Hi. I joined six months ago when we first rescued a stray basset of around 8 months in terrible shape. At the time, he was emaciated, bald, horribly stinky, covered with bloody sores from demodectic mange, seemed to have broken and badly mended ribs, and green pus-filled eyes. Although I thought he needed to be euthanized, the vet said he could recover--and with a great deal of nursing care and very expensive medicines Bentley got better. He is very healthy and playful now. While he was sick, we kept him in a crate in the garage, separate from our other dogs ( a 7-year greyhound, Strider, and a 6-year beagle/lab mix, Sparky, who were also strays we took in). Now he lives outside with them. Bentley is sweet and funny, but I am wondering if I have what it takes to keep a basset!
When he was sick, we were not surprised that he had accidents in the crate. We tried to check on him and walk him every hour or two over the holidays, but then normal life began again and we had to just leave him in the crate while we were gone. I was able to come home at noon and after school, but even so he had usually pooped or peed in the crate, and his poop was very runny for weeks. We changed his diet a little and it got better, and he could wait longer. It bothered me that he sometimes pooped right in his food bowl, and I wondered if he came from a puppy mill (we know from an ID chip that he had been brought to our very own vet on a certain date--that's how we knew his age and name--but the woman who had brought him in said she gave him to someone else who didn't want him back; evidently he had been dumped out here in the country in the middle of winter. Grrr!). The first weird thing we noticed was that when we walked him he always pooped in three separate spots, and that he would not walk on grass. He stuck to the sidewalk like the grass hurt his mangled feet. He would only poop on the driveway or sidewalk.
To integrate the dogs, we bought another crate and let the older two sleep next to Bentley at night (they come in to the garage at night and use the crate during the winter). When they were well used to each other, we would let them out into the yard at the same time, with Bentley on a leash. Once they accepted him, he bacame an outdoor dog like them. He seemed fine romping around in the grass after spending a few days outside. We have to feed him indoors in his crate, however, because he tries to snarf the other dogs' food, and they fight. After a few months, we started feeding him the same food the others eat. Not my plan--hubby just up and did it. He had runny stolls for awhile, but they seemed to get better, although I suspect that cornmeal is bad for him.
At first he seemd to mostly poop in the grass. However, he has taken more and more to pooping on the patio--and lately he has taken to climbing up on the benches and pooping on them. What the H? It seems from other postings that bassets just do weird things. But I hate this! the other dogs never poop on the patio, and as for climbing up on the benches--jeez! It's right next to where I feed the other two. However, he likes staying on the patio more than in the grass still, and he often sits on the benches--right next to a pile of poop! His poop is often runny. So I wonder if he loses control because of tummy troubles? And just doesn't care???
Do you think he IS a puppy mill dog, and desensitized to separating food and poop? Is it a form of territorialism? Naturally, we have to clean up poop before we can feed the other dogs there--and they seem distressed by the smell of poop near their bowls. I have even had to wash their bowls a couple of times because of poop getting on them or In them. It's really annoying and disgusting. Any ideas on how to get him to stop pooping on the patio, and on the benches? And is it possible that he would not poop where he sits if he didn't have such runny stools? Maybe we ned to go back to the better dog food without corn in it?
When he was sick, we were not surprised that he had accidents in the crate. We tried to check on him and walk him every hour or two over the holidays, but then normal life began again and we had to just leave him in the crate while we were gone. I was able to come home at noon and after school, but even so he had usually pooped or peed in the crate, and his poop was very runny for weeks. We changed his diet a little and it got better, and he could wait longer. It bothered me that he sometimes pooped right in his food bowl, and I wondered if he came from a puppy mill (we know from an ID chip that he had been brought to our very own vet on a certain date--that's how we knew his age and name--but the woman who had brought him in said she gave him to someone else who didn't want him back; evidently he had been dumped out here in the country in the middle of winter. Grrr!). The first weird thing we noticed was that when we walked him he always pooped in three separate spots, and that he would not walk on grass. He stuck to the sidewalk like the grass hurt his mangled feet. He would only poop on the driveway or sidewalk.
To integrate the dogs, we bought another crate and let the older two sleep next to Bentley at night (they come in to the garage at night and use the crate during the winter). When they were well used to each other, we would let them out into the yard at the same time, with Bentley on a leash. Once they accepted him, he bacame an outdoor dog like them. He seemed fine romping around in the grass after spending a few days outside. We have to feed him indoors in his crate, however, because he tries to snarf the other dogs' food, and they fight. After a few months, we started feeding him the same food the others eat. Not my plan--hubby just up and did it. He had runny stolls for awhile, but they seemed to get better, although I suspect that cornmeal is bad for him.
At first he seemd to mostly poop in the grass. However, he has taken more and more to pooping on the patio--and lately he has taken to climbing up on the benches and pooping on them. What the H? It seems from other postings that bassets just do weird things. But I hate this! the other dogs never poop on the patio, and as for climbing up on the benches--jeez! It's right next to where I feed the other two. However, he likes staying on the patio more than in the grass still, and he often sits on the benches--right next to a pile of poop! His poop is often runny. So I wonder if he loses control because of tummy troubles? And just doesn't care???
Do you think he IS a puppy mill dog, and desensitized to separating food and poop? Is it a form of territorialism? Naturally, we have to clean up poop before we can feed the other dogs there--and they seem distressed by the smell of poop near their bowls. I have even had to wash their bowls a couple of times because of poop getting on them or In them. It's really annoying and disgusting. Any ideas on how to get him to stop pooping on the patio, and on the benches? And is it possible that he would not poop where he sits if he didn't have such runny stools? Maybe we ned to go back to the better dog food without corn in it?