New Basset Owner

KW-Flash · 01-10-2008, 07:46 AM

Hi all,

I'm a new basset owner and new to the website. And looking for all the helpful info I can get.

I got Flash, my baby basset, a couple of months ago and he's doing great. Vet says he looks good and healthy. He's approximately 4 months old now and getting to be a big boy with a very big bark! *G*

He loves going outside to play with my Husky and they wrestle and chase each other. What fun! His other favorite pastime is barking at my 2 cats. They don't want anything to do with him, but Flash wants to play with them.

However, Flash still has some accidents in the house and I can't figure it out. For example, last night he went out for approximately 30 minutes, I brought him in and within 10 minutes he had peed on the floor. I wonder if he gets so busy playing that he forgets to go pee sometimes. But at night (he is crated at night) when he has to go out he will whine and when I get up and take him out, he goes pee right away. ???? Any ideas?? Any suggestions???

I generally give Flash a bath weekly to keep the hound odor down. Baths are not his favorite thing, but he tolerates them. I have noticed that several days after his bath he seems to have some dandruff or maybe dry skin. I rinse him well to get all the shampoo out, so I know it's not that. Any suggestions for a good shampoo???

Well that's all I can think of right now. Like I said any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Kathey
(mom of Flash)

Yogi's Mom · 01-10-2008, 08:10 AM

Welcome! Hope you and your puppy are having lots of fun together! As far as the problem with peeing in the house you must remember that Flash is still very much a puppy and does not have a lot of bladder control at this point in time. When he goes outside you should always go out with him on a leash even if you have a fenced yard so that you can supervise him and give him lots of praise when he does go to the bathroom. With all of our dogs, they went out the front door on a leash for the first few months of their life so that I could see what they were doing and give them praise and treats. The only time they would get to go in the backyard was after they did their business and then they could have play time back there. After a play session in the back yard I would take the dog to his usual spot on a leash and tell them to do pee pee or business since all that playing stimulates them to go to the bathroom. I used a bell for Yogi so that he could signal to me when he wanted to go out. Every time we went out the door I would bump his nose on the bell. You would be surprised at how quickly dogs pick up on that. I don't use the bell any more but now when Yogi wants to go out he goes to the front door and if you don't respond he goes to the back door all the while making his own special little noise. It is really cute.

I think I would cut back on the amount of bathing for the dog. Yogi only gets a bath once a month in the warmer weather and not at all in the winter. He gets too cold and starts shivering like crazy!

I don't know if this is true for bassets or not but the German Shepherd that we have would get a lot of little flakes in his coat but not all the time. The vet said he was growing so fast that it was skin cells flaking off. It looked like he had dandruff! Eventually it did stop. I didn't notice that with Yogi but he has white fur and the Shepherd is black.
Hope you plan on posting some pictures of your sweet boy!

Houndsong · 01-10-2008, 08:53 AM

Your situation sounds normal to me. An occasional "oops" at four months wouldn't concern me. Probably right after exercise and/or feeding in my experience is the dog likely to have a sudden urge.

Maybe I'm just lucky and due for a fall but I have not experienced this mysterious "hound" odor, not form my two bassets nor from the numerous fosters I've had over the years. Maybe there is something wrong with my own sniffer and maybe my friends and family have been too kind to say anything. The upshot is I never bathe my dogs. I only rinse them off if they roll in deer poop or get really filthy somehow. I did have one foster that had some sort of skin condition that required a special shampoo, but except in a case like that I don't think that frequent bathing would be helpful. I've noticed that my dogs have pretty oily skin that wicks through the coat and probably transports all the ordinary dirt off (and I suppose on to my hands and rugs). But this is probably the healthiest and natural way for the dogs to maintain their condition. A good brush or hound glove is all that it takes to keep the top of the coat clean (and saves my rugs too). Just my two cents.

Aruuuu · 01-10-2008, 09:12 AM

I would be taking Flash out every hour on the hour. If he's not in his crate, keep him on his leash, tethered to you. That way, as soon as he starts doing something he shouldn't, you'll catch him at it and can get him right out the door. A couple of weeks of this should make a lot of difference.

Bathing once a week is really too much. Mine only get a bath when we have a show, sometimes that's every couple of weeks, sometimes once every few months. In between, I clean their ears, brush their teeth, and grind their nails once a week. I also have some waterless shampoo I spritz them with, if needed. Some odor is to be expected -- from any dog. Makes me wonder what we smell like to them

!

