. Didn’t matter what you were saying or offering. We spent more time practicing ‘recall’ than anything else, and even then, it was a fifty-fifty shot, on a good day.
I remember this one time, we were attempting a civilized family BBQ in the backyard. Moose was supposed to be ‘settled’ on his mat. Five minutes later, there’s this ruckus, and he’s halfway up the big oak tree, baying like he’s cornered a mountain lion, all because a squirrel looked at him funny. The whole neighborhood knew about Moose’s squirrel vendettas.
My role in all this? I kind of became the unofficial ‘Moose Wrangler’ on weekends and many evenings. My sister would call in desperation. So, I tried all the tricks in the book I’d ever learned or read about. We went through:
- Endless fetch sessions that usually ended with me being more tired than the dog.
- Puzzle toys that he’d crack in about three minutes flat, then look at me like, ‘Is that all you got?’
- Long, rambling walks in the woods where he’d try to drag me off-trail after every single deer, rabbit, or interesting smell, which was basically every five feet.
It wasn’t that Moose was a ‘bad’ dog. Not at all. He had his sweet moments, real affectionate Lab style. But he was just… a LOT of dog. More than Mike, or any of us, really bargained for. The Lab part wanted to please you, you could see it in his eyes. But the Plott Hound in him just wanted to GO, to TRACK, to SING THE SONG OF HIS PEOPLE, loudly.
This whole intense period went on for a good couple of years. Gradually, with a ton of consistent effort from Mike (and a lot of backup from yours truly, plus a very patient dog trainer), Moose started to mellow out. A bit. He’s still a character, still got that wild streak, but he’s more manageable now he’s older.
So, when folks ask me about the Labrador Retriever Plott Hound mix, I don’t just reel off some generic breed specs from a website. I think of Moose. I think of the chewed-up shoes, the early morning baying concerts, the sheer, unadulterated, sometimes overwhelming, DOGNESS of him. My ‘practice’ taught me that with these mixes, you’re rolling the dice. You might get a perfect blend, or you might get a double dose of the most challenging traits. You gotta be ready for anything, and then some. And definitely have a good pair of running shoes. And maybe invest in some quality earplugs for the first year or two.
