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My British Basset

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#1 ·
[attachment=475:Betty_003.JPG][attachment=476:Image012.jpg][attachment=474:002.JPG]
Hi Everyone
Just wanted to say Hi from England and introduce Betty my puppy Bassett Hound.
She is absolutley gorgeous but SOOOO stubborn and greedy, anyone got any tips to deal with the stubborness, she even lies down when walking if we want her to go a way she doesn't want to walk, not fun in rainy old England, I keep getting soaked on walks and end up carrying her home at times. She steals food too, classic Basset behaviour I know but any tips from experienced owners would be great. Here are a couple of pics
 

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#2 ·
Betty is doing the flat basset! A very common occurence with bassets whose slaves try to go in a direction that the hound doesn't want to! It's a lot of fun when they get to 60 or 70 lbs. and go flat basset in the middle of a street!

The only thing I know that works with a basset being stubborn is bribing them with food. Bassets are highly intelligent but they won't do anything unless they want to! Establish yourself as the head of the pack now or she will walk all over you. It's so hard not to give into those big eyes and sad expression.

Betty is adorable! YOu have lots of fun times ahead of you!
 
#5 ·
I think the trick is to be more stubborn than your Basset. Don't be taken in by their adorable looks. It's tough to not cave to their charm but you'll be better off in the long run!![/b]
This is the best advice.

Bassets are motivated by food. Keep a couple of small treats with you on your walk and a basset should follow you to the moon. Establish that you are the alpha as soon as possible.
 
#6 ·
hello from another british basset owner!!

Betty is cute and i love her name! where about are you? im in cheltenham, gloucestershire.

i have a two year old female called snoops and she very stuborn too. we get the flat basset often on walks, even when she was only a few months old she done it. i would advise never to pick her up to come home though. i'd honestly drag her until she stands up. i know that sounds crule but she's be huge and too heavey to carry home by the time she's 7/8 months old and you'll look a be rediculous carrying a huge dog home rather than a cute little puppy!

snoops still digs her heals in now if she wants to sniff something in the opposite direction. best thing to do is distract her to make her get up. we usually say, come on walkies and that gets a good responce, or come on biscuit time and she'll get up, or i'll say quick daddys home now and we'll race home to see daddy!

but id honest refrain from picking her up else she'll expect it everytime...

as for stealing food i have no idea how to overcome that one. she know's the leave it command but when it applys to a cup of tea on the side she seems to forget, or if i leave my finished cereal bowl on the sofa she's straight up there to lick it clean when im not looking! :lol:

look forward to seeing more of betty!
 
#7 ·
but id honest refrain from picking her up else she'll expect it everytime...[/b]
A couple of years ago I saw an episode of The Dog Whisperer which was about a fully grown, 60 pound basset that did 'flat basset' constantly, and was carried around by the poor woman who owned him on a regular basis :blink: ... sometimes she would drag him along the floor when she couldn't lift him... don't know if anyone else saw that program or remembers it- it was pretty funny unless you're in that situation-
 
#9 ·
Hi Everyone
Just wanted to say Hi from England and introduce Betty my puppy Bassett Hound.


She's cute as a bug, and obviously is working her Basset wiles. :rolleyes: I agree with the poster who said not to pick her up and carry her home now--smart as they are, you'll soon be lugging a 50+ dog in your arms. A light little pop on the collar and a let's go works, well as the magic word , 'cookie', especially if it's followed by one. :) I don't recall how old she is, but you might want to consider a puppy training class one of these day, if they have those in your area.

Welcome!
 
#10 ·
Aww, bless, she looks an awful lot like my British (Welsh born and Hertfordshire, England raised) Jasmine when she was a pup. I'm afraid I can't offer much advice on the flat Basset phenomenon, as that seems to be one of the few bad Basset traits that Jazzy doesn't have. I do, however, second the recommendation on training. Jasmine is only two, but she's been in almost regular training since she was a puppy. I don't think they ever grow out of the stubborness, you just have to find ways to deal with it. Jasmine is still a handful at times, but she is much more manageable because of tips from my trainers. I wish you years of happiness with your fluffy-pup!
 
