Horns247 Board

I could use any help from people who have had basset hounds.

Or a simple down vote for posting pictures of a dog works as well.

Great family dog but you will question the intelligence at some point...Not a mean knock but they are not the brightest light in the canine pack...

Overall and especially since you have kids, this is a dog that you will remember for a long time due to their good nature and being loyal and friendly...plus the "Jack Black" bark is a kick...

Thanks man.

It's already a great family dog.

Everyone that's had them said they would be great with my kid, and with my cat. So far, so good.

yep, i had one for many years. great dog.

jraup@mcginnislaw.com

That is one cute pup.

Tips I have learned:

1. Clean their ears, Bassets are very susceptible to getting ear infections. The Vet can give you a little squirt bottle thing.
2. Do not cut their nails too short they are usually very sensitive about their feet/nails.
3. Make sure you have a great not good but great fence because he/she will go exploring. Once that nose turns on everything else shuts off and they just start going.

But overall the best dog ever to have. I have a ton of different dogs (grew up with 9 on a farm) and I will never have another breed of dog. In a year or two all he/she will do is sleep with short bursts of energy in between.

Picture of Bevo Lite (Elvis) in a stare down with the real Bevo

Good stuff. Thank you.

This. Invest in a good brush.

Also the drool. Be warned.

I'd say that he has already demonstrated his smarts by making friends with the cat. Over time, that alliance will serve him well.

My cousin is a vet and he says on the dog intelligence scale Bassets are near the bottom if not the bottom.

If we're talking best dog breed, no way you could have a Great Dane and ever own anything else.

I've owned more than a dozen bassets and the idea that they are dumb comes from their frustratingly stubborn nature, not a true analysis of their understanding. I currently have a female named Bonnie Mae that can open, and even unlock, doors; can raise the lid on the toilet; and can turn on the water in the tub. All of those abilities were self-taught. I have had a couple that were slower to adapt but, IMO, that's more a function of their confidence level.

A basset needs to be a part of the family, moreso than any other animal I've ever been around. If they feel insecure they will act out. Some dig; some bark; some chew... but rest assured they will take negative attention over being ignored. One of the hardest things I've ever done was as a foster owner for basset rescues. A neglected/mistreated basset hound is very difficult to rehabilitate. Some of the best advice already given above is about training early. That consistent interaction will serve all very well as they mature.

The best example I can give of my experience as a basset owner is it is like having a teenager for life. They will likely question every directive you give them. They want to please you, but they want to do their own thing more. Opposite of what many will relate, I've had much better success training males than females. Males seem to respect the hierarchial relationship moreso than females -- at least where I'm concerned.

Feed a good food but be careful of providing too much protein or other growth media. Since bassets are dwarves they have one inherent possible complication called growing pains. Any dog, or human for that matter, can suffer from this in their formative years but dwarves, due to the mass of their bones relative to the length, can see one of a paired set of bones growing faster than it's counterpart with a greater frequency. While it's unlikely to slow the pup down much, it can cause considerable pain and a noticeable limp after play. Bil-Jac was the food that caused the problem for my Satchmo many years ago. Since that point I've fed only Muenster Natural. Satchmo is the only pup I've ever had that suffered these effects but it took several vet visits, a trip to A&M, and an orthopedic specialist in Dallas to finally diagnose it.

Bassets can suffer from ear infections but, IMO, cleaning ears too frequently/vigorously can lead to other problems. Bassets, like any scent hound, have an odor. It's part of what gives them such an amazing nose. Think of it like photographic film. It could be the exact reverse of a slide but instead it's caramel brown base color serves to create a much more subtle difference in colors using far less light, time, expertise. By the same token, bassets need their 'base aroma' for their nose to function at such a high level. Trying to wash the odor out of a basset will actually cause the smell to become stronger over time.

Bassets love other animals, especially bigger ones. Given a chance, they will run with labs, goldens, setters, and pointers. Actually, one thing people don't realize about bassets is their inate abilty to point. Their clumsiness would scare the quarry away before you got a shot off, but they will point. Mine have even had opportunities to run with horses and loved every minute of it. One interesting encounter I had while showing some pups to a prospective family had my 17 dogs (4 adults & 13 in the litter) and their managerie of 16 animals including rabbits, a parrot, a couple of ferrets, and some cats & dogs all running around the back yard. The two groups played together for more than an hour and nobody was eaten.

In my life I've had Bostons and Border Collies (both breeds are very intelligent), a Weimeraner, a Lab, and several mutts. I wouldn't even consider owning anything but a basset now. I hope y'all enjoy Jessie as much as I have all of mine!

None of our Bassets smell and we never have bathed them. I don't know if you keep your outdoors. Our have largely been inside dogs. All have been females, which may have a factor as well. Hard for a male basset to heist his leg when he scents.

Bassets are achondroplastic dwarfes by the way. A little piece of trivia.