Bassett hound as first dog?

[Kharn]

I'm looking to add a dog to my household, and have been looking at a bassett hound due to activity level and size preference. 

My brother and I are currently living together (we're 23 and 25, respectively) in a 3BR, 2-story house on 1/4 acre in the middle of suburbia, but we never had a dog growing up so we're both inexperienced with the issue.  A high-energy dog like a lab or german shepard probably wouldnt be best, I have some joint problems so I cant run or walk for long distances that such a dog would require, and we'd like a dog that isnt a little foo-foo dog a lady would carry in a purse, so from what we've read, the bassett's almost perfect.

We both work normal 40hr/wk jobs, but only 5mi from home and have flexible work schedules so either one of us could come home for lunch to feed and walk the dog. I'm out of town for 7-10 days a month, and my brother's out for 3-4, but hardly ever overlapping (we have several friends that would be willing to dog-sit, or there's a highly-recommended kennel about 3mi away).

The current plan is to keep the dog on the lower level (12x40' great room with lots of natural light, fully finished and set up as a general entertaining area with a futon and recliner we dont care if she lays on) while we're not home with a baby-gate keeping her from getting onto the landing where the front door is, and then crate her in my room at night. (Its 7 steps up to the landing and then another 5 up to the main floor, will that be a problem for a bassett?) While we're home, she'd have full run of the house. All of the floor-level cabinets still have child-safety locks from the previous owners, so her rooting around for goodies shouldnt be much of a problem.

It wont be a problem for us to rearrange our schedules to include a morning and evening walk.

We were thinking of doing a cable run from the back of the house out to the trees about 30' away, so she could have lots of room to play in or go potty, without us worrying about her finding a scent and running off. That's what we're used to seeing most families use near our parents' house, but up here in yuppie land, it seems to be frowned upon (but without an HOA to tell us we cant do it, all they can do is leave nasty-grams in our mailbox). We wouldnt use it for more than an hour or two per day, just whenever she wants to go outside besides walk times or is being annoying to guests. Are cable runs falling out of fashion due to real reasons, or is it just the local bliss-ninnies trying to butt into people's lives?

Any comments, tips or suggestions?

[Azrael256]

It's pretty easy to train a dog to hold it most of the day.  If you're going to be available to come home in the middle of the day for awhile, it'll be even easier.  The steps will be a little bit of a problem.  Not a big problem, though, if they're fairly shallow.  A full flight of stairs up to the second floor might be a little much, but it depends on the dog and the stairs.  I've seen bassets climb to third floor apartments.  Dogs are versatile and able to get used to nearly anything in almost no time.

And really, the animal's versatility is the key.  If a dog of that breed is having trouble getting along in a house of that size with more activity than the minimum she needs to stay healthy (two walks a day is a good bit of exercise), plenty of food, and enough attention, then there's probably something wrong with you guys, not the dog.  With a healthy family to live with and plenty of walking, a 250lb mastiff would do fine in a house like that.

The only thing I would recommend is not using crates or bothering with child locks.  We have an open-top trash can that's about head height for our dog, and she never goes rooting through it.  She did once, but I told her it was off-limits to anything under 4' tall.  The same holds true for the cat box.  Dogs cause trouble because they're bored, but they can't be bored if they're so tired from exercise that they flop over on the floor and fall asleep.  Keep the little furball busy with long walks every day, and you'll see just how good a lean basset can look.  That dog will be able to outdistance you by a long way, so don't worry about overwalking.

If she starts becoming destructive while she's alone even with lots of exercise, the only cure is to get her a puppy.  Just trust me on this one.

Oh, and another thing... I hope you don't live near a railroad crossing.  You'll know why the first time the little rascal hears a train.

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

AhhhhROOOOO!

AAAAAHHHHhhhhhhhhROOOOO!

AAAAAHHHHHHROOOOOOOOO!


get used to the baying, especially at night, and as reported by your neighbors when you're not there.

How about a Basenji?

Regards,
Rabbit.

[erik the bold]

Training takes time and effort, but it pays off with repetition.   I have a (now) nine year old lab that we trained from a pup. She never leaves the yard (un-fenced) and only barks at folks she doesn't know.   She's trained to go out and do her business twice a day, first thing in the morning and at about six pm, both times right after meals.  She stays mostly in a kennel during the day, but is indoors in inclement weather. 

In nine years, she only had one 'accident' and that was because SWMBO gave her a ham bone.  Yetch, what a mess!  Doggie diarrehea on nearly new silver-grey carpet is not fun.... 

Do yourself a favor and NEVER, EVER, GIVE THEM PEOPLE FOOD.  Keeps 'em healthy and happy.

[Stand_watie]

     I've never owned a bassett, but my impression of the dog from people I've known who owned one, is that they take up less space per lb than most dogs due to their placid nature. I doubt you'll have nearly as much problem with a bassett wanting to roam as with many (if not most) breeds, for example beagles or bird dogs. A grown bassett shouldn't have any problem at all with stairs.

Assuming you want a medium to large sized, low energy dog, I'd put a bassett at the top of your list for good choices of first dogs.

[Stand_watie]

C'mon folks!

Any animal that is cute enough to have the quite literal ability (I've personally witnessed it) to walk upon it's own ears surely deserves more comment than this.

A puppy who trips over his or her own ears should get 30 or 40 responses in 24 hours at least! Think about cute little, thick, stubby, short legs and scads of wrinkles...

[ilbob]

Crates sound like they are cruel, but dogs actually seem to like them. They feel safe in them. I have had three beagles and all of them spent time in crates. They often would go in them to sleep even with the doors left open. The current beagle spends a lot of time in her crate and the door has not been closed in probably 6 or 7 years.

