basset hound

roxiesmammy

Anyone every had a basset. What are they like.

Lizard Queen

had them in the clinic i work in very friendly

Harris

From the experience I have had with 2 of them (not as an owner mind you), they are very strong and very stubborn!

lorebringer

My neighbour has one and he is a sweetie. We have minded him for a weekend (feeding him in their house etc.) and he got so excited to see us when we came into the house, wiggley bum all round! Very friendly. They are stubborn though, if they don't want to do something you will have a hard time getting them to do it (plus, because they are chunky dogs, you can't just pick them up like a teddy so they stay put if they feel like it).

fatmammycat

My friend has one, he's 13 and still going strong. So I'll give you my experience of him.
They're large dogs on short legs. Folk don't realise how big they are because they're so short. Her guy is 70 pounds.
They are loud, that bark is meant to be heard over distance, they also howl if left alone for long. She works from home so it's not an issue, but my god he has some set of pipes on him. If you're living in a built up area and intend to leave your dog out for long periods, be prepared for this.
They are hard to train, and it takes ages to house break them as puppies. They are food orientated and you can train them thusly, they do NOT respond well to a heavy hand in training, it just makes them skittish and afraid.
They shed all year long and they smell 'houndish' because of a rather oily double coat.
They are independent off lead and will follow their nose no matter how much you call sometimes.
They have no road sense. They will be hit by a car of you don't have them on a lead near a road.
They can be intolerant of children, mostly due to kids pulling out of them the minute they see them.
It takes forever to train them, but once trained they are possibly the best indoor dog in the world- ever. They remember everyone, even people they been introduced to only once. This is great, but also a nightmare if they come across a vet they don't like.
They need their nails clipped regularly, every three to our weeks, they need their ears cleaned weekly, you need to get pups used to this early, again my friend's dog associates this with food and will lie there quite happily for her to do it. They are prone to bloat so three or four smaller meals a day is much safer for them. Don't let them get fat, even at 13 her guy does 2- 3 kilometres a day on walks, albeit at his pace.
They love cheese more than life itself.
They should not be up on furniture as jumping up and down is not great for their backs. Of course they will be up on that furniture the moment your back is turned.
They drool, they shake their heads and that drool can go everywhere.
They are ridiculously loving and affectionate dogs, but unless you have a lot of time to put into them as pups and you're NOT the most house proud of person- ie, a bit of hair and slobber doesn't bother you- think long and hard about getting one. But if you do get one, they're absolutely fabulous pets, er, once you get to about eight months, my friend would almost cry with frustration over his early training as she had a collie before him and he was so quick to pick everything up. But like I said at the start, he's 13 now and he was worth it in everyway.

smodgley

ohhh god !!!!! i so want a basset, have done for years,

Interceptor

fatmammycat wrote: »

They are ridiculously loving and affectionate dogs

I have a basset hound and your entire paragraph sums him up perfectly. We had bassets when I was a kid and they are all the same - train them with bits of digestive biscuit and they'll do anything for you. Ours has a sock fetish and can't be let into the house if there is a basket of washing left out.

Ulanzi

My chap is part basset I think. His temperament is very similar to the para above. Tough to train because he has to see the benefit in doing something every time. There is no pavlovian response. Then again, although it's a tonne of work, I think if properly done, you get a really lovely well behaved dog out of it. But be warned, it is time consuming and occasionally frustrating to train such a stubborn animal. Love him though

This is from ash animal rescue:

ASH rescue Basset Hounds and rehome them. We never have puppies, but sometimes have young adult and adult dogs.

If you have not had a Basset before, we would be happy to talk to you about the characteristics of the breed.

Basset hounds have a reputation to be great with children, funny, low to the ground (small?) dogs. Suitable for everyone and all sort of people. So is that what they are? No, of course not, they are funny and low to the ground. Not small though, if you have never seen one, look at a Labrador and imagine an adult lab on very short legs.

If you like a dog that is easy to train and will do what you like it to do, when you like it to do it, think again. To train a Basset you need to be patient, consistent (as in same rules every day, no exceptions) and you need time as well as a strong personality.

