Getting a Basset Hound?

I am planning on getting a Basset Hound as my first dog. Are there any suggestions from current or former owners on the vices and virtues of this breed? Is it better to get a male or female and have them neutered or spayed? I've also read that the most diffcult part of having a Basset Hound is the housebreaking and the illness it can get when it gets older. Please tell me everything you can. Thank you so much.

I had a basset as a child. She was a wonderful dog. My mom housebroke her but I know she never went in the house, she had a dog door. I know this sounds funny but the only time she was ever slightly aggressive is if you called her a dog, she would growl. (I guess she thought she was human,lol) She never was overweight, although this can be a problem, we always fed her dry dog food and table scraps. She didn't ever have puppies because she went through a false pregnancy and we decided to get her fixed because of this. Although, once we found baby rabbits and she would snuggle up to them in her basket, and lick them like they were hers (we bottle fed them). She was great with kids, my mom had an in-home daycare. She had to be put to sleep when I was 18 because she had arthritis really bad and couldn't hardly even walk up the 3 steps to get in the house without yelping in pain. Hope this helps you, if I had a bigger house I would think of getting one!

I also considered getting a basset hound but when I read that they spit so much that it was not unusual to find spit on ceilings....I changed my mind. Also, check this website, the basset is at the bottom of the list for obedeience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intelli...

i dont mean to put anyone down by this but my daughter had an adult basset and he was tottally untrainable very dumb actually never listened. well now she has a baby got him at 7 wks and he is now 8 mo and guess what same thing no matter how hard we try he wont learn anything and he will go outside to pee and come in look at you and pee on the floor. i am a dog lover but i would never get one. some other people i have talked to says they are not really dumb but very very stuborn either way be prepared to spend xtra time.

i don't think the gender will matter, but definitally get them spayed/ neutered. There are enough shelter dogs/puppies as it is. This will prevent any accident puppies. If you don't spay your female, they will go into heat which is fairly messy and a pain. Getting your dog spayed/neutered also reduces there risk of cancer and other diseases and will live longer. Neutering your dog will make them more calm and everyone will be happier.

One of the most important factors are their ears! You have to clean their ears about every other day or they will stink badly enough to smell up an entire room, a large room! Then they get infected which requires a vet visit. Bassets are no harder to break than any other dog. They are smart and loyal just like any other dog. All dog breeds have genetic or just breed prone problems, I can't think of one that doesn't, so that's really not much of a factor, at least I don't think so.
Bassets are great dogs, but they do require a bit more grooming work and diligence than a lot of others. Be really good to her, I always prefer females, spay her, DON"T ever hit her, it doesn't work because they can't understand why you are hurting them, enroll her in a puppy obedience class, our county has classes every 8 weeks and is very reasonable. To potty train her take her out every hour and right after she's done eating praise her when she does her doodies outside, when she has an accident tell her no and take her out, if you take her out often, she will house break much quicker. Good luck to both of you!

Ive never owned a Basset hound before, but the breed happens to be one of my most favourite and ive researched it for the past 3 years.

Neutering: This is good for any breed. It keeps the dog from running away, is beneficial to the population and reduces risk of cancer. This should be done to any dog, unless a champion show dog or race dog etc. ect.

Basset hounds are a french breed, bred to hunt fox, hare, opossum, and pheasant. The basset is recognized by many kennel clubs, not all the kennel clubs are as well known as AKC, but they are kennel clubs none the less. The kennel clubs that accept basset hounds are as follows: CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, APRI, ACR.

The basset hound lives to be about 10-12 years if properly cared for, maybe even longer. This breed easily becomes overweight and its diet needs to be supervised. Feeding them 2 to 3 small meals a day is best as they are prone to Bloat. Along with Bloat they are prone to back injuries because of short legs and heavy long body. So its wise to keep the basset hound from straining its legs or jumping to high, any extra weight is overbearing and can cause lameness or paralysis. The weight of the average basset hound can range from 45 to 65 pounds, but should not be to far above or below the average weight. Like any other breed, the basset needs to be excersized daily. Going on walks is by far the best way of exersize.

Grooming a basset is fairly easy and often only need baths every once in a while when needed. A simple brushing is all it takes for them, but shedding can be a problem with most short haired dogs. Most people think long haired dogs shed more, when really they barely shed at all. Its the short haired dogs that do most the shedding. They do need their ears wiped almost daily. They come in a veriety of colours including black, tri-colour, brown and white, etc. etc. The most common colour being tri-coloured.

They can be extremly stubborn to train, but with the right handler this dog could be the best family pet youve ever owned. The breed is truly not dumb at all, though many people think so, but it is really bull headed and would prefer to do things its own way. You have to be firm, but gentle in a way and its always good to start out with treats and slowly begin lessining the treats if you want him to do a trick without treats.