Basset Hound puppies

About the Basset Hound

The Basset Hound was developed in Britain from French hunting stock, bred deliberately low so a person on foot could keep up while they worked a rabbit or hare trail. They are far heavier than they look, 18.1 to 29.5kg carried on legs that put them no more than 38cm at the shoulder, with long ears, loose skin and a deep voice that carries. At home they are mild, sociable and famously unhurried, and they rate highly with children and other dogs given supervision and early socialisation.

A Basset needs less exercise than most hounds, a moderate daily walk rather than a run, but they need that walk every day because the frame carries surplus weight badly. The short coat sheds more than owners expect and wants a weekly going over with a soft brush or shedding tool. Ears must be checked and dried as a matter of routine. Try not to read that stubborn streak as disobedience. A Basset on a scent is working, so keep the lead on, fence the garden, and train with food and patience.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Basset Hound puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. Energy is on the lower side for the breed, but every eight week old puppy still runs in bursts and then crashes. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Primary open angle glaucoma, detectable by DNA test and monitored by an ophthalmologist evaluation
• Thrombopathia, an inherited platelet defect that causes abnormal bleeding, detectable by DNA test
• Mucopolysaccharidosis type I, an inherited storage disease, detectable by DNA test
• Lafora disease, a late onset inherited epilepsy, detectable by DNA test
• Ear infections, because the long heavy ears cut off air flow, so ears need checking and drying regularly
• Hip and elbow dysplasia and patellar luxation, screened by joint evaluation and x-ray

Your Basset Hound puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Basset Hound.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 18.1 to 29.5 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 36 inch (36 x 24 x 26 in, 91 x 61 x 66 cm) for an adult of up to 29.5 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

More on the Basset Hound

Previous: Basset Fauve de Bretagne · Next: Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Basset Hound breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/basset-hound/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Galanza, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.