From what little I know about basset hounds, they are pretty good dogs to have as pets, but can have some health issues.

Beagles have kind of a bad rap about barking. They are not anywhere near as bad as the reputation. And they make very good house pets, as long as they get regular exercise. They are a lot smarter than they are given credit for, too, because they are a little stubborn when it comes to doing tricks. they kind of have their own ideas about what tricks they are willing to learn and if you expect instant and totally obedience like you might get from some breeds, you will be disappointed in a beagle. Rather than training them, they tend to train you, as they are infinitely patient in adjusting your behavior. 

They do have some negative traits. They will eat until they explode. They also will follow their nose wherever it leads. If that happens to be ten miles down the road, they will be found ten miles down the road. Invisible fences do not work with them. You need a real fence with something into the ground 2 or 3 inches or they may dig their way out. They will need regular brushing or your house will be full of beagle hair.

The good side is they don't eat much, require little in the way of space, and are probably the most friendly and playful dogs you will ever meet.

[peteinct]

For just a pet consider a rescue dog. A good shelter or organization will let you know what to expect regarding the dogs size and temperament. A mutt also can avoid some of the diseases that can occur more often in purebred dogs. If you want a certain breed there are specific groups for that breed such as collie rescue which is featured in 1911tuners sigline on THR. Those collies look gorgeous.
pete

[Harold Tuttle]

bassetts are a rather large hound dog with short legs
If they had proper hound legs, they would be classed as a Lab or a goldie

At their root, they are a hunting dog and require activity

find a small 20 pounder and plan on how you will spend time with the pup

http://www.petfinder.com

[Harold Tuttle]

a Puggle
http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6775524

[mtnbkr]

For just a pet consider a rescue dog. A good shelter or organization will let you know what to expect regarding the dogs size and temperament. A mutt also can avoid some of the diseases that can occur more often in purebred dogs. If you want a certain breed there are specific groups for that breed such as collie rescue which is featured in 1911tuners sigline on THR. Those collies look gorgeous.
pete

This is worth repeating.

We adopted our dog, a mix of hound and terrier that looks very much like a petite basset de griffon (rare in the US, common in Europe).  She was an adult when we got her and already house trained.  She's just about the perfect house dog.  She rarely barks (mostly when playing with our daughter) and doesn't tear up stuff in the house.  Unfortunately, she does follow her nose like hound, so we have to keep her on a leash when she's outdoors.  Otherwise, she's very obedient and docile.  It's almost as if she's grateful for the opportunity to live with us.

Adoption/rescue is definitely worth looking into. 

FWIW, our neighbors down the street had a basset.  He was a good dog, but was a bit lazy.  It took some coaxing to get him out for his walks.  They also had to keep him on a diet as he tended to pork up.

Chris

[charby]

Crates sound like they are cruel, but dogs actually seem to like them. They feel safe in them. I have had three beagles and all of them spent time in crates. They often would go in them to sleep even with the doors left open. The current beagle spends a lot of time in her crate and the door has not been closed in probably 6 or 7 years.

Dogs are a critter that likes to den, crate simulates the den. Like mentioned above when we are gone more than a few hours we crate our lab. Also when my lab just wants to be left alone she goes into her crate and sleeps.

Rather than training them, they tend to train you, as they are infinitely patient in adjusting your behavior. 

number one secret of all dog training. Any breeds can be a handful with out proper training.

Plus with a puppy you almost need to let the pup out at least every hour until they are house broken. That times varies and it really isn't until they are a year old that they can be trusted as fully house broken. I got lucky and my current lab only took 5 days to be house broken with two mishaps afterwards in her first year. I have known of dogs that took 6 months or longer to be house broken.

Just remember a dog is a lot of responsibility and you'll have to plan weekend getaways and vacations around them.

-C

[26point2]

I've got two Bassets as seen here:
http://www.f150online.com/galleries/albumview.cfm?num=10427

Two rules:
1.  Keep them on a leash or in a fenced in area...they follow their noses and have lousy sense of direction.  Meaning, they will wonder and will not find their way back home.
2.  They are attention hounds...they want to be where the action is, even if nothing is going on.

Anything else you want to know??

R/
Craig

[Kharn]

I've got two Bassets as seen here:
http://www.f150online.com/galleries/albumview.cfm?num=10427

Two rules:
1.  Keep them on a leash or in a fenced in area...they follow their noses and have lousy sense of direction.  Meaning, they will wonder and will not find their way back home.
2.  They are attention hounds...they want to be where the action is, even if nothing is going on.

Anything else you want to know??

R/
Craig

Where'd you get your pair from?  I'm in Maryland too.

[26point2]

They are actually 5 years apart.  I found the tri-color (male) at a pet store in Laurel.  A breeder in PA I was talking too said he sent one down there so I decided to get him.  The red and white (female) one I picked up at another pet store, she was there for over 3 months, so I consider it a rescue.  There is a basset rescue orginization somewhere in Md...not a lot of puppies due to people giving them up when the find out that the breed is not for them.  I would read up on the breed before getting one.  Plenty of good books out there, pick one up before buying or adopting.

Points to consider:
1.  They shed.  Their shedding season is from Feb-Jan.
2.  They drool.  I got lucky and mine are pretty dry.
3.  They are more active than you think.
4.  There are some health issuse.  Ears, legs and back.  As long as you clean thier ears you won't see the infections.  Legs, not much you can do there, they get hurt sometimes.  Back, keep their weight down so back problems to pop up.

R/
Craig

[lumpy]

You might want to reconsider the breed, they can have a difficult time in a 2 story house. Their bodies aren't that great on stairs... especially if they are even slightly overweight.