FranksMum

Actually it IS the case. I'm sorry, and you are of course, as entitled to your opinion as I am to mine (backed up by experience) Logic suggests that if you have a big-boned heavy youngster, he's far more likely to do damage than a lightweight, light-boned hound is. I've been around Bassets for generations, as no doubt you have too, and MY experience suggests that it's best practice NOT to allow a Basset to jump off furniture, or run down stairs through the early months.

Is it worth risking early injury, possibly putting a Basset on 'three-legs' for the rest of his life I think not.

ps I don't do 'skinny' youngsters BUT I also don't do obese youngsters either. I did breed Bassets who had the correct big bone, for the breed. But sadly I don't think we are going to agree on very much?

a-mechanic

Thanks for the input. I feel a little less worried. I will be careful with her as a pup and go from there.

3kbasset

have stairs (6 steps per flight) in two different parts of the house. Dogs do just fine. They are carpeted however. Don't know about non-carpeted stairs...

SophieB

I'm in agreeance with Frank's Mum and others who say that Bassets and stairs do not go together. Three generations of my family have always had Bassets and always two or three together with quite a few rehomed Bassets over many years and we have never allowed our Bassets on the stairs and always kept a stair-gate at the bottom to keep them off.

The going up is not so bad, but it's the coming down as Bassets don't come down stairs like for example my friend's Huskies do or another friend's springy/bouncy Collies that are lighter in weight with much thinner, lighter bones. Bassets are very heavily boned and most are heavy, sturdy hounds and there would be far too much weight on those little front legs and in any case, the breeder friend of mine where I got my last four Bassets from, tells everyone to keep their Bassets off stairs and he wouldn't sell any of his Bassets to flat-dwellers. He lives in a bungalow as does another Basset breeder friend of mine, who also says stairs are bad for the breed. My vets over the years have also said to keep Bassets off stairs.

We have an extending ramp for ours to climb in and out of my hatchback car and I would never let them jump out of the car with so much weight on those joints and long backs.

Two people I know who allowed their Bassets to jump down out of the back of their car (one of them lived up two flights of stairs and ignored advice about stairs too) and both of these people had back problems with their Bassets and one had a slipped disc aged only six years and the owner very sadly had him put to sleep saying that she couldn't cope with trying to keep him still for several weeks after an op. The other person spent thousands on so-called corrective surgery on their gorgeous Basset's back and eventually he was also put to sleep and was only eight years old and I'm sure that both Bassets would have had another five or seven years life had the owners been more careful.

shakespeare

Hmmm... I have never had stairs - and do hate them - and have a girl with a slipped disc last June and had an op. Nothing to do with stairs obviously. Sometimes I think it just happens - I beat myself up wondering how Izzy did her back in??? but nothing I can think of....

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The Highbury Hounds Tallulah, Isabel and Margot

SophieB

Shakespeare, I hope all is well with Izzy now... as you say, sometimes things happen and perhaps like in some people, all it takes for a Basset to hurt its back, might be a sudden awkward turn that causes problems.... maybe she had jumped from a height when you weren't there or does she jump down from the back of the car?

shakespeare

Thank you Sophie! xx She is getting better always... xx
And she never jumps
in or out of the car.

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The Highbury Hounds Tallulah, Isabel and Margot

houndmomma

We have stairs and our bedroom is on the 2nd floor. While mine do use them to come up to bed – I don’t encourage them as a pup to use them. While they are still young I would carry them more than not – and we keep them blocked off and them blocked in the kitchen so they can’t get to them if I’m not around.

I’m not over protective of them jumping off the furniture in the family room – but then it’s lower to the ground. But… I don’t let any of mine to sleep in bed anymore. I use to sleep on the edge of the bed when Flash & Lucy both would sleep with me. However, the day Flash broke her back jumping off my bed – was the last day any of my bassets were allowed to sleep with me in bed. I have a wall of three crates next to my bed they sleep in every night. Once and a while when I’m up in bed watching TV – I’ll pick up Page or Mabel and bring them in bed with me to cuddle – and I’ll pick them up and take them out of bed – I’ll never again let one jump off. It’s a nightmare I never want to relive if I can help it.

We have a blazer we take them in – and again, no jumping – I pick them all up to put them in and take them out.

Jen~

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Momma to Lucy age 13 ~ Basset Hound
Momma to Mabel age 1 ~ Basset Hound
Mamma to Page age 1 ~ Basset Hound
Momma to Rickie age 6 ~ Shi-Poo (don’t tell him though – he thinks he’s a hound dog)
Momma to Flash ~ Basset Hound – RIP 2000 ~ 2011 – Gone in body but with me in spirit ~ You will live on forever in my heart baby ~ Je t'aime

Jnfr

Both of mine only really do stairs in the AM (getting up) and PM (going to bed). Otherwise they are usually on the first floor.

Neither of them "hop" down the stairs, they both "scale" them, if you know what I mean. Step by Step. However, both will jump off the foot stool, but rather than a real "jump" it is more of a slide. We haven't experienced any problems.

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Jnfr

Sophie (ATB (1996-2010)
Abby (ATB 2010 - 2012)
Jake (2001 - )
Ellie (2012 - )

Sixguns

I have 5 stairs coming out of my house and I have carried our little girl up and down every time. She has started to try to go up when she is done with her business which is kind of cute. We wont let her jump down off of anything or go down the stairs. I am planning on making a ramp for her since she is getting more comfortable with our yard.