Bassets are different. There are many sources of information on how to successfully rear a puppy, but sadly since our publicity, many new owners have approached us for advice. They seem to have been let down by their breeder. So in the interests of passing on some advice gleaned from our long ownership, here are some quick hints.
You best source of advice is to buy Marianne Nixon's book The Basset Hound. With her husband Jim they run the well known Brackenacre kennel at Plymouth (we have two of their lovely hounds). For other books see our links page.
There is also a Care Page on the main Basset Hound Club's website.
But for now, some Do's and Don'ts.
- Providing you buy from a good breeder with known pedigree (the hound not the breeder), you should have little trouble with your hound. They do need plenty of exercise and mixing with other dogs and people. Bassets are very sociable, affectionate and loving. They are particularly safe with children (see our Miss Moppet right with Greta our g-child). They need firm handling but like small children can sulk. It is easy to tell when they have done wrong.
- Bassets are heavy boned dogs and you should give additional calcium supplement from early stages to at least 18 months old. The easiest way is by Canovel tablets (2 a day). Buy large drums of 200 tablets (about £20). We also have fed extra vitamins (SA 37). Some also give Rose Hip syrup (allegedly to improve the coat) and cod liver oil (Seven Seas). Bassets should be “well-covered” without being fat.
- Because of heavy bone growth care must be taken to avoid climbing on and off furniture, stairs, cars – or in our case – jumping through a serving hatch (at six months!). Always lift under the chest. It is easy to damage a joint which may not have closed properly. A few years ago one of our hounds developed a limp at six months which after X-Ray and consultation at Langford (not cheap), proved to be a socket joint that had not closed properly. The surgeon offered to operate, with no guarantee, but she walked 12 mile a day for most of her life, but with a rolling gait.
- For the same reason walks should be restricted to runs around the garden till six months, half a mile up to 9 months. Don’t walk more than a mile till a year old. From 18 months old a fit hound should be able to walk more than 12 miles a day with no trouble.
- Never exercise less than a hour after meals due to the risk of bloat. Like other big chested dogs, the stomach can twist (torsion gut) trapping gases which can blow up like a balloon. The hound dies through pressure on the heart. Greedy dogs are particularly susceptible. Symptoms are coughing and inability to swallow. Later stages are unmistakable: the dog will blow up like a tight balloon. You MUST get the hound to a vet within the hour. He will pierce the throat with a tube to relieve gas pressure (we have lost two hounds in this way, both in the middle of the night). Never feed just one meal a day: split into two. Dry food is probably more suspect as it swells in the stomach, but that’s not a reason not to use it, just be aware.
- Weekly look at ears by cleaning with cotton wool and ear drops. Some dogs generate a lot of wax, some very little. Alternatively buy two hounds and they may wash each others. (our two do). In fact two are always better than one: Bassets are very sociable and will sleep and play together.
- Nails: if regular road walking they may not need much clipping, except for the dew claw (if left on). This can be a problem with some hounds. We have had some that will let you do anything, others will struggle as if you’re going to amputate. If you’ve got one of those, smother with an old coat, sit on top, leaving one paw outside. Use sharp side-clippers (the ones vets use). It’s not a pleasant job.
- Bitches if not spayed can be prone to pyometra. They will start drinking a lot and look for a discharge. See your vet immediately for an op.
- At least weekly comb with metal rake and brush. Use hand massage to bring out a shine. Watch for ticks in the summer. Use a special tick tweezer (get one from your vet, possibly free).
- Eczema has become a problem with the growing fashion for increasing folds of skin. This is particularly so under the chin in summer. With previous hounds we have tried various remedies including the cheap simple one of Tetmosol (sulphur) soap, now alas not available in the UK. Find some friends in India where it is still made by ICI. Also Malaseb from your vet, or leaving a sulphur stick in the water bowl. (We used to know a vet who sat on the UK committee for eczema: he said he knew he'd be on it for life).
- Teeth. Chewing marrow bones is good for teeth. Some try brushing once a week (have fun with this). What make of toothpaste is probably not material). We use Plaque-off, a seaweed based powder that you sprinkle on their food once a day. While some owners tell me the black tartar flakes off after a month to reveal immaculate white teeth, we cannot quite claim that. However we have noticed that breath is notably improved so worth trying. Buy off Ebay from £5 - £8. Should last one pet two months.
- Most vets don't know much about Basset Hounds: they dislike them. Find one who does and stick with them.
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Don't let a young puppy jump down steps: their front leg joints are just too soft.
What's in a name?
There may be some out there, but we've never heard of a Basset called Spot or Fido. Such a noble extraordinary breed deserves something better and we firmly believe in the tradition of using traditional hound names. You can find around 3000 of them at www.jorrocks.com/misc/2. I wish we had the courage to use some gorgeous names like Restless and Rollick or Passion or Ploughman. Don't they just roll off the tongue? Maybe next time.
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Send me your proven tips and I'll put them up here. |
Bassets can be trained |
We are often asked "can Bassets be trained?" Well here is living proof that one at least can walk the plank – and all without a safety net, you will notice. (From Steve from Dorset with Maisie).
Leaving this aside, it shouldn't be too difficult to impart the standard "sit, stay", but anything more adventurous like "leave that cow-pat alone" or "keep your muddy feet off the sofa" demands more patience than we have.
As I write our Matilda has – again – climbed on the kitchen table, made herself comfortable, licked all the dishes, and levered off two precious soup bowls that have smashed on the floor. Well at least she's continuing the tradition of our previous hounds who have pinched fruit out of an even more memorable and expensive bowl, that also was fractured. Anybody want her?