#11 ·
Hi
Our Charlie was one stuborn boy about walking where he didn't want to. We use harnesses for walking not a collar, and when he would lay down I would walk back and lift him up with the harness and tell him walk. As he aged he would lay down and then as I got back to him he would get up and come, but he had to make sure I was serious. If I bisquited Charlie he would have laid down every couple feet to just get another bisquit. He would ask to go outside so when he came in he would get his bisquit. So it was go out wait for the door to shut and then whine to come back in and then keep whining until he got his bisquit. I could never out last his whining. Of course if he was with me now I would give him all the bisquits in the world.
With Brandy I have to be more gentle as she is timid so I have to good girl her and pat her. She doesn't do bisquits. I imagine I have the only basset who doesn't like bisquits.

As others have said don't carry they are such creatures of habit.

Stephanie
 
#14 ·
Thanks everyone.
I had never heard of the flat basset!! that is exactly what she does, she also does this strange "sniper" like movement where she will crawl along on the joints of her paws or her elbows to move towards where she wants to go and where we don't want her to go. She is very crafty indeed.
Thanks for all the tips. She has been to puppy training classes and was fine, she is so sociable with other dogs and people and her toilet training is really good she is 18 weeks old and very rarely has a accident in the house now, I was surprised as I had heard that bassets were very hard to toilet train. I had a one to one lesson with a dog trainer this morning about the walking and she recommended giving betty her dinner (dried food) on walks to entice her along but not to encourage other treats too much incase she gets overweight and so she isn't being bribed, the trainer said she should work for her dinner as bassets wont do anything you want them to (that they don't want to do) for free tried that today and it was a bit better. She also recommended clicker training, does anyone else do this and does it work? You are right about me needing to stop carrying her she is too heavy as it is, and she is only getting bigger.
claire i'm in buckinghamshire near Aylesbury, there don't seem to be any british forums for basset hound lovers owners, glad to see a few brits on here as well as our international friends.
Ill post some more pics of her shortly
Laura xx
 
#16 ·
Welcome to you and Betty. My English neighbor used to have a Basset named Dudley. The name Dudley brings to mind an English Butler (at least it does to my mind) and I think it suits the breed, with it's unusual traits... as does the name 'Betty". :)

Sometimes it is difficult to share a home with an animal as crafty as a Basset. B) I frequently felt at a disadvantage with a dog who seemed far more crafty than any other pet I've ever owned. On the plus side, sharing my life with a Basset is as rewarding and interesting as it is frustrating. ;) Sit back and enjoy the experience...

Terry :D
 
#17 ·
She's a real beauty. Off course - she's a basset pup :lol:

No need to give you advice, I see that clarejon has already given you
very sound advice. I just want to emphasise the importance of what was
said as I know how big bassets can get. Mine is over 90 lbs you don't
want to carry that for the rest of your walks.

Puppies are usually very insecure creatures. Sure they are very confident
in the safety of their homes, but they are very vulnerable creatures and
they know this. They don't like being outside what they feel are their
safe area, because that means danger and death. When you pick him up
and carry him he feels safe again and then you go back to your safe home.
Perhaps you can find routes he feels more confident with and go closer to you
house, then extend the perimeter as he grows more confident and realise
that it is safe.


Mr. Runcible would freeze on the same spot each time we came home from
walks. It turned out it was because it was living a big male dog in one of the
houses near by. We have never actually seen this dogs, but you know bassets
they can smell everyting :p I had to drag him passed that spot every time.
When he became older he didn't care anymore.

Or it can be just a basset quirk, you never now with bassets but the important
thing as mentioned of many poster before me - you must be more stubborn
than your dog. I'm actually more stubborn than a basset from birth, but if it does
not come natural to you think of it as doggie traning. And even more important:
post more pics :lol:
 
#18 ·
José would go flat on walks if it was too warm. Once I figured that out, we would only walk when cooler. I agree with the harness - he had one and it was easier. However, when he went flat sometimes he not only would not get up, but would roll into the dreaded belly-up position -- worse than the flat basset. I just had to wait it out of get him intereseted in something else.

They say weight resistance training is good for you... I do remember picking up my 67 lb lump of flatness once on a walk & hoisting him in my arms over my shoulder. Not bad considering I was only 2x his weight! I made it about two or three houses, then I put him down again and we continued. Poor guy just needed a little break! :blink: :lol:
 
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