[Joanna Bowles]

Hi all,

My partner and I are considering getting a male Basset puppy, and will take the first two weeks off work to settle him in.

After this, we will be working and he will be played with in the morning (have been advised no walks before 1 year old) and then have visitors for 30 mins a day (either paid for or family). We will then be home by 5 so he won't be left for more than 5 hours a time.

Is a Basset a good breed for this lifestyle? I have been warned they can't be left for extended periods as they howl and become destructive. We obviously don't want to bring a Basset into an unhappy home, so any advice on whether we'd be OK owners given our lifestyle would be gratefully received.

Thanks,
Jo

 

[Basset Mummy]

Hi, in my opinion, and it is only my opinion, I wouldn't really recommend a Basset to be left for 5 hours a day. I know there may be the odd Basset that is fine, but I think on the whole this is rare and you might end up finding out you have to rehome due to barking, baying or a stressed, unhappy dog. This is quite common. I know two ladies in my local Basset Hound Club who work for Basset Welfare and this is one of the main reasons they come in for rehoming (dogs stressed at being alone or people having to return to full time work). They are a very needy dog for company and not self sufficient. My Bassets are left for a maximum of 4 hours (maybe once a month - normally I drop them off with my parents if going out for longer periods) and they do have each other. There is a thread about 'indoor/outdoor Bassets' on the forum which gave a few opinions on leaving Bassets. Mine even follow me around the house during the day. If I'm outside in the garden, they are, if I go in, they do. They are generally a low energy dog compared to many other breeds so do sleep a lot, but they do have one 'sly eye' as we call it on where everyone is and who's in. Good luck with your decision, they are a lovely dog to have, brilliant with kids and cats, very loving, very strong minded but needy and pack loving. I think they can be a bigger commitment than some dogs.
Hope that helps.

 

[Basset Mummy]

Forgot to say too, it's worth talking to your local Basset Hound Club. I don't know where you are but here in the UK apart from the main Basset Hound Club there are many regional groups of the Club. Our local group meets every month for a walk with about 35+ hounds. Nice for Hounds and us humans! We sometimes have people come along who are thinking about getting a Basset & wish to meet Basset owners and hounds themselves to see what they are like. It's good as you can discuss your home/lifestyle in detail and get advise from people who have them. If there is no local group we also spoke to Basset Welfare, the Basset Hound Club & a few breeders when we got our first Basset. Although I had grown up with Bassets as a child, I had not had one for years & I wanted to make sure it was going to fit in with our family life. It's a bit of a pain to do but better than ending up with a dog that won't fit in and having to rehome. Good Luck!!

 

[Lisa and joey]

I took 6 months out of work to bring joey up. He doesn't like been left on his own at all! I leave him most days for an hour or two at the most and he is usually ok with it, he just goes to sleep after about 5 minutes of barking.
Myself and my partner had planned things thoroughly and that we could afford one of us to stay at home for 6 months with him.
There is a family near us who run a 'doggy day care'. They are fab. The dogs get treated really well with lots of attention and free run of the house and garden. Our joey is very social so we are going to give him a trial day there before I return to work soon.
I wouldn't of wanted him to be in a kennel all day as I know he would hate it so that's why I have chose the day care option.
This is my view and the way I have done things, other people will be able to also give you there views x


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[Mikey T]

have been advised no walks before 1 year old

seem this advice only comes out of the UK and the perponderance of leg surgeries for elbow dysplasia/inconruites at least on this forum are disporportionately high, conincidnce perhapss but in my hubble opinion too little exercise is more of a problem as too much and I have a hard time leash walking with a basset exercise in the first place especially at a basset pace.

see sceptvet blog Exercise in Puppies-Are there rules?

There are many dogmatic opinions available from veterinarians, pet owners, breeders and others concerning a common question owners of new puppies have, How much exercise is ok for puppies? This is an especially pertinent question for owners of large breed puppies, since these breeds have a higher incidence than others of developmental orthopedic disorders such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and cartilage abnormalities known as osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD). As is all too often the case, however, these opinions generally lack solid scientific evidence to support them. Very little is known about the precise risks and benefits of different types and intensities of exercise in growing animals.
One case control observational study [1] surveyed dog owners and found playing with other dogs to be a risk factor for OCD. Another, similar study [2] found chasing balls and sticks was a risk factor for development of hip dysplasia and elbow abnormalities. However, these studies cannot answer the overall question, which is how much and what kinds of exercise pose how great a risk and provide how great a benefit. One study [3] found exercise to be part of the treatment of carpal laxity, another joint abnormality seen in large breed puppies, and there is no question that exercise has many benefits, including reducing the risk of obesity and simply being part of a normal, enjoyable life for a puppy.
There are many more studies on the effects of exercise in children than in puppies, and though it is always risky to extrapolate from one species to another, some useful information can be gained by using one organism as a model for another, as long as conclusions drawn in this way are cautious and tentative pending better data. In general, while some intense and repetitive exercise can pose a risk of damage to growth plates in children, exercise is overall seen as beneficial in improving bone density and reducing the risk of obesity and related health problems.

if we were to equate the no leash walking for a year that would be basically the equivelent of not letting a child out of the yard til they were 21 it that really healthy?

