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to CyberHound from The New Basset Hound by Margaret S. Walton (Howell 1993)
Those who know the Basset Hound may find it difficult to associate this breed with the word "obedient." By their very nature as hunting hounds, Bassets were bred to stick to a trail of scent without distraction. Being mostly concerned with their own pleasure, they tend to use their tenacity toward their own ends, rather than pleasing their owners or trainers. This does not usually include Obedience. There are some other breeds who have been selectively bred for their willingness to be obedient and to enjoy whatever makes their humans happy. So, when a person who enjoys the sport of Obedience makes a decision about the breed of dog to train, the Basset Hound does not usually come to mind. There have been some fine working Bassets who give other breeds a run for their money in class placements, but they are few and far between.
Most people who train Bassets and acquire Obedience titles, do so because they love the breed and happen to enjoy Obedience. Achieving Obedience titles on a hound can be a rewarding experience, even with no thought of high scores or class placements. There is room in the sport of Obedience for all who are interested, whether for fun or glory.
There are many training methods for Obedience. You can find seminars on how to best train your dog almost any month of the year if you are willing to travel. Unfortunately, most people who run these seminars have little or no experience in training hounds as a group or Bassets as a breed. Their methods are usually rather harsh for this breed and often cause Bassets to "dig in" their heels and resist this kind of forceful training.
The best rule of thumb for training this breed: If what you are doing is helping your hound to learn a particular exercise and the dog is enjoying it, then you have hit upon the right method. Listen to your dog, not to so-called experts who have rarely, if ever, worked with a hound.
This will probably mean learning to be very inventive in your training methods and changing them from time to time, as the Basset gets bored. This is not as difficult as it first may seem. In fact, it can be the most fun and creative part of the sport. You will be the envy of your area as you drag around all different kinds of training equipment and show others that this breed can work in Obedience, do it well and have a good time doing it! Watching other trainers who are successful training sensitive, difficult-to-train dogs is one very good way to get some ideas to try. Many physically handicapped Obedience trainers have had to invent their own methods; you can learn a lot from them. There are a lot of people training and showing Bassets in Obedience-if you get stuck give one or all of them a call. Most people are happy to help.
If your Basset starts to slow down and show resistance to working, this usually means that the dog either has become bored or has something else better to do, or you may have been given some bad training advice. Whatever the reason, a good cure is to be training two dogs at the same time. Because of the Bassets' competitive nature, they perk right up when they see good time working another dog. It usually works best if the first one you train one week becomes the last one the next week. Keep them guessing!
Obedience has been around for a long time and Bassets have been right there with other breeds. Over the years many people have found methods that work for them and have enjoyed many hours of training and showing. When training Bassets, you really have to love the sport of Obedience because you only spend a few minutes in the ring at shows, compared to the hundreds of hours spent training for those few minutes.
For those of you who have never been exposed to the sport of Obedience, a summary of what you can expect follows. For more information on the specific requirements of each title, it is a good idea to obtain a copy of the American Kennel Club (AKC) Obedience Regulations.
Sketches of some of the equipment used in Obedience are shown in these regulations, as well as a detailed description of each exercise. To achieve each of the three regular Obedience titles offered by the AKC, three separate qualifying performances must be achieved under three separate judges and in at least three Trials.
Under the auspices of the AKC, three regular Obedience titles and an Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) may be earned.
The first level of training for a title is called Novice and consists of Heeling on- and off-lead (your dog's shoulders should be in line with your left leg), Figure-8, Stand for Examination, Recall (having your dog come to you on command) and the group Sit-Stay and Down exercises. The Figure-8 exercise includes a pattern in which dog and handler heel around two other people. The title earned at the Novice level is the Companion Dog (CD) degree.
The next title, Companion Dog Excellent (CDX), involves a higher level of training in order to prepare you both for the exercises. This second level of Obedience is referred to as the Open level. For this title all of the exercises are done off-lead. The lead is left at the ring entrance with the steward until after you have completed all of the required exercises.
These exercises include the Heel Off-Lead, Figure-8, the Drop-on-Recall (Down command given during the Recall exercise) and the Retrieve of a dumbbell on the Flat and Over the High Jump. During this last exercise, the dog must jump a short High Jump going out for the dumbbell and also coming back to the handler. The height of this jump is equal to three-quarters of the Basset's height at the withers or shoulders (some breeds jump higher).
The last exercise before the group Stay exercises is the Broad Jump, in which you must be standing at the side of the Broad Jump boards and have your dog jump over the middle of them, turn and sit in front of you. For our breed, two or three flat boards are used, (depending on the height of the dog at the withers) supported at an angle and placed one in front of the other. This exercise sounds hard to train for, and can be if you are not creative. However, the use of training aids such as guides and barriers for the dog can make this exercise one of your best. The group Stays are done with handlers out of sight of the dogs, and last longer than the Novice group exercises.
