Before he became a breed in his own right, the Bluetick Coonhound was considered a color variety of the English Coonhound. Both breeds were developed in the southern United States in the 18thcentury from imported English and French hounds.
The United Kennel Club began registering English Coonhounds (then called the English Fox and Coonhound) in 1905. The Bluetick was declared a separate breed in 1946. The American Kennel Club recognized the Bluetick as a member of the Hound Group in 2009. He currently ranks 119thamong the breeds registered by the AKC.