I heard Plotts were best for boar, bear and mountain lions.
Its also my understanding that coonhound breeders and huunters really aren't too eager for AKC registration.
The breed standards for workinig dogs are more concerned with performance in the field than with conformity in appearance - which appears to be the case with AKC breeds.
I'll give you the German Shepherd as an example.
Years ago when I was a kid, German Shepherd dogs were long in the body, but their hips were more like a normal dog's. American show Shepherds look deformed. From the side the hips on the animal look much lower than the withers and it appears like its running in a freakish way.
Check out the breed "Shiloh Shepherd" in the net. Aside from their really gigantic size, they DO look more like German Shepherds did decades ago than modern show Shepherds.
The last thing coonhunters want is for their breed to deteriorate into something that follows a model's type recipe for appearance but couldn't run a coon or a bear.
By the way, where can you get a good Plott? I do a lot of hiking in the woods, like to hunt and think a Plott would be just right for me.
Besides its really an AMERICAN dog - like most Coonhounds - not some foreign import.
The American Shepherd does not have a "sloped back", as implied here. Rather, their legs are so long that when they pose for the extreme 3-point stack, their butts end up near the ground.
GERMAN Shepherds are currently the 1s who have deformed not the hips, but the back. They have roach backs like greyhound breeds which they should NOT have! They also even when they trot look as if the butt is plowing the ground.
Both sides of the ocean have screwed up the GS - but there is still greatness out there (thanks, no doubt, to its unparalleled popularity in the world - there's a huge gene pool in reality). The "working" (i.e., working sport) GS in Europe are generally excellent in conformation - old-fashioned. But they have temperament/character (often way too high-drive and prey-driven, for a dog that's SUPPOSED to be a herding dog) and possibly other health issues.
AKC is not the only 1 who screws up things. Depends on what CLIQUE is ruling the roost.
I'll send you a private message with my friend's phone number. She raises Plotts, she inherited the business from her Daddy.
She has some awesome Plotts.