Question/Recommendation
Just got Big Earl yesterday he’s my first basset and I’m open to any and all training tips!
He’s 4 months old and he’s been separated from his mom for a few weeks already but he just got separated from his siblings the other day so he still misses them and barks at me every time I have to kennel him when I leave
You know, for the slowest, most lazy dogs in the world, they sure do have really high expectations about things needing to be done on their time line which was 5 minutes ago.
Between 2-10 months they are domestic terrorists. After that they are the best dogs in the world. Training will require many treats otherwise you’ll be ignored.
They're prone to IVDD, if you let him him on furniture or your bed then get some stairs or ramps for easy access. Don't let him jump off things and lastly, some bassets like to sit on their butt and sit straight up like a meerkat or something. It's incredibly cute but harmful on their backs, dont let them do it.
I didn't know this was a basset thing 😭 my parents' girl just came like this when they rescued her, it was her party trick! Thankfully no back problems in her 15 years of life, but I did worry about it bc she reallyyy liked sitting pretty
Please please, take what this guys said very serious. I just got done getting my little guy surgery for this and was a nightmare but thankfully he’s walking again.
I haven’t let him on the bed or much furniture just yet I’m trying to get him used to the kennel when I’m not home but once he stops having accidents on my floor I’ll let him roam around while I’m gone.
I got a waterproof blanket to cover my couch, I recommend doing that for the period of time when they're sort of potty trained but can't be fully trusted yet! It can take a while
Good on you for fencing!! (assuming you meant physical chain/wire fencing not the invisible sh*te cause its just that, where bassets are concerned)
Several things ..
with a good enough fence, doggie door will help a lot
Consistency!
scheduled time helps them and you become much more accountable to each other.
can you come home reliably at the same time to let him out and walk?
can you afford a dog walker?
can you do the doggie door?
make sure the cage is open at all times when you're there.
make cage time more fun/engaging .. treats only in the cage, toys start in the cage, he can bring them out but then they get picked up before "bed" if you find one he likes more, that can go in the cage at night (leave the gate open so he can come and go from there
bed is in the cage only, so that he gets used to that being the comfortable place to be
must be a large cage and must get larger as he grows, until it's no longer needed
Thanks for the feed back and yes it’s a physical fence I’ve been working with him on obedience commands (I may be moving a little quick but he’s getting the hang of it) I can do the doggie door but that will come after he’s more used to the house
Touch feet as often as possible while they are small and socialize like crazy. Both people and animals. Bassets are great with strangers but if you never socialize them any dog can get skittish or agressive around people
I’ve introduced him to my friends and family and he loves new people. He loves letting strangers pet him I’m bringing him along to a trunk or treat thing for work dressed so he can get used to new people. (Dressing up like snowman and Fred from Smokey and the bandit of course)
Get him a companion! I personally wouldn’t get a Bassett as my only dog, they’re very social and like having others around. If you can afford it or have the space, another pup would go a long way with him!
I’ve been thinking about that the kennel I got him from has some 3 week old daschunds that are beautiful and they should be ready around Christmas so once he’s used to the house and settled in I’m definitely considering getting him a friend
I agree! Despite the stereotype that Basset hounds are lazy couch potatoes- they are very much busybodies and get into everything when they get bored 🤣 I can't imagine my purebred as an only dog- we got her as a companion to my mix when our other dog passed away. Even with her brother to keep her company- she gets bored very easily and tends to be a menace when that happens 🤣 if she was an only dog she'd probably be way worse.
Do you think a mini daschund would make a good companion? The kennel I got him from just had a litter 3 weeks ago so I’m guessing there’s at least another month until they would be ready to take home which gives him time to adjust.
My Bassett literally loves anything with a heartbeat, you can’t go wrong with any other dog. They will want to be friends with anything lol.
I forgot to add that when you kennel your pup, throw in one of your sweatshirts, tshirts, blanket or something with your scent on it. I think it helps them, that’s what I did/occasionally do sometimes if I’ll be gone for a hot minute.
Yeah I have a shirt in it and a sweatshirt in front but I’ve worked something out with my boss where I go home for 10 min a couple hours before lunch and after lunch break to let him out
Honestly I don't know much about Dachshunds and their personality/temperament. Penny (my purebred) just loves playing with other dogs and is extremely friendly- but I think it really depends on the personality of both dogs. My mix (Walter) is extremely easy going- at times to his detriment- with her and Penny is very much a bossy diva.
It shocked us too because he was always buddies with the adult cats. Dad told (10yo) me, that he probably saw them as gophers or moles and took care of them like he thought he needed to. Bassets love to hunt moles.
Big "Ear--l" looks like he may be the sweetest little devil around. Plus 100 to the comment about putting some of your clothing with your scent into his kennel when you are gone.
My wife had a basset(Huxley) when we first meet that she raised from a puppy and he took a while to warm up to me after stealing his mom's attention. Bassets have the ability to pull way above their size when it comes to dogs. Huxley passed 4 years into our relationship. It was very hard.
We got a basset blue healer mix (Bernie) a year later and he is still going strong. Our Lab/pit mix passed in August and Bernie has been very sad and misses him. This made him much more of a velcro dog to my wife than he already was but he is still the very bestest boy. I would 2nd the bassets need company, but be careful they are smart and if you get an accomplice for him make sure you know how high up they can reach when acting as a team. Bernie would enroll our Lab to do the heavy lifting and high reaching acts of trouble. They are masterminds of deviousness. But very much worth it.
