[jaleely]

Bowser's nose amazes me sometimes. I grew up with beagles, who actually were hunting dogs that went out in the woods with my dad...but nothing compares to Bowser's nose!
We have tried to train him (it's very hard when you don't have another hunting dog to run them with so they learn from dog to dog) so he's really only a tiny bit trained to track. (Not much tracking needed when we live in a townhouse and walk on a leash.)
But anyway, sometimes he is amazing. Once, we kind of split up on our walk (hubby walks super fast with his long legs) and I was behind with the mother-in-law and bowser and her dog....bowser tracked and told us which direction dada went. Nose was to the ground and he told us he went down this one street, instead of straight like i thought he would go...when we got back it was confirmed that's the direction he went!
Cute good boy!
Sometimes we ask him where a toy is, after dragging it across our (already filthy..so it's amazing to smell anything other than filth) floor...and he will track it!

What got me the other day was I dripped some ice cream (argh!) on a t-shirt. I washed it...then had to use the bleach pen on the stain to get it out (oh it's still faintly there..grr) and so i just decided to make it a wear around the house t-shirt. I put it on, and was on the floor playing with bow, and he just ran up to me and stuck his nose right on that spot, sniffing and gave it a lick cuz he smelled where that chocolate had been! LOL
Obviously still residue there, but it was pretty cute and he just did it from across the room.
I know when he's doing it too, because he gets this serious "working" look on his face, and the nose is either all the way up in the air, or down to the ground...ears up and tail on point. It's hilarious. He's usually always wagging and droopy ears.

THe annoying side: My dad has a pair of hunting pants and boots that have bobcat smell on them. Bowser with insane with fear over these....he will find the boots, and the pants (this was last year) at my parent's house and literally keep an eye on them the whole visit to make sure they stay where they are. It's a pair of camouflage overalls, and camo boots, so there's no mistaking that they are the culprits. but he has smell memory that is insane!

He's also very particular about who he meets. Once we went into a fish petstore and took Bow. The one guy that worked there was fine, he got some wags and was fine...the other guy came out from behind the counter...he was short and small, not threatening...but bowser got 4 feet away and got a wiff of his boots, and got terrified.
When finally I managed to coax him closer later he streached out his neck, sniffed the boot, and backed away. It was sad too cuz that guy really liked him and wanted to pet him, but whatever he had on his boots was just not cutting it!
It's funny, he does this with people sometimes. Sometimes it's pants, sometimes shoes. Usually a smell he doesn't recognize.

Anyway, it always makes me laugh how he sniffs the air, and puffs out his cheeks on the exhale to determine what's going on with his nose. He's just so reliant on it.
He's also one of the ones that smooshes his nose into the spot he's smelling *lol*

Here are some pics of the camping/hunting adventure. The brave basset and him getting as far away from my dad as possible in the trailer...he was like lightning crawling up behind my mom*lol*

 

[Wworm]

Wow, what great stories of Bowsah & ur adventures togethah!!
and nice pics too from camping. so funny about your Dad's pants/boots!
Worm does that too (all of a sudden notices a rock or balloon that scares him, and then he keeps an eye on it & avoids it like the plague)... ("aw, i do not!!!")

We did the tracking-toy-across-the carpet things with the wiener dog, and he was very good at finding it. haven't tried it with Worm yet.

he likes to sniff the air, too, we were just laughing at him today when he was doing that-- how much better can the nose a 1/2 inch higher smell??

does the smoosh nose thing too-- here's a pic of him and his smoosh nose while sleeping... his nose is way off center, it's like he needs a nose job!

 

[Boomer's Mom]

I'll watch Boomer when he's outside, and he really puts his nose up in the air sniffing.

He always sniffs my pants when I come home from work, too. In case momma ate something that HE didn't get, or if she played with another animal.

 

[CatherineM]

I had a basset in Florida that really had a great nose. Twice he responded to people, by getting afraid/upset so much that he put his tail between his knees and tried to crawl under where I was sitting. Turns out both were dying of cancer. He only acted aggressively once. We met a new neighbor outside taking the trash out, and he started growling maliciously, snapping and trying to bite the man. It was all I could do to keep him from biting him. We found out later that he was a registered pedophile, and had just gotten out of jail. I learned to pay attention to his nose.

 

[jaleely]

they say there are stuides and all kinds of proofs that dogs can sniff out cancer. with bowser i believe it!
I really can't think of anything better right now, but i know his nose-coolness stories will come to me and i will jot them down.

 

[Mikey T]

he told us he went down this one street, instead of straight like i thought he would go...when we got back it was confirmed that's the direction he went!

many years ago used to go back bcking with two basset. for the most part they were off lead except when we heard others coming then leash them up If they were leading they would wait at any cross road to see wich way we wanted to go. My father when he was ahead and out of sight like to be a bit of practical joker and would go off the path and hid in the wood. ANd it was alway Hey Cory (my fatter's basset where are you going ) as he turn off in to the wood to find by father hiding behind a tree.

Like the old timers at the field trials like to say to the newbie don't worryabout loosing the dog they will find you, beside if a basset can't find its way home ya don't want it anyhow!

 

[Mikey T]

so he's really only a tiny bit trained to track. (Not much tracking needed when we live in a townhouse and walk on a leash.)

Ya might want to check the BHCA website for field trial and Akc Event calander for tracking tests your area. Many local obedience clubs have tracking class as well,

 

[vb3]

Rosco was about 8 months old when my roommate at school was making a celtic warrior Halloween costume. He was using some rabbit fur to make a belt or something. When he brushed Rosco's nose with it playing one day I thought the dog had died and gone to heaven, he really wanted that rabbit fur. He'd seen rabbits outside before but never been close to one.

 

[CatherineM]

Thanks for reminding me about rabbits. I have added a rabbit fur bomber hat since the last time I had a basset hound. I wonder what he'll do the first time I have to dig it out this winter.

 

[Herzo]

My Abigail (RIP) was an amazing hunter and tracker. One night we were coming out of the Mountains, it was late and dark, no moon. We were trying to get through downed timber and couldn't see. My husband was nervous because there were cows crashing through the trees and we couldn't really see them and my bassets were off leash as they always were because they stayed close. But he was getting upset thinking we were going to loose them and was telling me to keep an eye on them. His uncle was trying to find the trail that we had come in on and I said Abigail and Sidney are on a trail as Abby had been following a trail and not right behind me.

I knew she had something so we all got behind her and she lead us all out on the trail we had come in on. Right to the pickup. From then on she had to lead us out all the time even in the daylight. She would run down the trail and stop and wait tell she could see us then she would take off again and wait again. She really didn't think we could get out without her, it was so cute. She just had to have a job.

I sure do miss those girls of mine.

 

[Esther]

i just like to stand and sniff while he human is cooking.
he does it a lot lately and i get to supervise.
he NEVER drops ANYTHING! pft.

 

[henry'smum]

Henry is special, he likes to track his people with his nose to the carpet as you cross the room, if he looked up he could see you however he much prefers to track you... and im sure he thinks he is invisible as sometimes he likes to stalk you across the room, always in full view but in the stretched out tail up stance! Like i said, special boy!

 

[Boomer's Mom]

i just like to stand and sniff while he human is cooking.
he does it a lot lately and i get to supervise.
he NEVER drops ANYTHING! pft.

ANYTHING? Boy, what a rip-off. Yah need to trip him up.