Originally Posted by wilhemina:
“Good luck with Alfie ~ I'm sure he'll be fine (if a bit tender for a few days!) & it is the best thing in the long run.
SylviaB ~ Lovely description of Bassets ~ TV pillows
. We had a beautiful Basset pup in training classes a while ago ~ the most relaxed & laid back puppy I've ever seen, confident & friendly but what a stubborn little mite! He did manage all the normal training like sit, down, walking nicely on a lead etc but everything was done at his pace & when he felt like it! On the class recalls all the pups would go flying across the room to their owners, but Barney Basset would just wander across at his own speed, having a sniff here & there, & eventually turning up at his owner's side as if to say "what's the rush, I got here didn't I?". He would have the whole class in stitches & the owner was quite a comedian himself so we used to have a great time on that course. I've since met the owner walking Barney Basset along the river near me, having complete hysterics as Barney paddled down to the water. He thought he would drown as apparently Bassets are not very good swimmers. Luckily Barney also knew he was not a good swimmer so he was happy to just wallow in the shallows
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“Good luck with Alfie ~ I'm sure he'll be fine (if a bit tender for a few days!) & it is the best thing in the long run.
SylviaB ~ Lovely description of Bassets ~ TV pillows
. We had a beautiful Basset pup in training classes a while ago ~ the most relaxed & laid back puppy I've ever seen, confident & friendly but what a stubborn little mite! He did manage all the normal training like sit, down, walking nicely on a lead etc but everything was done at his pace & when he felt like it! On the class recalls all the pups would go flying across the room to their owners, but Barney Basset would just wander across at his own speed, having a sniff here & there, & eventually turning up at his owner's side as if to say "what's the rush, I got here didn't I?". He would have the whole class in stitches & the owner was quite a comedian himself so we used to have a great time on that course. I've since met the owner walking Barney Basset along the river near me, having complete hysterics as Barney paddled down to the water. He thought he would drown as apparently Bassets are not very good swimmers. Luckily Barney also knew he was not a good swimmer so he was happy to just wallow in the shallows.”
Wilhemina, that is just how Basset Hounds are! They are the most laid-back, affectionate, loving dogs and because they are pack dogs (or as my breeder friend says -- they're hounds, not dogs) they just love the company of dogs and people.
They definitely have minds of their own and can be quite stubborn (in an amusing way) and if they want to go a different way and are on the lead, they can dig those very strong feet in the ground and I can see them saying "I do not want to go that way today and I'm not moving until I get my own way." My friend who also bred my sisters and two previous ones from the 80s and 90s said that they are hounds and not dogs, hence their stubboness!
My family have had Bassets for many years and so have I through my married life (my parents always had several at a time due to rescuing/rehoming quite a few at various ages - some because their owners said they were 'untrainable' so they clearly didn't understand a Basset's mind and some had been ex-breeding bitches!! Because of being brought up with them I have followed in my parents' footsteps and have always had two or three at a time (including some 'untrainable' rehomes that turned out to be delightful pets! If only people had more patience and understanding of the breed!
My breeder and one of his friends (also our friend) who also breeds and shows Bassets that are Crufts winners, very often won't sell to people who have not previously had Bassets and especially if they say they want one 'to breed with' if they have never experienced the breed! Both guys always gives would-be buyers the fifth degree in questioning and have refused a lot of people who they felt weren't right for their hounds .
They don't want to see adverts for any of their Bassets looking for homes and always tell people that should things not work out, to bring the dog back and they'd rather return the money to the owners than for the dogs to be passed on to someone else.... and their careful 'vetting' of prospective owners generally prevents this happening, which seems sensible to me, especially as they cost upwards of £800/£850 each and are lovely dogs!!
