basset hound owners

chiefwiggum

hi there...we have a two yr old basset hound who keeps growling at strangers...the vet says he is being protective of us,,its getting to be a problem now as we have friends who are wary of dogs...we dont want to have to put him out any time there are guests over...do i need a dog trainer or can it be fixed by us..any help would be great..do all bassets do this?

LBD

Hey....funny you should mention this was wondering it myself.

Our eldest basset has never growled at another dog never mind a person however we have a younger one we got about two months ago and Ive noticed this behaviour in him once or twice but only with certain people.
One of my friends came over to meet him for the first time and he hid behind my legs and stared at her out of the corner of his eye all the while "giving guff" as I put it.....quitely growling (not showing teeth) etc. Thought it was very strange.....he hasnt done this to anyone bar this girl but when we walk him he is very very very wary of strangers especially big men, he backs away and semi barks at them. We put this down to him being a rescue and possibly having a bad experience previously but now that you mention your situation I'm not so sure.

We have been considering getting a trainer in but not just for this issue.....you know what bassets are like:p

I suppose the only advice I can give you is in the case of your friends get them well used to each other. Our youngest basset has since become great "friends" with the friend mentioned above and now he's used to her there's no problems!!

chiefwiggum

thats it in a nutshell...exact same problem...and i mean identical...walking thing aswell.ours does exact same...never bears teeth put lets ppl know he is put out by them being there...loves other dogs...not so keen on other ppl..when he gets to know you though he's your best friend

chiefwiggum

it seems to be a stranger thing...when we're walking him he has to sit and wait for cars approaching from behind to pass before he moves on...no problem with oncoming cars..does the same with ppl coming from behind and cowers in behind me while being the big fella by giving out a very low rough growl with no menace intended as he has never even tried to approach anyone and growl in a threatning manner...must be a basset thing

chiefwiggum

by the way ...how do you manage two of them...lol

LBD

Hahahah its not as bad as you'd think, hilarious actually. When they play fight its like a big ball of ears and stubby paws on the floor (not to mention when they have a howling session with each other)....its also quite funny when they're playing they always go for each others ears!!!!

They are great company for each other and seem to bounce off each other quite well....they're both quite laid back dogs but have plenty of energy which they burn off with each other!!!

It must be a basset thing though as you mentioned. The youngest fella doesnt like cars much either so when we walk them we tend to cut through housing estates, fields etc as he is very nervous walking along main roads due to the traffic!!!

chiefwiggum

isnt it funny how they think they are 25kg lap dogs...i swear as i type bertie basset is curled up on my lap with lap top plonked on him and not a budge..jaysus you must be constantly hovering up hair and cleaning "slobber" ha ha

chiefwiggum

bertie basset....aka big bert basset

LBD

I know....don't get me started on the hair nightmare but I have to say 100% worth it....we just bought a good hoover and sure the hoovering gives me good exercise And funnily enough I dont have a drool problem......wet ears from the water bowl slopping all over the floor????? Now thats a different story, most of the time our kitchen floor is like a water park!!!!

They are currently curled up together in bed....since we got the second fella the older lad isnt as inclined to lie on top of us....why lie on us when he can use his little brother for a pillow :rolleyes:

He is GORGEOUS! Looks just like our oldest lad!!! Is he still a baby?

chiefwiggum

he's two now..was about one year in that pic....yeah henry hoovers are basset hound proof...yeah wet ears a pain but we found a great bowl that hw cant get his ears in...works great,we have a black gloss kitchen so he goes out takes a drink comes back in with water dripping from his jowels and shakes his head....slobber everywhere and kitchen only highlights it...but 100% worth it

Interceptor

I have a three year old male basset and he does the same thing when my wife walks him but not when I walk him. He barks at oncoming strangers and then sneaks around them to have a sniff of their a55es. I think its a protection thing and we are trying to get him to stop by reassuring him when strangers approach and it seems to be working.

As for the slobber, I'm getting used to it.

'cptr

LBD

chiefwiggum wrote: »

we found a great bowl that hw cant get his ears in...works great

What is this wonder bowl you speak of?!!!

shanagarry

I don't know if this is the one Chiefwiggum has, but I spotted this last week when I was getting basset stuff for my goddaughter.

I've been reading some stuff on them recently and I've seen a lot of stuff about how they're very much pack animals and that it's very important they know they are at the bottom of the pack or they can get a bit bolshy.

chiefwiggum

no its one of the resevoir ones...it holds about 3 or 4 litres in the resevoir and lets out water as he drinks,it always stays at the same level...but the bowl part is too small to get his ears in...its a god send..i'll try and root out a pic for you

chiefwiggum

http://www.pet-bliss.ie/acatalog/Dog_Self_Watering_Unit.html

very similar to this
great because bassets drink so much...so we dont have to refil every 10 mins

LBD

Brill thanks that ones out of stock but ill have a look around elsewhere! They do drink an awful awful lot, our back door is on revolve constantly!!!!

chiefwiggum

i got ours in a local pet store..looks a cheaper version than that one but very effective...get the biggest you can...we got a 1ltr one at first but were filling it constantly..got the jumbo one .,....GODSEND!!!! ...i dont think an elephant would drink as much as him.....no more wet ears