Basset Hound Experience?
 

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone had experience with Basset hounds that could share some tips with me? I did some research on the breed, but was hoping for some "real world" experiences. I may be fostering a Basset starting this weekend (depends upon interactions with my own dog, Buddy and if he is adopted before I take him). Here is a picture-those eyes can get you!

Thanks in advance for any and all information you share!

They are adorable. My golden and a Rottie used to play with one. They get their ears in their water dish & drip water across the floor. I bet you won't have him long before someone adopts him.

Semper Fi a basset hound I know would do a trick or something to get her master's attention on one side of the room and then go steal her breakfast from the counter-- if in reach-- while her m Master was distracted. with whatever she had done as a clever little move.

Fosters may or may not have some problems, depending on their back story. But the two bassets I've been around are very calm and sociable. They aren't afraid of being approached by me or two big dogs. Hopefully your foster will be fine with your dog, and vice-versa. Good of you to take in a foster, or at least be willing to.

When Maxine - basset/beagle mix, we called her a "bagel" - was alive, we found her to be the most loving dog we've had. She was a rescue dog. She learned well. She got along well with our beagle - Buddy with absolutely no initial or long term problems. They'd both eat/drink out of the same bowl. Played well together, etc. Loved to sit with/on you.

We did have to be diligent about keeping her ears clean. No problem though, just clean 'em out every couple of weeks.

Basset Hounds are awesome dogs, very low key. But they drool a lot. We had one as a kid and were always getting slimed.

What were you needing to know?

Thanks to all
 

GeoGeo: In answer to your question, along of what the earlier posters had mentioned. I have read about the breed, but even funny stories like the dog getting its ears in the water when it drank is good to know. Prior to researching the breed, I did not know about the drooling, so even something along the lines of how often and how much on the drool. Please note that I have been around St. Bernards and Mastiffs so I have seen way more drool than I have needed (lol), so a little perspective on having a Basset hanging out with us.

I am told that he is really energetic and on the young side (1-2 years old). I honestly think that if he hasn't already been adopted, there will be a good chance he gets his forever home this weekend. I have fostered a dog in the past and my last 4 dogs have all been rescue dogs, so I recognize that their backgrounds aren't always known and they don't necessarily follow the "standard" (they are mostly "All American" dogs). The rescue gets a lot of mixed breed dogs like lab mixes, pit mixes, and Chihuahuas (they are affiliated with a Chihuahuas, rescue through a relative of one of the workers), so getting a purebred happens occasionally. I believe they had a Basset about 1 1/2 years ago and he adopted out very quickly.

Thanks again to all-I enjoy the information and the anecdotes!

The only basset hound I knew well was called Sweet Pea.
Her owners adored her.
She used to have her own toothbrush in the bathroom and enjoyed brushing her teeth with her humans.

Short legs. Big feet. Floppy ears. Soulful eyes. Absolutely adorable creatures.........Mine was named Beulah......a very long time ago. (sigh)

Remember Quincy? -- He belonged to Luther on the sitcom Coach. Luther pulled Quncy around in a little red wagon.

My friend's son had a basset named Flash. My friend could never have a dog because her husband was so allergic to them. One time they had to take Flash in for a month, and my friend's husband had no allergic reaction to him (he still was allergic to other dogs). So they rescued a basset, Rosie, and the husband wasn't allergic to her either. Happy ending!

Another friend had a basset named Franklin. It was a very funny sight when Franklin would sit up and beg.

I used to have Bassets and they are wonderful pets. I would still have them today, but I can't lift that much weight. I only remember one of mine drooling. She would sit and watch you eat and drool. She didn't drool at other times. They are loving, good-natured dogs. One of mine would howl if their was a wolf on tv or if you howled to get her going. The others didn't. You have to be careful about them jumping on and off of things. They can have disc issues from jumping. It is due to their long bodies. My first one had to have back surgery. They do shed.

A friend of mine said they had a "hound dog" odor. I never verified. Did any of your Bassets have an "aroma"?

CFrance,

I don't recall my dogs having an odor (except when they rolled in something). I think alot of dogs can have some kind of odor if not bathed on a regular basis and if their dental health isn't attended to.

