Caring for your Basset

We hope you find this information interesting and useful we hope it will help you to understand and care for you Basset Hound, however, nothing will take place of experience so please take the time to keep in touch with your breeder - who will want to help in whatever way possible.

Taking your new puppy home:
Your puppy has been living with the rest of the litter in a warm room for the last 8/10 weeks. No doubt it will be very strange for him/her to be alone with new owners and it will take a few days for him/her to adjust. He/she will of course, miss the warmth and company. It will probably help to put a hot water bottle (well wrapped) in his/her bed; also a ticking clock seems to comfort a young pup and is thought to help. He/she is used to sleeping in a draught proof box on a blanket and it would help if this practise continued. If he/she has their own bed kept in the same place, he/she will soon learn this is their particular corner of the room and will retire to it whenever he/she wishes to sleep etc.

Socialising and play:
Remember that your puppy has just left the only environment that it has known, so please give it lots of love and patience. The young Basset Hound should be introduced to as many experiences in the outside world as soon as possible, without overtiring it. Meeting lots of people is important and gentle play every day is a must. During play you can begin to establish the trusting relationship of years to come and gently create your dominant position. In play don't encourage your puppy to get too rough and wild, as what is fun in a small puppy may not be in an adult. Give your puppy a box with plenty of toys with, especially things to chew! This will save your furniture when the puppy teethes. Suitable toys are hard rubber rings, good size balls, old plastic bottles (was them out first!), and most of all various bones and chews available from your pet shop. Make sure from the start that your puppy allows you to take any of its toys away from him/her.

Training:
The Basset takes a long time to learn simple rules of obedience but once a lesson has been learnt, remember don't allow a ten week old Basset to do what you don't want a ten month or indeed a ten year old Basset to do! It will take heaven and earth to remove it from his/her head. So please be patient.

House training:
Remember that a young Basset Hound puppy eat a lot of meals each day but only has a small bladder. Be alert with your puppy at all times and you can avoid little “accidents”. He /she has been trained to paper, you can still use this method, by leaving a few sheets of newspaper down and gradually move in closer to the door, in addition take him/her outside after ever meal, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, whenever he/she wakes from a sleep, and after a game. Once outside stay with him/her until the business is accomplished. Give lots of praise and try to use a familiar word for the task. Leave an outside door open as much as possible until he/she is trustworthy enough to ask. Putting the puppy in a pen at night can also help, as he/she will not like to soil its bed. It will also help if he/she is given his last meal at least 2-3 hours before bedtime. Usually a puppy can be taught to be clean in the house within a few weeks, some earlier, but it is up to you to be vigilant, keep to a routine as much as possible and also have a lot of patience! Remember - if there's an accident it your fault - not the puppy’s!!

General Care:
The Basset Hound needs very little attention. Here are a couple of points to watch for:

Grooming:
The short coat of a Basset Hound is easy to manage and a quick brush every day is all it requires. He/she can also have a bath when dirty, but this shouldn't be necessary too often. Some Bassets love the mud, but it is surprisingly easy to brush out after he/she has dried out. It is also handy to remember a cloth and a little shampoo in a bowl of water can work wonders.

Ears:
Though the ears are long they are easy to care for. These should be checked every week and any wax deposits cleaned out with cotton wool. There are many preparations on the market these days but a tried and tested is Benzyl Benzoate (from the chemist) helps to clean extra dirty ears. Put a little on some cotton wool and wipe out gently. ONLY clean where you can see and DO NOT poke about in the ear. Dry the ears when wet or if the ears drop into food, just sponge them with a little warm water. This will prevent them from smelling and stop food clogging at the ends.

Nails:
Check the nails each week. If the nails are long clip back with recommended nail clippers - the guillotine type is usually the best to use. In light coloured hounds that have white nails you can see where the quick (a small blood vessel) ends. Clip back to this. In dark coloured hounds trim a little off at a time. Do not worry if you accidentally nip the quick and it bleeds "its an old wives tail that they will bleed to death if you cut the quick!". Press some cotton wool and after a short time it will stop.

Teeth:
Try to keep the teeth clean and to help stop bad breath by making sure he/she has something hard to chew. A weekly brush is also a very good idea. There are various "doggy toothbrushes and toothpaste available" for your vet and good pet shops, however another of our tried and tested remedies is one of our own old toothbrush and a little smokers toothpaste. (It works a treat with NO need to rinse!)

Exercise:
A Basset should NEVER be allowed to walk in the street before it has been vaccinated. And because of the terrific growth of a Basset, it should not be taken for any long walks before the age of 6 months. Playing in the garden and short walks of about 200 yards/metres will be sufficient. Too much exercise and jarring may strain growing bones - you would not expect a human toddler to walk two or three miles a day. From about 8 months walks should be no longer than 15 minutes, increasing in distance slowly. When fully grown (over1 year) you make take him/her for as many long walks as you wish - though he/she will probably have more stamina than you. Bassets should have a good walk every day when adult. Never exercise after a meal, wait at least an hour.

We cannot stress enough, please, please DO NOT over exercise your puppy or allow it to jump on and off furniture or run up and down steps or stairs. It is important to keep you puppy as safe and as sound as possible and this could easily produce loose shoulders and an unsound front.

It is important to keep you puppy as sound as possible, this advise is very important please do not ignore it.

Recently there has been a great deal of controversy regarding Bassets and their ill health. As Breed Club Officer's both Ann and Tina would like to say the following: We know from past experience, taking a new Basset puppy home - can be daunting this advice is here to help should you notice something wrong with your puppy, please, please contact your breeder immediately - DO NOT rush off to your vet without speaking to your breeder first. Bassets are a giant breed that has been dwarfed and that carries it own oddities that most vet's aren't aware of, and any good reputable breeder will have a vast knowledge or will be able to call upon friends who will be able to help should they need it. Sadly nowadays many vets once they see a Basset Puppy only see '£' signs and their first question is - "do you have insurance?" If the puppy shows a rash they will immediately suggest skin scrapings, where it could be the puppy although bathed in puppy shampoo, the shampoo was too strong and caused an irritation, our reply get some hibi-scrub from the chemist dilute it and bath the affected area, within 3/4 days the rash was gone - cost less than £4 skin scrapings £300+. Another thing is lameness and this can be due to over exercising your puppy, our answer rest the puppy - do not let it exercise freely keep in on a lead, it may take a few weeks but it will come good - vets advice is usually surgery to correct the problem. Not necessary and very costly, this is why we urge you to speak to your breeder as well as your vet!

Please read the following carefully: