by Kay Green

Tally-Ho: March/April 1983

It is no secret that some dogs are more suited for obedience work than others. That special combination of intelligence, temperament, and willingness to please is rare indeed. Assuming that you know what you are looking for, how do you go about finding that special dog? After giving it much thought and doing some research on the subject, I finally realized that the dogs who have given me their all in obedience and the ones I have enjoyed training and showing the most came to me as young puppies. The best ones came to me at about 8 to 10 weeks of age, while the ones I have struggled with came as older puppies or adults. I have gotten my dogs as young as 7 weeks and as old as 6 years.

One of the last dogs I trained and put an obedience title on was a six-year-old smooth fox terrier named Chester. I co-owned him with a friend of mine while I trained him, returning him to her after his CD last fall. Chester was a joy to train because of his high energy, intelligence, and enthusiasm for obedience work. He had the potential for high 190s work in training class, but at shows he was such a wild maniac that we had to settle for middle 190s. I learned that he came to my friend from a kennel when he was two years old, and while living with her spent much of his time in a crate. The stimulation from dog shows was just much for this stimulus-starved dog to handle. I can't help but think that if I had had him as an 8 week old puppy I could have socialized and trained him to his potential. Instead, I had to settle for less than he was capable of. Now don't get me wrong, I think middle 190s are good scores for most dogs, especially basset hounds. However, it is frustrating to know that a dog is capable of more and does not produce at shows. I ask no more from my dogs than they are capable of giving, and I have been thrilled with qualifying scores in the 180s on some dogs.

With a little planning and foresight, you stand a good chance of coming up with the raw material that can make the ideal obedience dog. Assuming that some of you are new either to obedience, basset hounds, or both, I would suggest starting out by finding everything you can about the breed. Read the standard and all the books on the basset that you can beg, borrow, or buy--and study them. Call willing breeders for appointments to have them discuss what is desirable according to the breed standard, and why. I realize that some of our standard is clearly written; however, to the novice it is just a jumble of words without much meaning. Find out about the different lines and types of bassets. You might want to talk to several different breeders whose bloodlines differ so that you can compare. Everyone has different tastes and you won't know what type and line of basset you may prefer unless you shop around first.

Go to shows and watch the conformation classes from ringside. If an exhibitor has finished showing and has the time to explain what is going on to you, fine; however, remember to keep all negative comments to yourself. They say the walls have ears, and this is especially true at dog shows. I think the one thing that gets novices in more hot water than anything else is their innocence and the fact that they seem to have the knack for saying the wrong thing, at the wrong time, to the wrong person.

Some of you are probably thinking, "What difference does it make what the basset looks like if I am only going to use him for obedience?" Not everyone enjoys showing in both conformation and obedience. I guess I feel that since I have chosen the basset hound as my breed, I want him to look like one. Why not buy the best basset you can afford so you have a dog whose looks you can be proud of? Many new people (and I was one of them) show up at classes and shows with their poor breed specimens, thinking that their dog is the most beautiful dog in the world. What a shattering experience when they find out from others (through kidding and unkind comments) that their dog is not what they thought he was. Many people get completely turned off to the dog show community and leave with hurt feelings, giving the sport a bad reputation.

Assuming that you have decided on the type and line of basset hound that you want, the next step is either to pick one from a litter that someone else bred, or to breed a litter yourself. I think you take fewer risks if you breed your own bassets, but many of us do not have the time, space, or knowledge to do this properly. Whether you breed or not, the single most important ingredient are the parents of the puppy: the sire and dam must both have good, sound, showy, outgoing, and energetic temperaments. Many bad temperaments are hereditary, as is lack of showmanship. How frustrating it is to spend all that time, money, and energy to produce a dog who is happy at home but a tail-down deadhead at class or in the ring! Don't ever let anyone tell you that a dog is a little spooky because of some bad experience. My own experience with many rescue bassets and my own dogs is that no matter what, a dog with a good temperament will quickly recover when removed from a troubled environment. I know that there are those who would argue that point with me, but with all the bassets with lovely temperaments in the world, why take the chance?

