|
Basset Hound Facts Life Expectancy: 12 years Size: 13-15in Noise: Talkative Common Health Problems: Eye problems, prone to joint and spine injuries Breed Recognized By: AKC, CKC, FCI, KC Alternate Names: Basset Friendliness | Friendly to everyone including strangers, children, and other animals. | Grooming | Moderate | Energy | Moderate, requires 30 minutes or more of exercise daily | Trainability | Prone to stubbornness, very food motivated | Basset Hounds originated in France, but the form they take today was created by English hunters who wanted a dog with short legs so that hunters could keep up with them on foot. Today most Basset Hounds make cheerful family companions. Basset Hounds were originally bred to hunt in packs, so they have a notoriously friendly disposition. In fact, a Basset Hound can be so outgoing that its friendliness may be overwhelming to small children and other animals. Basset Hounds make excellent family pets and will usually welcome strange people and animals without problems. Although they may chase small animals, Basset Hounds will seldom hurt them. Basset hounds have short, coarse coats that shed constantly. Daily brushing will decrease the amount of hair in the house. Basset Hounds’ long ears trap dirt easily and need to be cleaned often. Bassets also need to have their nails trimmed weekly. Basset Hounds can ramble all day long if they need to, but most are content with 30-40 minutes of exercise a day. Bassets will not demand exercise, but care should be take to give it to them anyway because they are prone to weight gain. Basset Hounds are single-minded and “nosy”, or smell-oriented, making them somewhat challenging to train. Bassets are never malevolent or mean-spirited, they are just focused and difficult to distract once their attention is caught. Basset Hounds are very food motivated, and the use of treats will aid greatly in training.
|
