Calgary Basset Rescue Society

Basset behaviour

1. I thought bassets were lazy! My hound is always on the go - what gives?

   Whilst bassets are a much lower-energy breed than other dogs, it doesn't mean they're 100% couch potatoes.  Most bassets love a comfy sofa, it's true, but they also enjoy walks and playtime.  Younger hounds, especially have los of energy and are as likely as any other dog to get destructive when bored.

2. Why does my basset sometimes lie down and refuse to move?

   Ah, the infamous flat-basset!  Hounds in general are stubborn critters - bassets have the advantage of all the houndie stubborness as well as all that extra skin meaning that they can lie down, tuck in their paws, and let all that lovely flub form a near impenetrable seal with the floor meaning that your chance of shifting their furry butt is slim to none.  Bassets do this when over tired on a walk, when they don't want to leave the general area (because of food, a toy, or something else exciting), or sometimes just to make you look stupid in front of strangers :D.

3. I thought bassets were short - how the heck did mine steal my dinner???

   Bassets are notorious counter surfers - do not be fooled by their stumpy legs!  Once they figure out that their long body allows them to get their paws way higher than your head nothing left on the edge of a table, kitchen counter or the like is safe.  Some ingenious and energetic pooches may even go one step further and realise they can reach the back of the counter if they bounce on their back legs whilst surfing.  Even those that can't get the bounce trick down can't be fully trusted... I have a hound that has been known to move a kitchen chair across the room in order to pilfer ham...

4. You state a fenced yard is a must when adopting - why?

   We get many people who tell us that their current dog(s) have been trained to respect the boundary of the yard and that they'll do the same with their basset as well.  Unfortunately this isn't realistic for the majority of hounds.  I've heard of a few that can be trusted to stay put, but most hounds just love to follow their powerful noses and forget all about rules and regulations when they're tracking an interesting scent.  Because of this we require all our adopters have secure yards or are 100% committed to being with their pet whenever they're outdoors if there's a risk that they could escape.  We want happy hounds and happy owners, and the risk of a basset wandering off and potentially getting hurt is just too great.

5. Is it true that bassets are untrainable?

   Absolutely not!  I've had a few people tell me that they didn't think it was worth tking their hound to obedience classes as he/she wouldn't listen.  Bassets are absolutely trainable,and whilst only a scant few will ever be obedience champions (they still prefer to listen to their nose over you somethimes) going to obedience school is great for both you and your dog.  Bassets are very food-focussed and will always perform better when there's a tasty treat involved (or, in the case of my 2 ONLY when there's a tasty treat involved!), and although their progress may be slower than the show-off border collies that rewire your house while you're at work, they will get it with patience and understanding from you.  Classes are great bonding time for you and your hound, plus great doggy socialisation and with the added benefit of you getting access to a professional trainer to get advice whenever you need it.  For more advanced training, lots of bassets enjoy taking tracking classes, whilst others have success in agility (google agility hounds - there's something awesome about a photo of a basset clearing a jump with his/her ears flapping behind in the wind).

6. I've seen that bassets are bottom in intelligence tests - are they dumb?

   Not exactly... this again comes down to the stubborness of hounds.  A basset doean't have the same instinctive desire to 'perform' for praise like some other breeds.  When pitted against a border collie, lab or other working dog they don't perform to the same 'standard' because they have very different motivations.  Case in point: ask my 2 hounds to perform one of their tricks whilst holding a clicker you get 2 very insolent stares, maybe a yawn, and what appears to be 2 of the dumbest dogs you ever did see.  Repeat this exercise whlst holding cheese or meat and suddenly they're superstars.  With most of the hound breeds it's really about finding the right motivation to get them to do things; just make sure that your motivation doesn't end up with a pooch tipping the scales!!! 

7. I've heard hounds are bad for howling, is that true?

   All hound breeds have the ability to 'sing', like all dogs some are more vocal than others, it's just that a persistant howler is more likely to annoy your neighbours than a persistant yapper!  Most bassets can be trained to be quieter, and many respond to the squirt collars if they can't be trusted.  There are, of course, some hounds that will even howl through a shock collar.  It is definitely something to think about if you live in an apartment or townhouse - rescuing an older hound with no bad vocal habits could be a good way to stay friends with your neighbours if you're in close proximity to them! 

Basset health

1. Why is my hound dragging his butt across my carpets?

   'Scooching' can be the result of 2 things, in a few cases it could be that your basset needs deworming, but for the most part it's down to impacted anal glands.  Most dogs find their glands emptying naturally whenever they have a bowel movement, but for others the glands can fail to empty  making the hound extremely uncomfortable.  The glands can be expressed fairly easily by your vet or by yourself, depending on your level of comfort.  It's painless for the dog, but be warned  - the stuff that comes out is particularly foul-smelling so you'll want to do it somewhere that you can easily clean up, and well away from fabrics (trust me - getting anal stink out of a couch is no fun).

2. What can I do to keep my hound a healthy weight?

   Ah, the sad "I'm starving feed me bacon" look that gets so many hound owners in trouble.  Bassets are extremely food focussed and are one of the breeds well known to gorge themselves until they're ill.  Even though your hound looks sad, he/she isn't, and as long as you're feeding him/her a good quality food at a rate that your vet approves of they're just fine.  Treats are OK in moderation, but if you've had a very treat heavy day due to training you can cut back on his/her evening meal (I swear my dogs are glaring at me as I type this...)