Well Buddy took to Joe right away, so as an update, we are now officially fostering Joe. He was shy at first while we were at PetSmart, but Buddy was all over him wanting to play. I was surprised that Joe made it through the day as there was a lot of interest (my tech is interested and I hope that he and his girlfriend decide to adopt Joe). He has stuck to me like glue since we brought him home, but has settled in nicely. He has already started running around the house (I was surprised at how fast he is) and playing with Buddy. He went "missing" and as it turns out, he was upstairs hunting around. I am going to have to put a gate up as I am cognizant that going up and down the stairs is not good for him, but I was surprised that he went up and down so quickly (he was in a ranch home, so he didn't have stairs before). He walked well on the leash (well at least as good as could be expected given the rabbits and new scents that he was finding); We avoided the ears in the water so far, although they are very long....lol. It will be interesting to see his shenanigans (the rescue coordinator told me he likes to tear apart paper, so I had to move some things around a bit. Apparently one of his favorite past times is grabbing the toilet paper and running it around (so....the bathroom doors will be closed..lol). I know it is early, but someone is going to adopt a really nice dog if/when they take Joe.

Thanks for the update and the cute stories.
It's truly heartwarming to hear about people who foster dogs.
I think it's admirable. :ho:

It's easy to forgive the shenanigans when the eyes look like that and the feet go East and West! It sounds like he's settled right in. Buddy will be sad to see him go when he's adopted!

Love your update. Sounds like my doxies when it comes to paper. Would love to see a photo if you get a chance. Thank you for fostering. People who foster are amazing.

Here is a photo of him "chillin" on his bed. I'll see if I can another picture or two and post them. So far, we have had two "face plants" as he steps on his ears and falls forward. I am crating him when I leave the house as he has already pulled a gate down to climb the stairs when I went upstairs briefly. I set up the crate and put a comforter in there and he walked in and took a nap. He didn't bark as much as I thought he might when I ran out of the house for 30 minutes this morning, but he did do a "happy dance" (it looked like he had to go to the bathroom...lol) when I let him out of the crate.

Lucky you. What a good looking dog. A great set of ears. By the way, I found that those big old ears needed to be cleaned more often. I don't mean just the tips that get in the food dish, but inside, too. I will tell you that they love to track things. I don't know if you will ever have him out and off leash, but you have to be careful because they can get on a trail and not want to come back to you.

Joe Update-Adopted!
 

I am happy to announce that Joe has been placed into his "furever" home. Joe was popular at the dog adoption days (surprisingly no applicants), but quite literally as we started to leave with Joe at the end of an adoption day, a woman came up and asked if he was up for adoption and if we could wait 2 minutes. Her friend was out in the car and she knew her friend would want to see Joe. The short story is that the friend came in, looked at Joe, had a tear or two in her eyes and very evidently fell in love with Joe. Joe seemed to take to her right away, as he was normally reserved around new adults but was playful with kids right off the bat. She called her husband and it didn't take long (one look) for him to take to Joe either, and they couldn't fill out the application fast enough. They have had bassets for 30 years, are retired and had recently thought about getting a pair of puppies as they had just gotten through the loss of their basset several months ago. Joe is a great dog, and I am so happy that he is going to a great home. We are always glad when the rescue dogs find their "furever" homes, but some matches are just "special" and this was one of them. I'll miss Joe and wish we could have adopted him, but knowing the joy he brought to their faces and the love he is going to receive from them makes it worth it.

What great news for Joe and his new mom and dad! Thank you for posting the update.

That is very good news that Joe had been adopted into a family that will treasure him.
That's a wonderful story about Joe's new family.
It takes very special dog lovers to foster dogs and then release them to a new owner.
I'm so glad there are people like you in this world. I applaud you and the work you do. :clap2:

Thank you Bare, you are too kind. It really is all about Joe and the people willing to adopt a rescue into their "furever home". Hopefully this happy story will spur others to open their hearts and homes to a new best friend. Other posters such as GeoGeo are identifying some really nice furry friends that need a home and postings such as those are a big help I am sure.

I have had three bassets. They are lovable, sweet dogs, although not terribly intelligent. And yes -- they can be trained! Their slobber does not stain. They are great with children and love everyone, including other dogs and cats. Bassets are fun. If you're in a bad mood or sad, just looking at them will cheer you up!

Thank you for sharing this wonderful story and thank you for fostering. So glad Joe found a home.

I wonder if those folks would be interested in adopting another one? South Lake Animal League has a female available for adoption. Here is a photo of Belladonna.

We have not yet heard from them, but hopefully all is well. The couple lives in Ohio, and I am not sure that they would travel to Florida, but I promise to give them "the lead" (pun intended!) about Belladonna. She looks like a sweet dog!