But seriously, walking is no pleasure with a hound that always pulls. A lead and collar is no use. Use a choke, or more properly called a check chain, that should restrain with a sharp tug. With two hounds we swear by a split lead – easier to control than holding two leads in the hand. And make sure it is put on the right way, so that the weight loosens it automatically. Train to walk on the left. Our two always walk in the same position, Moppet on the outside, Matilda nearest me. They're creatures of habit, which is what hounds need. Confuse them with different commands and they won't know what you want. All they really want is to please.
Other do's and don'ts.
1 No tit-bits between meals, and no feeding from your table. (The only exception being a bribery biscuit on walks to encourage them to return on calling).
2 All scraps to be placed in their bowl
3 Never any chocolate: they get a liking for it and a large amount can cause fits or kill
4 Buy a "day-bed" to keep in the lounge which may, may, keep them off the furniture.
5 Only give marrow bones: chicken will splinter and keep the vets busy.
6 When puppies watch electric leads and other dangerous items that could be chewed.
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Taking your hound abroad? Here's how to do it (and what to avoid).
Or "How I nearly murdered three Frenchmen."
Plan early. Our hounds can only go abroad with a Pet Passport. This rigmarole can only be obtained by your vet who will give a rabies jab, take a blood test and issue the passport. The test MUST be carried out six months before your intended visit. Your hound must also be chipped. The whole exercise will probably cost close on £200. You do NOT need a booster every year, as some vets claim.
I took some trouble to contact Defra who has stated: "Rabies vaccination validities are entirely as per the data sheet of the product used. As such, any pet that is a UK resident should be vaccinated in accordance with said data sheet(s), usually denoting two to three years of validity. Changes to validity (i.e. to one year) would be subject to a country's national rules in effect and are applicable to pets resident in that country."
This is relatively straightforward: it's the return to this country that can – and in our case – did nearly result in the murders of at least three French officials. To say nothing of Defra, but they were out of reach at the time.
In September 2009 we took our two to Provence on the Dover-Calais run to keep journey times as short as possible. They have to stay in the car, but it is only 1½ hours, and they were fine. We had a lovely holiday with many people stopping to admire. Everyone we met had had one "mais il est mort". The most dramatic meeting was a femme who burst into tears and ran away: her husband explained that they had lost their hound last year which still greatly affected his wife.
As we were staying in Provence everyone said "ah, pour la chasse", but as we didn't see as much as a rabbit dropping, I don't know what they were expected to hunt. Everything had been shot years ago.
Drama at Calais: the Gallic Shrug
The rules are you have to visit a vet within 48 hours of leaving the country, which we duly arranged with a very pleasant lady vet who seemed to know what she was doing. They have to be sprayed with Frontline (or similar) and given a worming pill, for which we were parted from £40. Malheureursement, when we arrived at Calais we were told that the documents were invalid.
The vet had not added a time, nor had stamped sufficient pages. She had written out two very full written statements saying what had been done but this had not been entered into the PP.
Though I pleaded with the supervisor to either ring Defra in Dover or use common sense they would not budge.
This is when we learnt the full depth of meaning to The Gallic Shrug. It means "The documents are wrong. It is not my fault. Go away."
They did ring a vet in Calais town who offered a 24 hr service. Here we hit our next problem. They drew us a map which said "take the Autoroute to Boulogne." Simple enough: BUT there was no sign to Boulogne. There was one to Paris, and Rheims (or to be precise Reims). Bearing in mind we were also running low on petrol we took this with some trepidation. Coming to the first junction there was still no sign to Boulogne so we turned back and went to the P & O Office.
Next row. The girl there said "Of course there's a sign, I live in Boulogne. I drive there every day." Fortunately her colleague then interrupted and said "No there isn't but drive to the second junction where the Autoroute splits."
So we retraced our steps with a little more confidence. However en route we hit the only traffic jam in 2500 miles driving through France and by the time we found the vet in the back streets of Calais . . . he had gone. My mobile wouldn't work in France, so we stopped a couple of Mesdames (no not that sort) and they tried to phone the no. shown on the clinique door but that went unanswered.
Ou est un garage?
Running short of petrol we were then faced with finding a garage in Calais on Sunday evening. After half an hour's increasing desperation by chance we came across one where we filled up and shot back to the port to beard the P & O lady again who lived in Boulogne.
The Gallic Shrug again. "He is closed there is nothing I can do." I reminded her with some force that we were P & O customers, so "can you please ring and see if he is there, or you will get sent to the guillotine?" (No I made that last bit up).
Seeing a murderous gleam in my eye she did then ring the vet again who promised to wait and we retraced our steps. However having seen the papers he said (and shrugged Gallicly) "this is no good, the docs are wrong, there is no time shown, I cannot help." The vet's letter had the opening hours so it was obvious that we were within the 48 hours but he still would not budge. Fortunately I had hung on to a Post-It note that had the appointment time "Samedi 09.30" so with great reluctance he stamped the PP.
And charged £50. (I offered a credit card but he said he had no machine. Somehow we scraped together the Euros. I bet the money went into his back pocket.) Lynda my wife was desperate by this time for the loo but he said "it is closed". How I avoided hitting him (again) I do not know.
Anyway we shot back and caught a later ferry. We had travelled an extra 80 miles in the three hours.
I speak reasonable French: I don't know how anyone with no knowledge of the language would have got on.
So what's the moral? Not avoid going abroad but perhaps get your vet to write in the appropriate language exactly which pages are needed to be signed stamped, dated and timed.
Of course rabies is unknown in France, and as for the tick treatment, we pluck several off a week here in Somerset in the summer but didn't see one all the time we were in France.
When I come back again I'm going to be a vet. No doubt about that.
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