The next important consideration is soundness. The sire and dam should have very sound fronts, since your obedience prospect will be jumping daily for years on all kinds of surfaces. You don't want a dog with an exaggerated front (loaded in the shoulders and very little clearance between the dog and the ground, for example). In general, a front assembly that is clean and fits together well is the ideal. Whether a dog is somewhat straight in the shoulders doesn't seem to make much difference for obedience, but the cleanliness of the assembly does. Also, a good, long, powerful neck is extremely important in the basset's optimum structure. Generally, dogs with short necks have jumping problems. Don't forget about tight feet and strong pasterns, because they must endure the stress that is placed on them during the landing part of jumping.

The rear should be powerful enough to get that large body up and over the jumps for years. However, balance is the key word here: you don't want a driving rear if you don't have the front to match it. The overall appearance of the basset should be athletic, with a build capable of endurance.

Another aspect of soundness that some people are unaware of is the health and eating habits of the dogs you use for breeding or that special one you select as your obedience partner. Many non-eaters, finicky eaters, and dogs who are generally un-thrifty come from parents with those same unattractive traits. Force-feeding a dog to keep it alive and weekly trips to the vet with a sickly dog can get very expensive and frustrating in a hurry. In addition, it is difficult to show a dog whose health is unreliable. A dog who frequently does not feel well will not perform well, whether in conformation or obedience.

The last ingredient in your recipe for that special obedience prospect is type. As I mentioned before, it is very rewarding to train and show a nice representative of the breed that will be a source of pride wherever you go!

I am fully aware that some dogs whose conformation leaves a lot to be desired have produced puppies with superior conformation. I also realize that many breeding matches based on phenotype alone have been disastrous. This is where your research and friendship with breeders will come in handy. If you know the bloodlines and have the help of a reputable breeder, you stand a good chance of coming up with a match that should produce very sound and typey puppies. I mention soundness in this article because I believe a great deal of emphasis should be placed on this aspect of the selection of the bloodline of your sire and dam as well as that obedience prospect.

After your litter is born, watch and keep a diary of the puppies' development. For the first few weeks you won't have too much to observe, but by the 21st day you will start to pick out the most dominant ones, the intelligent ones, the energetic ones, and so on. Between 6 and 8 weeks they are ready for temperament testing. We are fortunate in this area (Denver) to have two experts who evaluate litters of any breed and who have good track records. If you don't have anyone in your area who does this, then find 3 friends to perform the tests. Ideally, have one friend test the litter at 6 weeks of age, another one a week later, and the third one the week after that. The reason for the three different testing times is that on a particular day any one of the puppies might not be feeling just right and that might influence their behavior and your tester's comments. The reason for the three different testers is that since they are amateurs at this, you will get a better overall picture when you compare your diary notes with the notes from three different people.

Keep in mind that at 6 to 8 weeks, puppies should be exhibiting natural instinct. Retrievers should show compulsive retrieving, pointers should point, sight hounds should run around gazing, while scent hounds should be using their noses. You want your basset hound to have the natural ability that is characteristic of the breed. Beyond natural instinct, you will be having the litter tested for the reactions that will determine which one of those puppies will be the most people-oriented and tractable.

Do not temperament test puppies within 3 days of worming or shots. Be sure to feed the puppies at least 2 hours before testing. The tests must be performed in a strange environment, by a stranger to the puppies. Someone else's yard, a park, or training building is preferable. The puppies are to be tested individually, without distractions from other dogs or children. The owner may be present, but must be quiet during the testing. Allow about one-half hour per puppy per test.

The testers should use a different sheet of paper (or papers) for each puppy, with detailed notes of the pup's reactions. The testers should make notes as they go along and pay particular attention to extremes in behavior (very aggressive or submissive, low or high pain threshold, for example.)

The items you will need to have present are: assorted toys, several sizes of balls, several sizes of dirty socks, gloves, leather articles, squeaky toys, rabbit fur, bird wing, catnip mouse, plastic toys (such as a badminton birdie or children's plastic alphabet blocks), and a good supply of small paper lunch sacks to explode, or a whistle.

• Test 1: Start by bringing a single puppy into the strange environment and hand him to the tester. The tester will handle, pet, and talk to the puppy while holding it in his lap. The owner is not to be in view. The tester will do this for awhile and then make notes of the puppy's reactions. Be sure to have the tester note whether the puppy was comfortable with the tester right away, or whether he took awhile to warm up to the tester. After each test the puppy must be picked up, cuddled, and talked to before the next test, and the behavior noted.
• Test 2: The tester leaves the puppy and goes about 10 feet away and gets down to puppy level and calls the puppy. Ideally, the puppy should come immediately to the tester. Note if he doesn't come right away, stands still, runs the other way, or shows some other behavior. This test will give you some idea how the puppy feels about people and if he wants to be with them.
• Test 3: Put the puppy on the floor and pet and talk to him; you are now friends. Sit in the center of all the toys and encourage the puppy to check them out. Wiggle the toys and talk to the puppy, throw a ball, squeak a toy; make this a fun game. Pet and encourage the puppy. If the puppy singles out a favorite toy, pick it up and encourage him with it. Be careful, and go slow; some puppies have never seen a toy, but most will love them. If the puppy has singled out a favorite toy, throw it a few inches, play a little tug-of-war and then let him carry the toy. After he has elected a toy and is happily playing with it, back up and encourage the puppy to come to you with it. If he does, use lavish praise. Then hold the toy ahead of him while gently restraining the puppy (so he doesn't realize it) and then call him again. Throw the toy a few inches farther, then call the puppy again and make note if he brings the toy back to you. Even though the basset hound is not a retrieving breed, there is usually at least one puppy in each litter who exhibits that ability. Generally, the natural retriever will test out well in the rest of the tests, and historically in many breeds have proven to be the best obedience prospects.
• Test 4: Next, the tester will hold the puppy on his back on the ground with the tester's hand on the puppy's chest to restrain him. After holding the puppy down for about a minute, the tester will then pick him up and note whether he makes eye contact and forgives the tester right away or not. Ideally, the puppy should struggle for awhile and then give in. A note should be made of the length and severity of the struggle, the lack of struggle (too submissive), or the puppy who never stops struggling (too dominant). The tester should note whether the puppy forgave the tester or not, and how quickly. Forgiveness indicates the ability to take correction without sulking.
• Test 5: After the last test, the tester will cuddle and calm the puppy in his lap. Get the puppy to relax as much as possible. Fondle the ears and tail and paws and pet the tummy. When the puppy is relaxed, sneak a paw in your hand and give him a sound pinch between the webbing of the front paw (do not use yoru finger nail). Immediately try to establish eye contact and pretend you did it accidently and ask for forgiveness. This test will give you a good indication of the puppy's pain threshold, as well as his willingnes to forgive. A dog with a low pain threshold and who is a screamer will make a very poor obedience dog, incapable of taking corrections. The very tough dog with the high pain threshold could be just as much of a nightmare to try to train, since one would have to use extremely rough training methods to make an impression. Training this kind of dog could also give the trainer a reputation as a "killer trainer," which no one needs.
• Test 6: While the puppy is interested in something else, the tester will stand behind the puppy and explode a small paper bag or blow a whistle. If the puppy jumps and becomes very upset, he may be overly sensitive to sound and thus not a good candidate for obedience. This test will also help to determine if any of the puppies are hard of hearing or deaf.
• Test 7: This test is optional and will merely give you some indication of field ability. Show the puppy the rabbit skin or bird wing and note if he shows any interest.

There are other tests that can be performed to help pick out field aptitude. A good reference book that goes more into temperament testing with other valuable information is How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Rutherford and Neil, published by Alpine Publications. The temperament test information used in this article was provided by Jo James, who has temperament-tested puppies of many different breeds in our area for years.

After the three groups of tests by the three different testers have been completed, compare the notes by all three different testers with the notes on each puppy from the diary you have been keeping. Quickly eliminate the spooky, or people-aggressive ones, even if they have very impressive conformation. Make your selection according to the findings of the temperament tests and your own observations. Keep only one puppy, even if there are two or more who test out very close. You will have your hands full socializing, training, and imprinting yourself on that special puppy. Puppies from the same litter who grow up together will quickly fall into a pecking order, which will be counter-productive to your plans for an obedience prospect.

If you discover a puppy or puppies who are extremely spooky, people-aggressive, or show a tendency towards fear-biting, the kindest thing you can do for them (as well as the breed) is to have them euthanized. I know it is a painful reality to face, but having spent the last two years in basset rescue trying to work with and rehabilitate these types of dogs, we have finally come to terms with the fact that generally they will never become reliable, suitable pets for the average pet owner. The average pet owner does not have the knowledge, experience, patience, or time to deal with extremes in behavior, and will often make matters worse in the long run. It has been my experience that these problem dogs are often abandoned, dumped at dog pounds and/or inhumanely treated. You will do yourself, the breed, and the pet owner a great service by only allowing the most stable of temperaments to grow to adulthood.