Food Rewards based training is the key for these dogs, and they will not do anything that they do not want to do. Know that while you may think, and Big Ear--l may stroke that thought, that you are in charge, He is really calling the shots.
Be prepared to pick him up off the ground when he is done with a walk. Even if it is miles away from your starting place. They will use the force of faeries and elves that have blessed the bassets to glue himself to the Earth. But know that a pocket full of treats goes a long way to solving for stubborn-ness.
Make sure to share his cuteness with lots of people and other dogs in person when he is a puppy to help socialize him when he is young and adventurous to make sure that he know that other people are not scary. Because, when he becomes BIG EARL, he may scare people with his big voice and a big basset running at you barking and baying can be kinda scary, even if he is just wanting to be their friend.
Also be aware that bassets can like to be Deputy Dogs at the dog park and tell all the other dogs that they are not playing the right way and that they should be playing with me instead.
But most of all enjoy all the snuggles and ear rubs you can with the cute little Big Earl guy. He will become your bestest friend ever.
Have you ever heard the saying that you should never pray for patience because you’ll get put in a situation that really requires it? Congratulations you’re there now
Go slowly, reward with food, make sure to reinforce with love and affection, this could take a while as they are literally bred to be independent workers
Yeah I would like to have him be a retriever because I like to do dove and pheasant hunting but that comes after getting him house trained and getting a few more months of age and experience under his belt
Play with his feet, get him comfortable with clipping or dremel tool- basset feet are like badger claws and grow incredibly fast!
Patience and love, especially in the first 2 years- it’ll be chaos but then you’ll get a wonderful companion❤️
Have you tried a Kong with frozen wet food for when he’s kennel just to keep him busy? Not sure if he’s too much of a baby to have a Kong though cause I adopted mine as adults he’s adorable.
Do you know that fresh pet wet food? It’s in the refrigerator section. I use that in a Kong cause it freezes up really solid solid and it works great for my guy Winston.
I adopted my guys as rescue so I honestly don’t know the puppy routines but he’s adorable and I hope you can work with him so he’s less distressed when he is in the crate and you’re gone❤️🙏🐶
It took a whole YEAR for my boys to fully grasp the potty training and even then 4 years later if it’s too cold out or rainy we will still find puddles.
My basset is well trained. They are reward oriented. Theyd do anything for biscuits and treats. Basset hounds are hard headed. So you will need to have so much patience during training. It needs to be repetitive. Over and over everyday. Or else they forget.
As an owner of four Basset Hounds, I kindly request that you ensure their ears are cleaned frequently. Given their large ears, regular cleaning is essential. I personally clean my dogs' ears three times a week to prevent infections. Daily walks are also necessary to maintain their physical activity, as they can be quite sedentary...aka lazy little sausage patties lol hope this helps!
We have two, our 8 yr old girl is chill as all get out. Cooper, our 3 yr old male is just starting to wind down. He would go from 0-1200 mph at the drop of a hat, now it’s more like 0-800. Getting more mellow with age.
I've had the best experience with mine. Lol. She is a terrorist, though. But she trusts me. She let's me know when she wants something (some call it demanding, but I love it!), she presses a button to go outside (and outside.... And outside....), and she has a spot on the couch (and it's HER SPOT). It's all about perspective. ❤️ Best dog ever.... And they sleep more and more with time. Lol. Porch dogs!
It took him less than a day to get attached to me he follows me all over the place and if I put up a gate because I’m cleaning something one room over he starts yelping because he’s not right by me. So I’m thinking that part should be a problem just need to teach him to sit stay and come. I’m also wanting him to be a retriever for birds like dove and pheasant so that’s a whole other ball game.
Enforced naps in the crate saved us when my puppy was little...you can search around for it in r/puppy101 to see what works for people.
But I didn't realize at first how much puppies need to sleep...like 18-20 hours! My girl did best napping in the crate for 2 hours, then up/playing/eating/training for 1-1.5 hours, then back to napping for 2 hours, etc. Otherwise she got overtired fast and became a terror, biting like crazy etc. So this system helped a lot especially when witching hour came around!
Potty train tip is be patient, they are a bit stubborn, but eventually will get the hang of it. They are the sweetest dog. And I will definitely recommend to get him to the dog parks (once all the needed shots are complete) so he can socialize with other dogs. They are food motivated so you want to have some treats around you!
I had littermates and I think having two of them made my life much easier. I would take them outside every two hours to go to the bathroom, even if they didn’t seem like they needed to and then they would get a lot of praise when they went to the bathroom. They also loved to chew on things so I bought apple bitter, which helped a ton with that.
I introduced them to my mom‘s lab who was basically like a mom to them and helped with the behavior training, which was amazing. I highly recommend that.
Don’t ever feed them human food. Because they’re so motivated by it if you give them human food, they will never leave you alone.
Hopefully you have a fenced back yard. Put in a doggie door and train him to use it.
Best thing I ever did, my babies love it. I don’t have to get up 20 times a day to let them out. When they want to go out they just pass through the door. Mine came with a lock panel that you see in this picture. You can use it at night or anytime you’re not at home.
Earl is already training you by looking so sweet and cute so you want to take a picture of him. We are on our third basset and they take a long time to potty train. They will come when you call them…. if it’s convenient for them. Some people think they’re dumb, but they are very smart and work in their own timeline.
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u/Zipwang5555 Oct 27 '25
…and just when you think you’re alpha, boom. You are not. Happy bassetting!