We bred Redbones, my younger son mostly, elder son bred Black & Tans. They were trained mostly on coon, some on coyote, fox and bear. A well bred Redbone is hard to beat, one of my favorite breeds of dog. We sold 2 pups as pets to a guy with a small hobby farm and he loved them. As far as a all round farm dog it would not be my 1st choice. A farm shepherd or collie would be my choice but have also had English Shepherd and Aussie which were okay too. The farm shepherds/collies will get the cattle in, keep the woodchuck population controlled, tree a coon, babysit the kids and be a pal. They can get shaggy and matted if not brushed once in a while. A black mouth cur could make a really good farm dog too. Dog feed is too high now or I would be getting a good cur dog pup 1st time I had 300 bucks to spend.

Thanks so much for your response. Please tell me why the Redbone wouldn't work for us. We have 60 acres and one of us is always home. I mainly want a dog that will be good with kids and other dogs. Will enjoy walks/runs in the woods and likes swimming in the creek - short haired and well, looks like a real dog. I've heard all the positives of this breed. Please tell me the negatives.

I dont know any negatives for a Redbone, really. I just dont think a hound is the best all round farm dog. Redbones are scent hounds bred for many generations to persue game, thats what they do best, they kill or fight the game if caught. There are probably some redbones which wont make the grade as a good hunter but I wouldnt take the chance. Training against its natural tendencies may be profitable to your cause? I think they make wonderful pets, just not what I would choose as a farm dog which will be exposed to farm animals like chickens, etc. Give one a try, you might be glad you did, I dont know. I only know of the lines bred as chase hounds, there may be some around somewhere to fit your order?? There are some lines which can be nasty to other dogs, check out the breeding, ask questions.

I have 2 redbones, from one litter. They kinda came with the place. Previous owners were transfered and these two males hadn't been sold. Well one male was spoken for and they asked us to keep the $$$ in exchange for caring for him until he was picked up. Never happened. And I'm grateful it didn't.
Farm dog........lol no way. We have cattle, chickens, ducks, two pigs, guineas and one old nanny. They have never made an attempt to guard, work or manage anything on the farm. They love to sleep in the sunshine, love to chase an armadillo or two, but never kill it..they spend at leaset 2 hours everyday doing a circle of the 70 acres of timber next to us and baying at various things.They do love to stray and if neighbors or roads would be a hazard should be fenced. Neither is a problem with ours.

They love kids. They are loving, smart, beautiful and make wonderful pets.
But never have and never will make any attempt to earn their keep on the farm. We have a 9 year old Austraillan shepard that is our working farm dog. He barks when a visitor comes to let us know, he does help some what working the cows. He's the working farm dog. The Redbones are the yard oranments. And the chicken will peck the wagging tails and they barely lift their heads from basking in the sun.
Wouldn't trade them for anything but don't expect them to being working farm dogs. Just dogs that live on the farm.

This is all great information and will help in my search. We don't have farm animals anymore - just gardens and lots of acreage. The 'can be nasty to other dogs' worries me and that would be an immediate turnoff.