So are they good with children? Yes, they can be, much depends on your ability to explain to your children and your Basset that no tidbits are ever given to your dog by the children. If a 3 year old gave the last bite of his sandwich or biscuit to the Basset today, tomorrow the Basset might jump up on the child to grab the last bite, knocking the child over. Bassets love jumping up on people. They are not always easy to housetrain, they need to see the advantage of anything you ask them to do or not to do, which makes training a bit of a challenge.

Bassets are suitable to live indoors with the family, but are also well up to living in an outdoor kennel, e.g. the Igloo or Ruffhauz kennel, they are insolated, nice looking, easy to clean and will last. We use them here and are very happy with them. Bassets are scent hounds and not very good in traffic, they follow their nose and don’t use their eyes, so they should never be in traffic off the lead. Too many get killed on the road, I even know of one that was killed by a train.

They are sometimes referred to as the Clowns under dogs and yes, they can make me laugh any day.

Are you still with me? Why don’t you come and visit us, meet our Bassets, maybe take one for a walk and then make up your mind. Remind me to explain about the floppiness factor. Do let us know when you are planning to come, so that we will be home. Click here for directions to our shelter. We hope to see you soon.

roxiesmammy

thanks everyone for all the info. Wouldnt be for me, my aunt in law is thinking about getting a pup, her uncle had one yrs ago and she used to love the dog but not sure what she remembers about him is correct. will pass on all the info to her. thanks ulanzi for ur kind offer i will pass that on to her as well.

fatmammycat

Interceptor- that is one absolutely beautiful dog.

fatheadsgt

Hope I'm on the right thread. I was wondering if anyone knows where I might be able to get a Basset Hound Pup. I am living in Meath & am willing to travel. Any help would be appreciated.

fend

try irishdogs.ie....

Basset Hounds are the most stubborn dogs in the world! My Lolah will do anything as long as there is food involved! At the same time, the most loyal dog iv had to date. Extremely friendly, all they want to do is play!! Even as an adult, playing is on the agenda... provided its on their time.... :rolleyes: as they are very lazy...

Provided you get enough exercise into them, they're fine.This is due to the amount of weight they gain.

There can be some issues with them, the often get eye infections or pick up bacteria on their ears so getting them checked in a vet every couple of month is a MUST! Washing/Bathing them frequently is recommended to keep them bacteria free.

With regards to food, getting a LOW protein food is also essential as high protein gives them an itch under the skin. I would advise sticking to dry dog food with a low protein percentage. preferably 5% or 6%...

Sofiztikated

Lovely dog, my Bess was a beautiful hound, however, remember they are that. A hound.

They can follow a scent for miles, howl very loudly, very strong, independent, and difficult to train.

I did find one trick to stop them howling at night. Its not cruel, and they learn quickly from it. A waterpistol/pan of water. When they start howling, soak them. Repeat until they learn. Took Bess about 2 weeks of this nightly to learn. They need a lot of exercise, and careful feeding. They get eye/ear infections very easily.

Bad breeding practices have lead to horrible abnormalities that desired in the competition world, such as excess skin folds, especially around the feet and scruff.

Beautiful dog, loyal to the death, but if they take a dislike to someone, man do they hold a grudge.

joyce2009

Interceptor wrote: »

I have a basset hound and your entire paragraph sums him up perfectly. We had bassets when I was a kid and they are all the same - train them with bits of digestive biscuit and they'll do anything for you. Ours has a sock fetish and can't be let into the house if there is a basket of washing left out.

what a adog ,,,you've got to love that face

Interceptor

fatmammycat wrote: »

Interceptor- that is one absolutely beautiful dog.

Thank you!

joyce2009 wrote: »

what a adog ,,,you've got to love that face

Face yes, chewed socks and drool everywhere - no.



We rescued him two years ago - unfortunately his previous owner had him neutered so I can't breed from him. He's very typical of the breed and would drive you nuts but I suspect when he goes I'll have to get another basset...

'c

fatheadsgt

Thanks for that I'll try that site & see if I have any look

andreac

Have a look at this as it might interest you.

http://www.topdog.ie/showthread.php?t=8510

guideanna

Interceptor, he is such a cutie! Awwwwww