[dodolah]

I walked my puppy (16 weeks old) for the first time.. and this is my first basset btw..
I realized very shortly how different walking a basset is in comparison to other dogs.

One is the fact that he walk with his nose at all time.
He is on the trail at all times, as it seems..
He follows his trail more so than following me..

This brings up a question:
1. talk about the leash... What type of a leash is more appropriate in my case?
2. do i need a harness? If so, what type is the best for a basset puppy?
3. Is there a link recommended on how you train your basset to walk on a leash properly?

Thanks.

 

[Mikey T]

1. A simple six foot training lead, I abhor the use of retractable leases for training.

2. A traditional harness actual encourages the dog to pull. A dogs natural reaction is to resist pressure, so pressure across the sternum is resisted by pulling even harder. So if the dog is pulling it is not a good choice. I do not like choke chains, martingales, prong collars or any other device that constricts around the neck or throat of young pups because I think it is too easiy to create premenant physical damage to young pups with these. For older pups and adults the danger is far less. I personally use a sporn harness for dogs this age. Another choise is the sensi-ble harness. A head halter can also be used if you are familiar with the potential risk for neck injuries with these, It also gives you better control of the head.

3, Teaching a basset to "walk on leash" is no different than any other breed. the most important thing however is the define exactly what the criteria is for you that constitutes "proper leash walking" their is no single criteria If for example "proper Leash walking" is simply "never a thight leash" then things like head down and sniffing are immaterial. If however you expect something more like formal healing then head position becomes important as well.

One is the fact that he walk with his nose at all time.
He is on the trail at all times, as it seems..
He follows his trail more so than following me..

I am going to answer with the most heard least usefull idiom in dog training. You need to be more interesting than dirt!. Now to the more useful. Only be concerned with sniffing if it effects your criteria for proper leash walking other wise simply ignore it. There are a number of simple ways to get and keep the head up while walking if it is important. I find that speed is often a determining factor, that is a dog is more likely to sniff at a slower pace. Pick up the pace and the head often follows. Using a tool such as a touvh stick cand get the head up as well as delivering food reward at proper dog head level while walking,

Sporn Halter

Sensi-ble Halter

Target Stick Basics

Specific Behaviors - loose leash walking
list a number of articles and methodologies

 

[FloppyToby]

that's too funny i was gonna ask this question today. toby pulls so bad and if he gets on a scent i might as well forget trying to get him to focus on me.

 

[bubbad]

If you want the puppy/dog to pay attention to you keep small tidbits of treats in your pockets and use them to get his nose off the ground and look at you, when he/she looks at you give the treat. Let him drag the leash around the house a bit, to get use to something being on the collar, but don't allow chewing on the leash. If you are walking and the pup wants to go in another direction just stand and wait when he figures out the only way he can go is the way you are going he will go the direction you want. Don't pull or yank ,just wait,he will get the idea.

 

[SophieB]

Bassets are scenting hounds and always walk with their nose on the ground... we once adopted a blind Basset and he could still walk at a fair pace along the lanes, even though he was blind from having suffered Glaucoma and was abandoned by his previous owner. He broke my heart but he had a good life with us and our other Bassets looked after him!

If I were you I would only walk a pup of that age for short walks because long walks can cause joint problems as bassets have 'plates' in their legs that take up to a year to knit together properly and my vet and breeder friends say not to walk them very far until they are 10 -12 mnths of age or their joints can get damaged and cause them to limp.


Edit: Keep Bassets off stairs too

 

[dodolah]

Bassets are scenting hounds and always walk with their nose on the ground... we once adopted a blind Basset and he could still walk at a fair pace along the lanes, even though he was blind from having suffered Glaucoma and was abandoned by his previous owner. He broke my heart but he had a good life with us and our other Bassets looked after him!

If I were you I would only walk a pup of that age for short walks because long walks can cause joint problems as bassets have 'plates' in their legs that take up to a year to knit together properly and my vet and breeder friends say not to walk them very far until they are 10 -12 mnths of age or their joints can get damaged and cause them to limp.


Edit: Keep Bassets off stairs too

I know that I should walk him daily.. but for how long? is an hour a day will be too much or too less?

And as far as the stair thing, it is absolutely no problem.. I have no stairs in the house..

 

[SophieB]

I know that I should walk him daily.. but for how long? is an hour a day will be too much or too less?

And as far as the stair thing, it is absolutely no problem.. I have no stairs in the house..

Good breeders give their puppy owners good advice and from what my breeder, other breeder friends and my vet have always told me, it's best to take young puppies out for two or three short walks each day (preferable on grass, sand or a soft surface, or it's too much for their legs (due mostly to the joints/growing plates that don't fuse together until they are approaching a year) I remember my vet telling me when I got my pups that I have now, no more than five minutes walk per month in age from about 5-6 months.

An hour's walk is far too long for your 16-week old Basset puppy. Due to the terrific growth rate of young basset hounds there is a huge pressure on the puppies' ligaments, muscles and bone development, so it is recommended to avoid too much walking with a young dog up to 6 months of age and the maximum at six months is no more than 30 minutes in total at one time.

Before they start walking any distance, Basset pup owners can carry out collar and lead training in the garden or a restricted place where the puppy isn't tempted to walk too far. Remember, once the damage is done, it's done, and they have funny little legs and huge joints that are growing. I was always told to let a puppy go for a couple of very short walks and exercise through playing or walking on soft ground, or on a beach or on grass and definitely not walking pavements as it's the hard ground that contributes to the joint damage.

It's good if you live near a beach because walking in sand is excellent and helps young Bassets build muscle without causing 'structural' damage. Too much walking before 10 months or so can cause hip and joint problems in the future.

