[FredB]

Hi, I'm Rita from the Netherlands, and the proud owner of Fred, the most wonderful and loving Basset pup of 8 months. I have never owned a basset before, so I read a lot about them and their idiosyncracies, of which there are many as you all surely will know.

I had a hard time finding a Basset puppy, they seem to be out of fashion over here, and not too many breeders. Fred is what we in Dutch call 'a happy egg'....he likes everyone and all other dogs. He's super food-oriented, so that's what I use if I want to train him. We've covered the basics (like 'sit', 'come', 'stay'), but when we're outside his hearing seems to have gone completely. On general dog-forums I read about people complaining their dog is tugging all the time, but in the case of Fred I'm the one tugging. I allow a lot of time for sniffing, but he never seems to get enough. How do you fellow basset-owners get your basset to walk along?

 

[TeazelsMum]

Hi! Just to say if he's doing a Basset flop (stopping and lying down) on walks, ease up. Can you take him somewhere he can do his own running around - he's only young and if he's a Dutch Basset, probably big and heavy. So organised walks should be done very carefully just now. If you have achieved 'come', you've done well and so it should be ok to give him free ambling around, at his own pace (as he should come back when called?) which is really far better until his muscles etc have built up, so by a year, he should be sound and ok to go for as long as you want to go, when on exercise. Too much too soon can lead to constructions problems. Has your breeder given you a list of dos and don'ts?

I'm surprised you had a difficulty finding a Basset pup - there used to be a lot of breeders in Holland, including one of the biggest breeder in the breed, who was in Holland, then moved to France, but is now back in Holland.

 

[FredB]

Hi! Thanks for your reply. Luckily we live near a park which has an enclosed dog field in it. Dogs can run freely there and play with each other. It is surrounded by water on 4 sides and has gates - of course Fred saw fit to tumble into the very muddy ditch while playing with another dog. At least now we know he does know how to swim 😆

Although Fred has a purebred lineage, he himself has not been officially registered. I don’t know why not. We got a ‘certificate’ from the breeder from ‘Arfe’, but not from FCE. It doesn’t matter too much to me, because I don’t plan on breeding. The breeder didn’t seem to be a professional (not registered with the NBHC) and he didn’t give us a list of do’s and don’t. I have read a lot though, so I did know about gradually building up the time you can walk your puppy. It’s good to know that his Basset flops may mean that, in spite of knowing not to overdo, I do walk him a little too long for what he is able to handle.

Re the number of breeders in Holland, there really aren’t that many. I emailed all of them asking about (expected) puppies, most of them didn’t reply (due to COVID every man and his uncle was looking for a puppy it seemed, so they were probably swamped). A few replied they didn’t have puppies at that moment and weren’t planning on breeding short term.

Luckily I found Fred in the end, we’re very happy with him. He is a Basset with all the peculiarities which we’ve come to love and get exasperated with sometimes (his endless fixation on food haha)

thanks again!

 

[Mikey T]

don't think there are many bassets that simply enjoy walking. it is more a means to an end 1. going to a place they want to go., 2. search for something to chase, or 3 search for something to eat. Also when stress bassets simply shut down that is the stop doing anything. the typical flat basset on a walk is most often a sign of stress/destress if You wan more pace on a walk simply follow a rabbit/hare

 

[TeazelsMum]

Hi! Thanks for your reply. Luckily we live near a park which has an enclosed dog field in it. Dogs can run freely there and play with each other. It is surrounded by water on 4 sides and has gates - of course Fred saw fit to tumble into the very muddy ditch while playing with another dog. At least now we know he does know how to swim 😆

Although Fred has a purebred lineage, he himself has not been officially registered. I don’t know why not. We got a ‘certificate’ from the breeder from ‘Arfe’, but not from FCE. It doesn’t matter too much to me, because I don’t plan on breeding. The breeder didn’t seem to be a professional (not registered with the NBHC) and he didn’t give us a list of do’s and don’t. I have read a lot though, so I did know about gradually building up the time you can walk your puppy. It’s good to know that his Basset flops may mean that, in spite of knowing not to overdo, I do walk him a little too long for what he is able to handle.

Re the number of breeders in Holland, there really aren’t that many. I emailed all of them asking about (expected) puppies, most of them didn’t reply (due to COVID every man and his uncle was looking for a puppy it seemed, so they were probably swamped). A few replied they didn’t have puppies at that moment and weren’t planning on breeding short term.

Luckily I found Fred in the end, we’re very happy with him. He is a Basset with all the peculiarities which we’ve come to love and get exasperated with sometimes (his endless fixation on food haha)

thanks again!

Oh it's a myth that Bassets don't know how to, or dislike swimming. When out in Canada, we had a 'pond' (probably about an acre) into which three we kept from one litter went (it was 18 ft deep at one end).. The rest, including mum, stood on the side looking amazed! Truly. I was in panic (especially as I'm not really into swimming) but after swimming around for a while, I managed to encourage them to the shallow (muddy!) end after which I had to hose them down before going indoors.

As for not many puppies around - in the UK good breeders cut back on their breeding programme through the worse of Covid, unfortunately leaving the door open for BYBs to fill the lack of supply. That happened with the more popular breeds, and the prices being asked was shocking.

Have fun with your boy.

ps Mikey - Interesting that those Topsfield hounds were running with bells on their collars. One of my friends over here had bells on her two who'd go off into the undergrowth at the drop of a hat. I tried to find some for mine, but never did - I ended up using a cat bell on one who never opened up when running. Also I note that pack barked when on a scent rather than bayed.

 

[Mikey T]

"Also I note that pack barked when on a scent rather than bayed.." Fort some baying is more of a chop bark the advantage is a lot of dog have to lift the head to bay/howl so there are many a hare hunter that prefer a chop bark especial faster prey like Spanish hare. Sleigh bells keep the snow out if hunting in winter vs open bell but not usually as load. Many in the states use bell in HPT (hunting performance test) and or hunting but they are not allowed in FT. Nothing that makes additional noise or attached to the collar.

https://www.amazon.com/SCENEREAL-Co...t=&hvlocphy=9002235&hvtargid=pla-715698963028


large sampling of different basset bays

our Pumpkin has a high pitched chop bark she sounds more like a beagle than a typical basset

Kaley(unstarted) and Eowyn Practicing after a FT with bells and Tracking collars you can see handheld Garmin Astro #20 in my hand that receives satellite GPS signal from collars.

AHBA Hunts that allows both Tracking Collars and Bells