clearhooter

Don't get all bent over the topic. We're talking dogs here.

I've owned 5 Bassets over the last 30 years. Three have been tri-colored, blanket-backs. Two have been bi-colored, red or blonds. While the breed has acquired the rap of not being the brightest bulbs on the tree I don't think they are nearly the dimest either. But, the two blonds I did and do have (one male and the one we presently have is female) don't seem to be nearly as smart as the tri-colors. Is there a trend there? Or is it just a dog by dog thing and how they are managed?

The bi-coloerd red male we had for almost 10 years from a pup (Churchill, not a complicated name.) was dumb as mud. Never even learned his name. Couldn't teach him nothin'. The first one I had (Hannibal) from a pup was tri-colored blanket-back. Smart and personality out the ying-yang. The smartest we had was stole. We had Memphis from a pup. Very unique looking dog as she had NO demarcations on her face. Looked like she'd been airbrushed red from the tip of her nose to the occiput where it went into a black, blanket-back. By the time she was 8 months she could take basic commands as well as catch, stand, roll-over, retrieve etc. The two we have now were rescued. "Funk" (You can probably guess why I renamed him that. Hey! He took to it immediately and has answered to it since.) is a tri-colored blanket-back, seems to be pretty smart. Though not as much on the ball as Memphis, we don't think he has been worked with much. "Molly" a bi-colored blond, has just been rescued from a lady who was breeding several Bassets. Her new boyfriend doesn't like dogs. Yeah. That ought to raise a red flag. Love ain't blind it just hates to believe what it sees. Anyway, though friendly enough, she doesn't seem to answer to her name very readily nor does she respond to any other commands. Granted, we haven't had her but a several days but commands like sit, stay etc. should be responsed to if they were drilled in.

SO....Here is an opportunity to say yeah or neah. Are blonds really dumber?

Elvismom

All my bassets are incredibly intelligent. The couch potato myth is just that - a myth. All of mine are tris, so I have nothing to compare them to.

The biggest thing with bassets, in my opinion, is they need a reason (usually food) to learn something. They have a definite "what's in it for me" attitude.

However, many hounds do great with field work, agility, competitions etc. etc etc. Hounds are a lot smarter than many people give them credit for.

__________________
Chris
Foodslave, chauffer & doorperson to Elvis, Georgia, Ginger & Maggie, Crissy & Dart

clearhooter

I believe "Memphis Belle" (Bob Morgan, pilot of the B-17 was a friend of mine, hence the dogs name.) was an exceptiopn. She learned from praise. Granted after about an hour she had about all she wanted of it and became stuborn as a mule.

Maggie's Mommy

My Maggie Mae (AT was a tricolor. She was VERY smart! Smarter than my purebred German Shepherd. Stickers is also tricolor and Rusty is Lemon & White. Stickers is definitely smarter than Rusty. She figures everything out 10 minutes before him I don't know if it's a female thing or a tricolor thing???? I do think females are more independent though

BubbaLeroy

We presently have a tri, Bogie, who is very smart. You can just see the wheels turning. Our first Basset, Bubba (AT, was also a tri and very smart, as well. Nothing to compare them to except a a mutt, a Lab, and coc-a-poo that we had over the years. Both of the Bassets are smarter than all the others we have had. The Lab was smart and very quick to obey, a great duck and goose hunter. The Bassets seem to think and figure out things, will obey at their speed, and boy do they have a memory. Bogie will leave a toy in another room, and several days later you can ask him, "Bogie, where is ducky?" Off he trots and comes back swaggering proudly with ducky in his mouth.

Our son has a Brittany cocker mix that comes to visit. He will grab one of Bogie's toys and Bogie will look at him and run to the back door wanting out. Zeus will drop the toy the minute he hears the door open and sprints to the door. Bogie watches him dart by, turns around and runs back to his toy and proudly sits there with it while Zeus is outside wondering what happened. This has happened numerous times. I think Bassets have been given a bad rap in the smart department, they are just thinkers and very independent, and yes they are food motivated.

__________________
You don't own a Basset, a Basset owns you!!
Aroooooos from Bogie !! - Trumbull's Who's Teasin Bogart CGC- Born April 21, 2005
ATB: Bubba - (Trumbull's Surley It's Stormin Norman) Sept. 8, 1998 - Dec. 20, 2005

raycarver

The word around my house is my tri female (Ester Rose) is a Genius and my lemon and white male is a Smart Boy. Anyway, they do know their names and will respond to other commands when it suits them. To me it's not about smartness, it's about them being our children.

(Dogs indeed! )

__________________
Ray
Slave to Ester Rose & Albert Angus

faysie

My little Dixie is smart as a whip. Very quick. Clever. Diabolical often comces to mind

My Belly ...my sweet angel Belvedere ...is Forrest Gump. Not always quick or clever. Very innocent. Just the sweestest dog ever.

I have to watch them when they are given treats or rawhides. Or when we have company. If you have a "Dixie", you know what I mean.

clearhooter

Children indeed! If my dogs gave me that much trouble they'd be in the pound.

Kaira

I have a tricolor male and previously owned a red and white female. The tricolor
is by far smarter than the bicolor. Well, my rats was smarter than that one so :P
The tricolor the best at problem solving and manipulating his owners *blush* He
is good at independent thinking, and learns fast what will give him results and what
will not.

On the other hand the dumb as a lemming red and white had little of these skills, but
still she was by far the easiest one to learn tricks. There she exelled greatly. But still
the lowest IQ in the Zoo.

As you see trainability and intelligence is not the same in my world. You can train a
dumb person to perform a certain task, but a smart person can solve problems
independently.

clearhooter

Hummmmmmm. I never seperated the two. Maybe there is, or should be, a difference. Like book knowledge and common sense.