Tell me about your Bassett Hound

[Goofycampers]

I've always wanted one of these dogs. My best friend had one when we were kids and I thought that dog was awesome. I was talking to a dog groomer who also volunteers to foster rescue dogs and she said bassetts are very stubborn and difficult to deal with. Say it ain't so! Please tell me the good and bad from your experiences. Thanks!

 

[mamacatnv]

I have read they are stubborn and difficult until they are about 3 years of age.

My neighbor across the street has one who is less than a year old, he is house trained and they don't have any severe issues. He is a barker and a digger and he has the hound "smell" but he sure is cute and the kids all love him.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

From what I know form Basset owners. They can be a bit difficult. They looooove to howl Also, the ears can cause some health problems. I know they are vey loving though too. So, you really have to weigh the pros and cons.

here is site of a Basset lover:http://www.families-first.com/pets/bassett.htm

One of the health problems listed is the stomach torsion. Our dog just died from that last week.

 

[of the seas]

We have a Basset and he's not difficult! I've never heard that before. We love his temperment. It fits our family perfectly. He does not bark or howl. He does whine, which can get annoying. I've heard him bark maybe 4 times in the last 2 years we have had him. He is about 2 1/2. He is very luvable and smart. He does dig on hot days to get to cooler dirt, but he has only done this in 2 places. He is great I mean great with kids. He has never bit or nipped anyone. On walks though, it takes extra long time. He has to sniff everything! We love our Droopy-that's his name.
Oh, get a boy if you get 1. He trained real easy and has not had an accident in the house in a very long time!

 

[friend of pooh]

Growing up we always had a basset hound. My parents still have one and my husband and I got one this winter. Ours is only 6 months and is into everything...just like any other puppy. We had no trouble potty training him. You just have to be diligent about making sure to take him out all the time in the beginning. We are now working on not jumping on people (namely me) when he sees them. Here's Gus.

 

[Jockaroo]

I don't have a Bassett Hound, but growing up, my neighbors did. She was a sweet, gentle dog. She was very tolerant of the neighbor kids poking and pushing her--we even dressed her up a few times. The reason I say we pushed her was that when the dog decided to sit down or lay down you could not budge her. She was rather slow, but I knew her when she was older. I do remember she did smell more than some other dogs--nothing nasty, just a little doggie funk. Her owners did give her water in a bucket to keep her ears dry. I remember the dog had some ear issues. Sweet, sweet dog. But I love a short-legged dog myself.

 

[hipporina]

We have a 6 yo basset hound named Daphne. She is a pretty good dog, but has gotten a little moodier lately. I love bassets and I adore my Daphne. As with any breed, however, there are some negatives. Bassets drool. Some worse than others, Daphne not too bad, but that is one of the leading reasons that people get rid of their bassets. Just look out after she takes a drink! Daphne tends to get smelly faster than any of my other dogs. I'm not sure why, but she does.

That said, I would not hesitate to get another basset. I am a sucker for their long, floopy ears. Daphne even tripped over them all the time when she was a puppy. It was so cute. She doesn't bark too bad, and I love her howl. Overall, a really good dog.

 

[Boo'sMom]

we have a 2 year old Basset, Gracie She can be stubborn, but she has the best temperment, and is fabulous with the kids.
We've had our share of ear issues, but any floppy ear dog is prone to that.
I have heard that bassets are hard to train, but ours walks all over us, so training isn't a big issue Her biggest fault is that she's a counter cruiser...and a slave to her nose ::yues::
Basset hounds tend to be "houndy" smelling, but that's by design, the floppy ears and folks in her neck allow her to track animals better.
A word of caution though, if you're looking for a dog that you can leave off leash unattended, a basset is not for you. Since they are scent hounds, once they get a scent, they'll trail it until they're lost.

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

We had one many, many years ago. She was the cutest puppy I had ever seen. However, every single time we would pet her, she would tinkle. Needless to say she had to be an outdoors dog. I don't know if this is common to this breed or not but I've never had a dog that did that. She was cute and very sweet though.

 

[Doesney]

We had a basset beagle mix and he was an absolute joy. My parents had a basset and they loved her dearly. She was a great dog, but did have her share of health issues.

 

[Goofycampers]

Thanks for all the replies. It's good to hear the positive responses. Friend of Pooh your dog is ADORABLE We have 3 kids and so a good gentle temperment is a must. We already have a miniature daschund (a total drama queen) lol, but we just need one more ya know? I want a dog that will walk with me, especially while camping.

 

[izzy]

My brother had a basset/beagle mix named Boozer. (When she was a puppy, she stumbled around a lot and fell over her ears. My dad said she looked drunk.)

Wonderful dog with a great personality. Yes, she howled some, but all dogs have their faults. I remember when my brother moved from Virginia to Pennsylvania and we drove Boozer up there for him. That dog howled for 5 solid hours, and the next day she lost her "voice." She couldn't bark or howl for a day or two.