 

[Mikey T]

I were you I would only walk a pup of that age for short walks because long walks can cause joint problems as bassets have 'plates' in their legs that take up to a year to knit together properly and my vet and breeder friends say not to walk them very far until they are 10 -12 mnths of age or their joints can get damaged and cause them to limp.

Growth plates are not exclusive to bassets there is nothing unique about basst that woulds cause them be more prone to growth plate injuries then other breeds.

When it comes to exercise it is alway best to ramp up on endurace you would not want to take a pup with no prior experience on a 1 hour walk. Also keep in mind that time is a inaccurae measurment actual,y measuring distance would be a more uniform measure of effort, energy and work involved.

 

[dodolah]

ok.. so, I will take him for a very short walk daily, and the rest will be playing to keep him occupied and burn his energy.
The breeder told me about the pavement thing.. So, I am taking him to the park nearby my house to play and walk a bit. We have quite a big backyard.. so, perhaps for a while, we'll train him walking around our backyard first.

and gradually increase the length and duration of walking overtime..

 

[gsally]

Collar recommendations anyone?

Good information here about leads, leashes, harnesses..........What about collars? A basset neck is difficult to fit with a collar!

 

[Mikey T]

What about collars?

If you are using a harness you don't need a collar unless adding a collar to add additional back-out protection for a sensi-ble harness, details on the web site. It is nothing more than a standard flat buckle collar

Fitting a flat buckle collar for a basset is no more difficult than other breed. It is based simply on neck circumference. However many bassets like greyhounds have a neck circumference that is large than their head so a flat buckle collar is easy for the dog to back out of. There is nothing that can be done about this because it is the structure of the dog,no amount of trying to adjust the fit will help. A martingale or sometimes called greyhound collar has a limited slip feature so it can be tightened around the neck when pulled or jerk like a choke or prong collar. But unlike a choke and like a prong the amount of tightening is limited. I will only use this type of collar on an adult dog, never a puppy but give that the pressure is applied to a larger surface area they are marginally safer for puppies than chokes and prongs. However any slip type collar is potential life threatening if the dog should get it hung up so it should only be worn when the dog is directly suppervises. While I personally feel this should apply to all collars, traditional buckle collars are much less a choking hazard than any slip collar.


How a Martingale Collar Works

 

[dodolah]

I'm getting a sensible harness soon. Thanks.

I also follow the treat on the pocket trick and it worked wonderfully.

 

[dodolah]

Is gentle leader effective and good for A Basset?

 

[Mikey T]

they work. I would not use one on a pup though again because of potential neck injury and and never on a extendable flexi-type lead. Some dogs take a adjustment period to get use to them and some dogs personality changes dramatically when wearing one. I have used one with great success in a case where I need to beable to control the head. This was not walking but they work to increase control for that as well.

some Constrasting view points on head halters in general

The Problems With Head Halters
General requires a free subscription to the web site to view.

A Case for GLs
Rebutal to article above

 

[Welshtyke]

being new to owning bassets, we are looking to find out what is the optimum walking time and distance so they get their required amount of exercise. I have read about puppies on the forum but we also have a four year old bitch we got from rescue. we would greatly appreciate any ideas.

 

[hig4s]

Our previous basset we would walk about a mile at a time, 3 to 4 times a week. But we have a fenced back yard that is pretty big and she would run and play back there most everyday. When she was young we would just walk her until she started acting little tired and slow and then go back.

 

[Basset Mamma x's 4]

Don't forget play time with your puppy to reward them for good behavior! It can also serve as a form of daily exercise and stimulation in addition to walks. Ms. Daisy *loved* her plush Chirstmas wreath squeaky toy the vet gave her on her first visit - we would have play time after she eliminated outside, or after she did a good sit/stay, or whatever. I miss having a cuddley puppy around, but I guess they can't all stay little forever...

 

[smitte21]

For our two (now mind you they are both fully grown adult bassets) we use a british slip lead. It has worked wonders with their pulling. Both used to pull tremendously as youngsters and since I have started using these the past couple of years they have gotten so much better... plus Roxie does have the small head and big neck so her buckle collar is basically just for show and she can slip out of it in a heartbeat... but with the slip lead (similar to a martingale style) she can not pull out of the slip lead if it's on properly.

 

[BigBloo]

Learning to walk Flash was, ermmm.... interesting, to say the least. As has been pointed out, bassets are scent hounds and will walk 'nose down' most of the time. At first, I found this a bit annoying, until I realized that not only was there nothing 'wrong' or 'bad' about it, but that it was in fact completely natural. Silly though it may sound, once it dawned on me that the walk wasn't about me, but him, I relaxed and used the extra time involved to listen and observe the world around me, much like he was doing.

We now enjoy our daily walk MUCH more.

 

[Mikey T]

the optimum walking time and distance so they get their required amount of exercise

For most dog including bassets walking at a human pace is not exercise you are general better off with a high intensity/activity like fetch (general not a favorite of most bassets) chase, tug of war etc.

natural. Silly though it may sound, once it dawned on me that the walk wasn't about me, but him, I relaxed and used the extra time involved to listen and observe the world around me, much like he was doing.

which brings us to the point it takes two to have pulling on the lead. It is not just the dog. If the human travels in the same direction and pace of the dog the leadnever gets tight as well.

bassets are scent hounds and will walk 'nose down' most of the time

In my experience the amount of sniffing a dog does is in direct proportion to the pace of the walk. The slower the pace the more oportunity to sniff occurs hence more sniffing. Pick up the pace and the dog can not move a efficiently with the head down the head comes up and less sniffing occurs. So if you want the dog to sniff less on a walk pick up the pace. That or relax and let the dog set the pace and just follow along.