3. Do I really need to worry about bloat?

   Yes, most definitely.  Bassts are the 7th most likely breed to experience bloat and it is often fatal if not caught quickly enough.  All basset owners MUST inform themselves on the signs, symptoms, and treatment of this deadly condition.  There are lots of good articles out there to read - here are some links to just a few of them:

   http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1571&aid=402

   http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/bloat.html

4. Are bassets prone to glaucoma?

   Yes, thanks to poor breeding glaucoma is extremely common in bassets.  The good news is it's not life-threatening, although left untreated the pressure in the eye can be extremely painful for the hound.  Most cases can be treated with daily eye drops, although some hounds may need to have their eyeball remeoved to ease their pain.  Many hounds with glaucoma lose their sight, but with them being a scent hound they do surprisingly well after going blind and can still live full, long, happy lives with their families. 

5. I've heard bassets are prone to joint issues - what can I do to help my hound stay pain-free?

   As any hound or human ages they're going to experience some level of slowing up, but as with people, a good diet, moderate exercise, a healthy weight, and avoiding situations in which injury is likely can do wonders.  With young pups try to minimise their activity on climbing or jumping things until they're at least 6 months and have tougher bones.  This would include climbing stairs, jumping in and out of the car, jumping in and out of bed etc.  As your basset ages make sure he/she is not overweight and putting undue stree on his/her joints, and consider adding joint-support supplements such as fish oils to their diet.

6. I'm having serious housetraining issues - what can I do?

   Bassets are notoriously difficult to house train, but not impossible.  It just takes consistancy and patience on your part and pretty soon indoor puddles (or worse) will be a thing of the past.  If you have ruled out a Urinary Tract Infection as a possible cause of your hound's accidents (easily done by taking a unrine sample to your vet) then you really just need to be consistant and never give your hound free run of your home until he/she can prove he/she can be trusted.  If you can't be with your hound all the time, use a crate or section off a portion of your home (such as a laundry room) with a baby gate.  A dog will rarely soil an area they consider to be their den so keeping them in a smaller space until they've got potty training101 under their belts is always a good idea.  When you're home it's a good idea to loop a longer leash around your waist and have them with you as you do things.  This way ytou can immediately gently correct your hound when they try to eliminate indoors.  It is of no use rubbing your pet's nose in their accident or yelling at them after the fact.  You muat catch your pet in the act, stop them with a firm 'no', and take them outside to where you want them to go in the future.  With kindness, consistency and patience you'll have a housetrained pooch.

7. Is this amount of drool normal???

   Ah, the drool.  All bassets are drooly to some degree; as a general rule, the droopier the hound the more drool you get, but that of course isn't always the case.  Expect an increase in drool production when there's food about or there's something exciting going on.  Expect to find drool in the oddest of places (we've had reports of it landing on chandeliers). Expect to sometimes wonder if the wet patch on your couch could be pee, because surely that can't be that much drool (hint - unless your basset is having a medical issue it's always drool).

8. Bassets don't shed much, right?

   Well, they're not Newfs in the shedding department, but they're definately not shed-free.  It is possible to reduce the amount of shedding with a lot of work over a period of time, but you'll always want to furminate and brush them to keep it under control.  My 2 are minimal shedders thanks to dilligent bathing and brushing over the first year of being with us (a bath consisting of shampoo, conditioner and brushing every 10-14 days) followed by furminating during peak shedding season.  We have very little hair, but it was a lot of work.

    

   Without keeping up the brushing expect to have basset hair dust bunnies floating around your home.

9. What am I supposed to do with those ears???

   Basset ears are beautiful, but they're also like dust busters and suck everything up.  As a result it's a good idea to clean your hound's ears out once a week with a soft cloth to avoid yeast infections or other issues.  Most bassets are good about having their ears cleaned, but there's always an exception to the rule.

    

   Some hounds have chronic ear issues that require more than a simple wipe out, a few different things can be used to help with the cleaning process - your vet can give you a cleaning solution or you can make a homemade solution such as the blue powder treatment (http://www.ridgewoodpoodles.com/blue_power_ear_treatment.htm) or a 50/50 solution of water & vinegar can also be used.  

10. My basset is a huge wuss about having his/her nails clipped; what can I do?

    You are not alone.  Basets in general are very skittish about their toenails and you'd think they were being murdered by the fuss they make when they see the clippers come out.  One solution is to have the vet or groomer do it, but it is possible to get them to be more accepting of the nail trim by letting them have a treat to focus on (I've been told an almost empty peanut butter jar does the trick, though nut allergies prevent me from actually trying it out), or switching to using a dremel tool to grind them down.  Either way, you'll have to gradually desensitise them to the process with treats and baby steps, but it's 100% acheivable with patience and a bit of practice.  Whne giving peticures at home be careful not to cut into the quick of the nail - if you do be sure to have something onhand to stem the blood (either one of the products available at petstores, or good old krazy glue will do the trick).

11. How on earth am I supposed to pick up this long dog???

    Bassets are difficult to carry, especially as they get heavier.  You have to be sure to support their entire length to avoid hurting their spines and causing potential lasting problems.  Put a hand under their chest and one further along their underbelly - never try to lift them with both your hands at the same point - you'll likely solicit a yelp of pain from your hound, and chances are you'll throw your own back out as well!