The highest regular Obedience title your dog can achieve is the Utility Dog (UD) title. The exercises at this level can be very challenging for both trainer and dog. They can also take a fairly long time to adequately prepare a Basset for a show. It is the most fun and exciting title, but it requires an extraordinary Basset Hound and persistent trainer.
These exercises are all off-lead and include the Signal Exercise. This means during off-lead Heeling, the judge tells you to stand your dog and leave. You then walk about 10 feet, turn, face your dog and wait until the judge signals you to signal the dog to Drop (Down), Sit and Recall. At that time the judge will have you Finish your dog. This is the final movement of the dog back into the Heel position. All the different parts of this exercise (including the Heeling) are done with hand signals only--no voice commands are permitted.
The next Utility exercise is the Retrieve of a leather and a metal article or dumbbell by Scent Discrimination. Several articles are placed on the floor by the ring steward and will therefore have the steward's scent on them. Your dog is to look for, find and return only the ones with your scent on them. The dog will be sent twice: once to find the correct leather article and once for the metal. A similar exercise is the Directed Retrieve, where the dog is directed by hand signal to one of three gloves set out along the back of the ring, and must retrieve only the one signaled.
The moving Stand for Examination and Return to Heel are next. The first part of this exercise merely consists of heeling with your dog for a short distance and having the dog stand while you continue to walk away. You walk about 10 more feet, turn and face your dog. At this time the judge thoroughly examines your dog, then tells you to give the command to Finish. From the standing position, the dog is supposed to go directly to the Heel position and not sit in front of you like the other exercises that call the dog to come to you.
The Directed Jumping is next. On one side of the ring is a High Jump, and on the other side is a Bar Jump. You are to have your dog sitting by you in the Heel position at one end of the ring approximately in the middle, facing the area between the two jumps. On command from the judge you send your dog away from you, although the two jumps to the other side of the ring. Your dog is supposed to keep going until you give the command to Sit. At this time the dog should turn around at the far end of the ring and sit, facing the handler. The judge will indicate the jump toward which you are to send your dog. You can give a hand and voice signal to indicate which one to take. The dog is supposed to jump the indicated jump and return to you. The next part of the exercise is to do it all over again, but this time the dog will be instructed to take the opposite jump.
For each of the three levels of Obedience described, the AKC issues specific titles, CD, CDX or UD. If you complete all of the above mentioned exercises three times for each title, at three different shows and under three different judges, then the American Kennel Club (AKC) will issue a certificate with your dog's name for each title earned.
The Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) title is a very special one, for which only dogs who have already earned the Utility Dog (UD) title can compete. The dog must earn 100 points from the Open B and Utility B classes (if the Utility class is divided between A and B), with a First Place in each class along with an additional First Place in either class. The three First Places must be under three different judges at all-breed dog shows. For points to be earned, there must be at least three dogs competing in Utility and six dogs in Open B. This title is only for those special dogs that love competing in these classes over and over again and have the physical stamina and temperament to do a lot of traveling and frequent showing. The Basset is one breed that can find the repetition boring and the constant traveling and pressure to perform extremely stressful.
There have been a few Bassets who have earned OTCH points, but because of the extreme stress or other such factors, almost all have had to retire. To date there has been only one Obedience Trial Champion in this breed--OTCH Buzz Taylor's Goober. This was a very special dog indeed. To be an Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) is considered by many people to have considerably more meaning than a breed championship because of the extremely difficult requirements to achieve it. This is a much-coveted title, as evidenced by the fact that only one Basset has achieved it.
Obedience with the Basset Hound can be both rewarding and frustrating, depending upon the dog, training schedule and interests of both dog and trainer. If you haven't tried Obedience you might be missing something that you and your Basset Hound would both enjoy. This is especially true for retired breed champions who miss the excitement of going places and being part of the dog show community.
One of the new and exciting aspects of dog sports is the Agility classes. It's fun watching dogs of all breeds climb up and over the A frame, use the teeter-totter, crawl through the tunnel and weave in and out of a waving line of brightly painted dowels--which are some of the things our intelligent four-footed companions are asked to do, and they truly enjoy it all.
To find a Basset Hound who is willing (and able) to do all these things is a rarity, but the breed can proudly say it now has its first Agility titled dog under the rules of the National Club for Dog Agility:
Ch. Juley von Skauton, Agility 1, is proudly co-owned by Douglas C. Taylor, Switchstand Bassets, and Garry E. Towne, Von Skauton Kennel, and was shown by Doug Taylor, who writes: "Very much a Basset, Juley finished under her terms, not mine! She is not Obedience trained--only trained to come when off-lead. It has been a lot of fun, and she adores the cheering of the crowd when she climbs (struggles with gritted teeth) up over the A frame."
It is hoped that more Basset owners will join in the Agility fun and that their Bassets enjoy it as much as Juley does.