Mikey T · 01-10-2008, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Hi all,

I'm a new basset owner and new to the website. And looking for all the helpful info I can get.
However, Flash still has some accidents in the house and I can't figure it out. For example, last night he went out for approximately 30 minutes, I brought him in and within 10 minutes he had peed on the floor. I wonder if he gets so busy playing that he forgets to go pee sometimes. But at night (he is crated at night) when he has to go out he will whine and when I get up and take him out, he goes pee right away. ???? Any ideas?? Any suggestions???[/b]

fromHousetraining Your Puppy
IMHO the single best article on the web about the subject

Quote:

Do not rely on a puppy to tell you when it's time to go out. That is expecting too much responsibility and communication at too early an age. It is up to you, the adult human, to know when he needs to go out. Watch his activity level and the clock.

A 12 wk puppy who is busy playing may need to urinate every 15-20 minutes, whereas a resting puppy might go for an hour, and a sleeping puppy can go 8 hours at night. Activity makes urine! Activity makes urine! Repeat this 10 times, slowly. This is a very important lesson for new puppy owners.[/b]

Quote:

I generally give Flash a bath weekly to keep the hound odor down. Baths are not his favorite thing, but he tolerates them. I have noticed that several days after his bath he seems to have some dandruff or maybe dry skin. I rinse him well to get all the shampoo out, so I know it's not that. Any suggestions for a good shampoo???[/b]

While over bathing can dry out the skin there may be something more ar work Combining the flaking skin with a dog that is quick to develop a hound odor, often discribed as a frito corn chip type smell and you have a couple signs of a skin condition that is fairly common in bassets that you will want to discuss with your vet

seborrhea?

Quote:

Primary seborrhea is an inherited disorder of the skin in which the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis), the sebaceous glands, and part of the hair follicles are hyperproductive. The rate of cell turnover in these tissues is significantly increased, causing excessive production of scale (dry flakes of skin) and sebum (fatty lubricating substance). Seborrhea oleosa is the more greasy form while seborrhea sicca is a dryer form. Many dogs have a combination of both types. Chronic waxy ear infections (otitis externa) also occur commonly as part of this disorder.[/b]

The primary treatment for seborrhea is shampoo therapy

While it is possible the frequent baths are drying out the skin and causing the problem, seborrhea is another possibility consult with the vet to determine which is the cause and the best course of action

Diet and the Skin

Quote:

Research has shown that dogs with seborrhea (oily, dandruffy skin) have depleted amounts of omega 6 fatty acids in their skin despite eating a diet that should be optimal. When omega 6 fatty acids are supplemented, the seborrhea improves. This finding supports the old time remedy of adding a spoonful of corn oil to the diet to ensure a glossy coat. It should be realized that seborrhea is complex condition but animals with seborrhea may need more omega 6 fatty acids.[/b]

MALESSEZIA DERMATITIS

Quote:

While degreasing shampoos such as the benzoyl peroxide (oxydex®,
pyoben®) and sulfur/salicylate (sebolyte®, sebolux®) shampoos will help remove the skin oils feeding the yeast, there are shampoos that are specifically anti-yeast. We prefer the 4% Chlorhexidine shampoo called Chlorhexiderm Max as it both strips skin oil and kills yeast; however, other anti-yeast products include Selsun Blue, Miconazole shampoo, Nizoral shampoo, and more. The pet must be bathed twice a week to start and the shampoo requires a 15 minute contact time (meaning do not rinse the lather for 15 minutes).[/b]

LouieDog · 01-10-2008, 08:15 PM

I feel for you about the peeing thing...
we just finally got through a very rough few months with our 5 month old Louie. Basset's are notoriously difficult to housebreak (what i've read in all my research). Louie just "got it" one day and stopped peeing in the house. But in the beginning, we were taking him out every 20 minutes sometimes and he would still pee in the house in between. Mind you once he was peeing 9 times in an hour we took him to the vet to find he had a urinary tract infection and needed antibiotics. Even with the antibiotics we still had some "normal" accidents until just a few weeks ago. He has a pee accident once every few days now, and he gets better as each day passes!!
Don't worry, it'll get better!!

01-10-2008, 09:12 AM	#4 (permalink)
Aruuuu Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central MA, USA Posts: 773	I would be taking Flash out every hour on the hour. If he's not in his crate, keep him on his leash, tethered to you. That way, as soon as he starts doing something he shouldn't, you'll catch him at it and can get him right out the door. A couple of weeks of this should make a lot of difference. Bathing once a week is really too much. Mine only get a bath when we have a show, sometimes that's every couple of weeks, sometimes once every few months. In between, I clean their ears, brush their teeth, and grind their nails once a week. I also have some waterless shampoo I spritz them with, if needed. Some odor is to be expected -- from any dog. Makes me wonder what we smell like to them ! __________________ If stress were exercise, I'd be in great shape!

