LilyMay'sMama

Lily May is finally here & is such a joy! Depending on what I read (I've read just about everything I could get my hands on to prepare!!) there is conflicting info as how to best train her due to her breed-she's an 11 week old Basset. Just interested in basic commands for now as I'm happy to say Housetraining is going great! She's lived with us for over a week.
I'd much prefer any/all advice from experienced owners over a book any day!
I'd gladly accept any advice about anything at all! I just want her to be as happy now and as she grows as she makes us! We researched breeds for a long time before deciding on a Basset as the best fit for our family!

DaniyPatito

In my experience the best way to train is with food Tito learned sit in a day when hot dogs were involved! MikeyT has some great links he can post and you can search for specific things such as training to sit, stay, etc! Good luck!

Jnfr

Welcome to being a Basset parent! They are certainly a breed all unto themselves, but always a joy!

They can be a bit stubborn on house training, but it sounds like so far it is going well.

We have several folks here who know much more about me than training, however, what has worked for me....taking the pup out as often as possible. Especially after eating, playing or a nap. I have always rewarded with a "cookie" upon going outside and doing their business. Of course, that tends to be expected no matter how old they get, but it works.

Also, if you are on of those folk that has to work and can't be home 24/7 I found that piddle pad training also works (it can be a long work day for a pup). I did the crate training to a point, but even after, pups gotta go. (my particular circumstance involves a pup with renal disease so she can't hold it as long as others). She usually comes "Close" but sometimes misses, but you can tell that she thought she was on it (close enough).

Right now, she may seem like a cute little thing, however, reading this forum you may have seen the term "counter surfing"... this is definitely a basset trait. Before you know it, they realize how elastic and "tall" they are, and can reach a fair amount of the kitchen counter. Warning.... Do not leave anything you may want to eat near the edge!!! Push it back as far as you can!!! They are sneaky little suckers!!!!

Thanksgiving, 2010, my husband was doing "breakfast" for the family. He made a platter (not a plate) full of bacon and sausage. Foolishly, he set it on the kitchen table. WHAM! Abby grabbed the paper towels they were on and she and Jake were in basset heaven! (fortunately, we saved most of it).

I don't know what all your research revealed. Probably the technical basics. However, this is my experiences.... they are GREAT dogs. However, they require and insist on lots of love and attention (they deserve it) Lots of belly and ear rubs are required. They are basically clowns and will make you smile and laugh. Depending on the dog, ears can be an issue. My Jake, his ears seem to get nasty and dirty. Abby's stay pretty clean other than the ends cleaning up dishes.

I don't know about everyone's experiences, but their nails seem to got Fast and Thick. Abby lets me trim hers with no problems. Jake is a drama queen and you'd think I was killing him when I trim them (worth the $15 to have the vet do it!)

NOW, LilyMae's Mama, you have a SERIOUS job to do. You have to post a picture of Lily Mae... This is a place we want photos and have to gush over your baby! Get to it! Videos are even better!!!!

Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of good hounds and parents here. Tho, we tend to spoil them, just a little

CatherineM

Food and patience.

Jnfr

Catherine is right, just a bit of an amendment... LOTS of food and patience!

Penny Arcade

LOTS of food. Penny LOVES deli meats like turkey, roast beef, and chicken. And she loves treats of any kind. And pig ears. And antlers. And bully sticks. And turkey bacon.

Like I said. Lots of food lol.

Wworm

Yeah, bassets will do just about anything for food. The corollary is that Worm won't do anything without food... haha.

One trick Worm's teacher taught us is to use part (maybe 1/3) of his kibble for training. That means you can feed 1/3 of his meal as kibble during training. She actually ended up using all the kibble for that, as she trains her dogs constantly. so she never feeds kibble out of the bowl for her dog.

Welcome!

__________________
see what the Worm is up to: http://bassetworm.blogspot.com/

Mikey T

actual housetraining ranks a distant 3rd on the decending list of most import things to teach a puppy behind bite inhibition and socialization and habituation
see, my posts in New to Bassets

dreamons

Welcome Lilly May and family.

__________________
Maggie Mae- Basset
Daisy Wiggles- Basset
Yogi Titus- Puggle (He thinks he's a Basset)

Mikey T

the conflict has nothing to do with here breed. there is no such thing as breed specific dog training. There are many ways to train a dog as their are dogs and people in the world. all can work all can fail. It is a matter of choising an appropriate methodology for the dog and human both,

here are some links on by philosophy in training

Hard to Train

Position Statement - Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior

leadership basics

oppurtunity to reward

Capturing behavior
with most basic behavior this is my favorite technique with puppies and dogs. such as training a dog to down by simply rewarding it every time it does. the same can be done With sit. automatic sit when heeling etc. stay is nothing more than adding duration and distance to an existing behavior. I find it funny people claming they are teach the dog to sit or down or stay, They are not, the dog know how to do these! In the end, you are training the dog to respond to a cue. which is very much different that actual teaching a behavior.

Adding the Cue by capturing a behavior first you have a behavior that is predicable making adding and training a cue much easier
Adding the Cue: An Excerpt from Click for Joy

That said a dog that understand basic commands can still be a lot harder to live with than one that does not. That is while many think that resonding to basic obediience comand is some sort of assurance that the dog will exhibt self restraint and self control and it is not. Most dogs now a day need to be taught to be able chill and not be impulsive.

Guidelines for Training Self Control

impulse control

lowering Arrousal

Any Dog Can Live Calmly in a House - Even Yours!

Protocal For relaxation



Many people that do not know how too use food effectively as a reward , how to fad lures etc blame food for their failure when it is not the case

training with food
I highly recomend the following before attempting to use food as a reward it is also an excellent impusle control exercise



for a young puppy besides the it yer choice game i would reccommend



Crate games Dvd

Attention Training and Name Recognition

if doing any on leash training I recommend not using a collar but a sporn halter or one of the many copy -cats that have straps the go under the arm pits. this prevents any damage to the neck or throat which can occur even with a flat buckle collar and is more secure to boot