April 05, 2004

• We'd browsed local pounds and animal shelters and there don't seem to be many bassets rescued around here. We're not really concerned with breeding or showing the dog, but if we do have to buy from a breeder, we want to make sure that we get a dog from a responsible one. How do we choose a breeder? I've heard bassets have tendencies toward back problems..is this something that can bred out? Does anyone have experience buying a dog from an out of state breeder? I've been browing puppyfind.com and there seem to be many to choose from, but is it good for puppies to ship them on planes?
• This, and this, read carefully, may give you a few hints as to some of the adverse reports on this breed. Fact: bassets are a challenge for even experienced trainers. Ears and eyes have problems, as well as backs. Why not go to a nearby dogshow or an obedience group, and try to talk to a breeder or handler familiar with the breed -- you'll learn a lot about their characteristers and personalities this way, and might make a connection with a local basset breeder. Be prepared to pay for a purebred pup. Canine medical bills these days can startle anyone who's not kept up with recent veterinary treatments -- be prepared to spend bucks if you get any pet. Shipping animals is always dicey -- if the flight is diverted or delayed, your pup may suffer, frankly, for hours without attention. Dog breeders in your area or in easy driving distance may be online. And you can credentials, ask for references -- any good breeder will be glad to respond. All the best with whatever pup you get, Dr Z.
• Rescuing a dog that could be "put to sleep" is also an option. Mixed breeds frequently have a hybrid vigor that makes them great pets.personality-wise and health-wise. You might even find an abandoned pure-bred in a shelter. My experience is that rescued dogs are so grateful to find love that their loyalty is complete and unquestioning. If you try an animal shelter, you may find that the dogs will be very vocal when you start looking around - each one trying to get you to pick him or her. Then, when you pick the one you want, the rest suddenly become silent. Heartbreaking for the ones left behind.
• Dr. Zira: I don't know Basset Hounds specifically, but my grandmother's good friend is a dogbreeder, and she has bred her females, too. From what I have seen of good breeders is that the operation isn't very large. The worry about the "puppy mill" type dogs is that there are so many dogs that they don't have human contact. But with the breeder I knew, the dogs gave birth in her bedroom, and the puppies played in her kitchen. They were wonderfully tempered dogs, very good with people, even small children (it helped that they were spanials). So seeing the conditions in which the puppies have lived is important. There are also probably specific things you should also look for in a breeder, like a registration in any appropriate organisation, and clear records of the dog's parents, etc. But I, too, am still a big proponent of finding a puppy at the shelter - if you aren't interested in showing or breeding a dog, you could find a really nice dog and give it a home it wouldn't have otherwise. If you stick to dogs that are obviously not crossbred with any of the large, possibly violent types, it should be good. (I know cats better - they all have nasty tempers :)
• Bassets are sweet, but overbred, hence the problems mentioned above. And what path said about hybrid vigour. Crossbreds live considerably longer than most pures, too, and after ten years with your lovely woofer you'll be thinking about that.
• I agree with Wolof - there are a lot of reasons to adopt a homeless animal. But if you really want a purebreed, check out the AKC Breed Rescue site, as well as pets911.com. The process takes just a bit longer with adopting, but it's definitely worth it.
• i always adopt rescue animals. millions of cats and dogs need good homes. please consider that option. plus, when you adopt through a rescue, the animal has been in a foster home so the foster "mom" can tell you all about its personality, etc. please consider that option! either for a mixed-breed or basset.
• Just to reinforce what has already been mentioned by several posters - when buying a pure bred, question the breeder about health extensively. Find out everything you can about health problems endemic to that breed and have the breeder convince you that their dogs are sound. Ask about the health of the puppy's parents and grandparents. Ask for names of other people who have dogs from the same breeder and call and talk to them to confirm their own experiences with the breeder. Don't be afraid to question. Breeders often act as if they're doing you a favor by letting you buy their dog. Good breeders do deserve your respect for being devoted to a hobby that rarely makes them any real money, but that doesn't mean they are beyond scrutiny. This might all seem a bit extreme, but it's necessary with pure breds if you want to minimize the hassles, heartache, and vet bills. Otherwise, save a pound puppy and most likely get an amazingly healthy dog in return.
• i too would encourage the adoption route. Bassetts are very sweet and loving, although we did have a young male who just couldn't give up chewing everything to pieces. All the females were wonderful. They have this "waddle" in their gate that makes them puppy-like for life. Great barks too - it starts out way down in their gut and by the time it gets out it sounds enormous!
• Neighbor always had these for pets. I found them to be rather smelly, even when bathed. Houndy scent. Not really pleasant to me. Also did not care for the drool. IMO.
• We had a basset for years (a female); they're sweet and lovable as the dickens, but kind of dumb -- and, as my mother always used to say, "they do get smelly..."
• I'll put myself in the "please consider rescuing a dog from a shelter" column, but I will say that if you have your heart set on a purebred, talk to a number of different breeders before you buy a puppy. Only consider out of state breeders if you are willing to travel to see the breeder first. You will want to see the conditions in which your puppy was born and how the dogs are cared for. Do ask your breeder lots of questions about the health histories of the parents, and also expect that the breeder ask you lots of questions as well. A good breeder will be concerned to find good homes for the puppies, and will want to make sure your family is a good match for the breed.
• Thanks, this is helpful. Particularly the bits about the smell. I had thought that having short hair would make them less prone to the smelliness. I'll keep watching the shelters and rescues. Our first priority is finding a dog who will do well around a three year old, and bassets seem to be coming up repeatedly in my research as a breed that does well around young children. (As do English Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, but damned if we can afford to shell out $1500 for a puppy). I'm starting to think the shelter route really may be the best way to go. So we'll keep checking around.
• Dr. Zira, when I worked for the ASPCA, I trained a purebred King Charles spaniel there at one time, and a purebred Staffordshire pitbull terrior as well. The spaniel had been abandoned because it wasn't housetraining well, but that may have been the fault of the owner.
• Dr.Zira: Funny, it was King Charles Cavalier Spanials that my grandmother bred - they are very good with children, and have good tempers, but need a firm hand and a lot of exercise. She generally sold the puppies for around $500 CND (plus a pick from the first litter from a breeding female), but some breeders might sell clown puppies (those who have assymetrical markings, as if that mattered) for less. Good luck with your search.
• This is a sidenote I suppose, but I've had a basset hound. Lovely creature, but she needed lots and lots of attention. That's not a problem now obviously, but once your child starts going to school and isn't home will someone be? Our dog would do the great sobbing barks for hours if someone wasn't home to pet/play/just generally be there for her. Your mileage may vary of course.
• Along the same lines as Pez: a basset hound lived down the street when I was growing up. The family fell in love with him when they first got him but he turned out to be a handful. And when the puppy went barrelling through the family room one day on one of his many "freak-out" periods, he slid across the hardwood floor on a sharp turn, lost traction and slammed into a 300-year old grandfather clock. Said clock came crashing down on the hardwood floor (missed the dog, though) and was irreparably damaged. YMMV, hopefully.
• along with everything else, my wife (the vet tech) always gave this piece of advice : Make sure you have enough yard for your dog. If you don't have a yard, don't entertain thoughts of a big dog. I know basset hounds aren't way up on the Big Dawg scale, but the advice still holds. She also says "If all you can afford is barbed wire, you can't afford a horse". This has even less to do with your question, but it's a good thing to remember.