Her only heath problem was her back. The vet told us one time that every time he sees a basset he gets dollar signs in his eyes because they often have back problems. I remember my brother spent $500 to have her back operated on back in 1984, which if you knew how cheap my brother is, would tell you how much he loved that dog.

To this day, he'd like to get anothe basset mix. If I wasn't allergic to dogs, I would definitely consider a basset.

 

[Liz]

We have two dogs (brother and sister) who are a basset/yellow lab mix. Their mother is a purebred basset and the yellow lab jumped the fence.

Since they aren't purebred basset their ears aren't as long.

As you can see they aren't the least bit spoiled!

Our dogs are so lovable and good with everyone. Well Barney has a little bit of jealousy issues and he's a big baby but other than that he's perfect! They got into EVERYTHING when they were puppies and still get into the trash if we leave them in the house and don't put it out of reach. We've always been "cat people" but these dogs are so much fun and part of our family!

 

[momof1princess]

we've had our 2nd basset hound, vader, for 4 years-he's spoiled rotten to the core, lol. i don't find him stubborn or difficult, he's actually really comical. he dances in a circle every time i give him a bite of leftovers, trips up the steps, sits at the door and drools while he waits for a dog biscuit, hehe, i love that dog. he's an outside dog (b/c i'm allergic to dogs) and boy, he smells like a hound dog, lol, but that's part of his charm. he DOES eat anything he can get his mouth on, including a dishtowel, clorox wipes, sticks, rocks and assorted veggies straight from the plants in the garden. none of this was given to him, he snatched it all while no one was looking. if i hadn't read his papers i'd swear he was actually part billy goat, lol. he's so funny when he buries his "treasures" which are usually sticks or rawhide bones and DH usually finds them in the garden. when DH stumbles across one, vader will run up and snatch it away and run to another part of the garden to bury it again, lol. a few times a week i have to let him in the house for just a minute-he runs through the kitchen, into the living room and back to the door-i guess he just has to check the place out, lol. did i mention i LOVE that dog? he's my baby hound dog, i don't know what we'd do without him.

 

[jumoo044]

My basset hounds, Max and Molly (Molly is now deceased ) chewed everything until they were about 2 years old. Shoes, books, the coffee table...then they just stopped.
The one thing I will say is they are very messy. The drool builds up in pockets in their cheeks, then they shake their heads and just let it fly!
But other than that, they are wonderful dogs. Such clowns! They will make you laugh every day.

 

[Live4FW]

We have an 8yr old basset mix. That is a pic in my avatar of when she was a pup.

She has been an outstanding dog in the termperment department. Never aggressive at all. She is a sweet dog. We love her as part of the family.

However: Some of the negatives.

She sheds very badly. No amount of bathing or combing seems to keep this under control. We can easily pull a full wal-mart bag off of her in a week. Dander can be really bad. We had to buy a Dyson Animal to keep up with it. We have worked with the vet and suspect allergy but the testing is not an easy or exact process (may just waster our money per the vet)

She has yeast infections in the ears which we never seem to get to go away. They get better for awhile and then get worse.

They like to wander we they get loose. Ours has traveled a mile or two when the gate has been left open

Lastly, they are not very energetic (duh), ours will pick up a toy, throw it once or twice and she is done. Also, can't quite put our finger on it but she seems a bit more distant from the family

Otherwise (and keep in mind some or our issues may be the bread she was mixed with), she has been a fine dog.

 

[Goofycampers]

Thanks guys for all the great pics! I have to say I really didn't know about all the drool I don't remember my friends dog doing that. We had a lab mix dog that had to be put down last year that was an outside dog. I said I would never have another dog around that couldn't come in and out as it pleased. She was a dog I rescued from the highway and had a really bushy coat that shed like crazy. The dog reallly didn't seem to care, when we would let her in sometimes just to cuddle, she wanted to go back out . But I always felt kida guilty. Would love to hear more, and see more pics!

 

[Boo'sMom]

Here are a couple of pics of Gracie as a pup, she's a lemon basset, so her coloring might look unusual to you:

 

[jel0511]

One thing to remember about Bassets, is that they are first and foremost scent hounds. They are close to the ground, which CAN make them very difficult to train. Housetraining usually isn't an issue, but any other training is hard, since when trying to get them to pay attention to you, their sense of smell and proximity to the ground, can make it difficult for them to pay attention to you. Now, I don't have a basset, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, but I do have a doxie, another scent hound, and i will say, it was VERY difficult to train him (he's only potty trained, nothing else). The trainer I hired to help me, told me that all scent hounds close to the ground are all to train, due to their proimity to the ground, and the fact that a dog only has the attention span of 15 seconds at most, prior to being trained.

 

[Goofycampers]

Boo's Mom your dog is soooo cute