01-10-2008, 07:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
KW-Flash Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 5	Hi all, I'm a new basset owner and new to the website. And looking for all the helpful info I can get. I got Flash, my baby basset, a couple of months ago and he's doing great. Vet says he looks good and healthy. He's approximately 4 months old now and getting to be a big boy with a very big bark! G He loves going outside to play with my Husky and they wrestle and chase each other. What fun! His other favorite pastime is barking at my 2 cats. They don't want anything to do with him, but Flash wants to play with them. However, Flash still has some accidents in the house and I can't figure it out. For example, last night he went out for approximately 30 minutes, I brought him in and within 10 minutes he had peed on the floor. I wonder if he gets so busy playing that he forgets to go pee sometimes. But at night (he is crated at night) when he has to go out he will whine and when I get up and take him out, he goes pee right away. ???? Any ideas?? Any suggestions??? I generally give Flash a bath weekly to keep the hound odor down. Baths are not his favorite thing, but he tolerates them. I have noticed that several days after his bath he seems to have some dandruff or maybe dry skin. I rinse him well to get all the shampoo out, so I know it's not that. Any suggestions for a good shampoo??? Well that's all I can think of right now. Like I said any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Kathey (mom of Flash)

01-10-2008, 08:10 AM	#2 (permalink)
Yogi's Mom Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1,109	Welcome! Hope you and your puppy are having lots of fun together! As far as the problem with peeing in the house you must remember that Flash is still very much a puppy and does not have a lot of bladder control at this point in time. When he goes outside you should always go out with him on a leash even if you have a fenced yard so that you can supervise him and give him lots of praise when he does go to the bathroom. With all of our dogs, they went out the front door on a leash for the first few months of their life so that I could see what they were doing and give them praise and treats. The only time they would get to go in the backyard was after they did their business and then they could have play time back there. After a play session in the back yard I would take the dog to his usual spot on a leash and tell them to do pee pee or business since all that playing stimulates them to go to the bathroom. I used a bell for Yogi so that he could signal to me when he wanted to go out. Every time we went out the door I would bump his nose on the bell. You would be surprised at how quickly dogs pick up on that. I don't use the bell any more but now when Yogi wants to go out he goes to the front door and if you don't respond he goes to the back door all the while making his own special little noise. It is really cute. I think I would cut back on the amount of bathing for the dog. Yogi only gets a bath once a month in the warmer weather and not at all in the winter. He gets too cold and starts shivering like crazy! I don't know if this is true for bassets or not but the German Shepherd that we have would get a lot of little flakes in his coat but not all the time. The vet said he was growing so fast that it was skin cells flaking off. It looked like he had dandruff! Eventually it did stop. I didn't notice that with Yogi but he has white fur and the Shepherd is black. Hope you plan on posting some pictures of your sweet boy!

01-10-2008, 08:53 AM	#3 (permalink)
Houndsong Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Woodland Park, Colorado Posts: 136	Your situation sounds normal to me. An occasional "oops" at four months wouldn't concern me. Probably right after exercise and/or feeding in my experience is the dog likely to have a sudden urge. Maybe I'm just lucky and due for a fall but I have not experienced this mysterious "hound" odor, not form my two bassets nor from the numerous fosters I've had over the years. Maybe there is something wrong with my own sniffer and maybe my friends and family have been too kind to say anything. The upshot is I never bathe my dogs. I only rinse them off if they roll in deer poop or get really filthy somehow. I did have one foster that had some sort of skin condition that required a special shampoo, but except in a case like that I don't think that frequent bathing would be helpful. I've noticed that my dogs have pretty oily skin that wicks through the coat and probably transports all the ordinary dirt off (and I suppose on to my hands and rugs). But this is probably the healthiest and natural way for the dogs to maintain their condition. A good brush or hound glove is all that it takes to keep the top of the coat clean (and saves my rugs too). Just my two cents.

01-10-2008, 08:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
LouieDog Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 272	I feel for you about the peeing thing... we just finally got through a very rough few months with our 5 month old Louie. Basset's are notoriously difficult to housebreak (what i've read in all my research). Louie just "got it" one day and stopped peeing in the house. But in the beginning, we were taking him out every 20 minutes sometimes and he would still pee in the house in between. Mind you once he was peeing 9 times in an hour we took him to the vet to find he had a urinary tract infection and needed antibiotics. Even with the antibiotics we still had some "normal" accidents until just a few weeks ago. He has a pee accident once every few days now, and he gets better as each day passes!! Don't worry, it'll get better!!

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