[Barbie]

We will be gettin our boy next weekend. (He is 20 months old). We have everything pretty much, but are going out this weekend to get a few more things. We want to get our yard ready for him this weekend as well. We want him to have a designated area to go to the bathroom in. So here are a few(lots of) questions:


Best ground cover to use for their potty/run? Grass, pebbles, cement, sand??? He will be an indoor dog for the most part, but we do spend a lot of time outdoors. He will be wherever we are.

Best leash type....regular or retracting leash?

Does anyone use doggy shoes/boots for those rainy muddy days? If so what size works for an adult basset?

What kind of shampoo do you use on a regular basis? How about flea shampoo?

Our breeder feeds him Timberwolf Organics Wilderness. What is your opinion on this food?

I know, i know..........too many questions. Sorry about that.!!


Thanks guys.

 

[murraysmom]

Potty- Murray chooses his own place in our fenced grassy back yard, we pick up after him.

Leash- I use a regular 6 foot leash and a harness. When I take him out to the State Gamelands to run I have a 30 foot cotton web training lead(cheap, about $7 in Foster and Smith's catalog) which gives him alot of freedom but prevents him from following his nose and getting lost.

Boots no, I dry him off with a big towel if he gets wet.

Murray gets monthly Frontline for flea and tick control. This works great. He is only bathed if he really needs it- maybe once per year. In my opinion, over-bathing makes them produce too much oil in their skin which can actually cause the dog to have an odor.
Basset ears need to be cleaned regularly to prevent yeast problems and infection. I clean Murray's ears every week with a cleaning solution called Dermapet- I pour some in his ear, massage, then reach in as far as my finger will go and wipe gently with gauze or cotton balls.

If you decide to change food, do it very gradually, by mixing in a little of the new food with the old, and daily decreasing the percentage of old food until the switch is complete.

This is just what we do, these things work for us.
This forum is a great place to come with questions, there are alot of experienced basset owners here.
You must be really excited right now about getting him home- have fun next weekend, and post pictures! Good luck!

 

[kaq1230]

Hi,

I am owned by 3 beautiful basset boys, and figured I would put in my 2 cents!

Best ground cover to use for their potty/run? Grass, pebbles, cement, sand??? He will be an indoor dog for the most part, but we do spend a lot of time outdoors. He will be wherever we are.
2 of my boys will go potty ANYWHERE, grass, cement, hot-top, deck...they don't care, my oldest will ONLY go on grass that he has searched every inch of to find the most perfect spot!


Best leash type....regular or retracting leash?

I use 4foot leashes on my boys for our daily walks, I have heard that the retractable leashes can actually teach your dog to pull on the leash because it always has tension in the lead.

Does anyone use doggy shoes/boots for those rainy muddy days? If so what size works for an adult basset?

I tried the booties for the snow, the boys ate them!!!

What kind of shampoo do you use on a regular basis? How about flea shampoo?

I use baby shampoo...I use frontline year round for fleas/ticks instead of the shampoos

Our breeder feeds him Timberwolf Organics Wilderness. What is your opinion on this food?

I don't know much about this food, my boys get Innova Evo dry.

Good luck with your new furbaby!

 

[Barbie]

Thanks for replying.
Take care.

 

[Sabian's mom]

A friend of mine uses Timberwolf and she races her whippet. She has really researched foods and swears by it. Goosd luck! We love pictures

 

[BubbaLeroy]

Best ground cover to use for their potty/run? Grass, or concrete. DO NOT use pebbles. I have a rock eater which has resulted in two different intestinal blockages and each required emergency surgery.

Best leash type....regular or retracting leash? Regular leash - Ours is the round rock climbing rope type leash which does not cut into your hand. IMO the retracting leashes cause problems, dogs pull more, and can get into trouble quickly when so far away from you and you are trying to reel them in. We use a chain choke collar for walking only, but Bogie and both of us have been trained in it's use with obedience classes. He does not pull and stays at the heel position when we walk, and automatically sits when we stop for any reason. He wears a regular nylon collar with name and phone number at all times.

Does anyone use doggy shoes/boots for those rainy muddy days? If so what size works for an adult basset? We have the boots for below zero temps in winter snows. Bubba, ATB, would wear them, but Bogie hates them. When we bought them we had to get two different sizes, because Bubba's front paws were so much bigger than his rear paws. For Bogie we just keep a towel handy for wiping his paws, and if really muddy dip each paw in a shallow bucket of warm water and wipe dry.

What kind of shampoo do you use on a regular basis? How about flea shampoo? We use a mild shampoo "SAL Professional Groomer Shampoo"that we buy from the vets office. For fleas and ticks we use "Frontline" and "Heartgard" for heartworm preventative.. Check with the vet for recommendations.

Our breeder feeds him Timberwolf Organics Wilderness. What is your opinion on this food? Have never used it, but it is on the recommended list of dry dog foods put out by the "Whole Dog Journal".
We use "Nutro Ultra" and "Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice" dry foods, and mix in 1/8 of a can of Blue Buffalo wet canned food. We feed Bogie twice a day 3/4 cup of dry mixed with the 1/8 of canned, and before bed (10 PM) he gets an addition 1/2 cup of dry. He had problems with a "to empty tummy" by morning and would throw up yellow bile around 5 AM. The vet had us try the late night snack and it worked. No more problems.

If you can do go to some sort of obedience classes with him. You both will learn so much. If they have "Canine Good Citizen" classes available they are wonderful. Your dog will truly be a joy to walk and have around people .
Good luck!!

 

[Barbie]

Thanks guys. I do appreciate it!!