 

[Soundtrack]

While you want to be careful not to overdo it (I've known of pups, even "normal" breed ones, that were ruined by overtraining at an early age), exercise is essential for growing puppies. Although IMO the best exercise is free play where the pup can start and stop as he feels right, I also think that a pup who can't go for a leisurly stroll is in serious trouble.

Let's face it, the average dog or puppy stuck out in the yard by itself is NOT going to adequately self-exercise, whereas if they were growing up in a pack they would be playing with other pack members.

Going for a walk is also extremely important for socializing and exposure to new things, as well as learning proper leash manners at a young age.

 

[Noba's_Mom]

Hi, in my opinion, and it is only my opinion, I wouldn't really recommend a Basset to be left for 5 hours a day. I know there may be the odd Basset that is fine, but I think on the whole this is rare and you might end up finding out you have to rehome due to barking, baying or a stressed, unhappy dog.

My Noba is left home from 9am-5pm everyday (with the exception of me coming home at lunch and doing a quick 30 minute walk) and he does great... its his "sleep time" making his most active time of the day from 530-1000pm.... course he's been used to this schedule since he was a pup so maybe that's why. Course I know this is not the case for all bassets. I got lucky with mine.

 

[nuttypigs]

I think if you're hellbent on a Basset and you are going to leave the dog for 5hrs a day, if you can get past the seperation anxiety, you'll probably find that there will be a lot of problems with housetraining, unless you're lucky it will take a heck of a lot longer than the initial 2 weeks to housetrain, so be prepared for piddle puddles.

I can see both sides of the story with the no walking rule, but am a firm believer that these dogs were bred for working, which means they need to be exercised, my vet advised to walk your puppy as far as it will go, when it's had enough it will sit down, then you know how far it will walk and build it up. NB, do this when it is small or you'll have back trouble carrying it home!!.

I worked up from 3 x 10minute walks a day, but Bella is half Beagle so does need to be exercised or she climbs the walls so now she won't settle for less than a 90 minute walk, and a half hour runabout on the green with her friends.

 

[3kbasset]

our girls are alone (sophie crated) for about 4 to 5 hours four days a week and do fine.

key is they are busy/occupied before and after the away time.

 

[Jnfr]

I have always worked 8-5. Of course, in that time, I have always had two dogs. They do just fine. Yes, training probably takes a bit longer than if I were home all day, but they do well.

 

[stayc811]

Its nearly impossible now adays to be home during the day. My 2 stay home 5 or 6 hours a day and do fine. Maybe its because they have each other. Will you be crating? I made the mistake of no crate at first...we were able to keep in tge kitchen..but now i realize they actually do like crates and its for their safety. It sounds like you will provide a loving home and im sure they will be fine during the day.

 

[TeazelsMum]

'No walks until a year' isn't a UK idea. We do recommend no organised road work for the first 6 months, after which it's recommended that that sort of exercise is started, gradually increasing in length, until by a year, most youngsters should have sufficient muscle tone to protect immature joints, and the heavy bone this breed should have. Not fat!! And I would query the idea of an apparently high proportion of structural surgeries going on on UK Bassets. Sorry! If you are seeing this on here, I suggest it's because you only hear the 'bad news' I would just add that given the popularity of the breed in the UK, we do have a fair amount of less than responsible breeding going on, which may mean these poorly bred animals need corrective surgery. And I'd also suggest that with the advent of insurance, many vets are jumping in and doing this kind of surgery = kerching.

But getting back to the OP - there is no way I'd be leaving any puppy, never mind a Basset, alone for 5 hours. Bassets, being a pack hound, are definitely not a breed to be spending long lonely hours alone. I know it's difficult these days, with people needing to work, but fact is I too stopped working for 6 months to get our first hound sorted out. I went back part time (3 hours middle of the day) and he went back to peeing all over the place. So I took him with me. When we were breeding, I refused to sell a puppy to a home where this being alone was going to happen. One couple who came to me, to be told no because they were working full time, came back having arranged, it seemed, to have half the street come in while they were away so I reluctantly gave in and I assume he was fine - I never heard back with any complaints.

Without doubt, there are other breeds far more suited to living alone for long hours, than the Basset

ps We left a tape running once, when we had two - they were on hardwood floors with a rug so you could hear them moving around. And believe me, far from sleeping while we were out, it'was constant movement going on. Dogs tend to take naps when their 'pack' is home and they can relax. It's usually quite different when the packs away - other than with oldies of course.