Basset boy coming to live with us!

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Hi,

I'm are so excited. We are collecting our new addition, an almost-two-year-old Basset Hound named Harvey, on Saturday.

I've put some pix on my profile. He's just so handsome!

I'm old and wise enough to know that I may be feeling a tad different about all of this, this time next week.

You see, Harvey has never lived in a house and is not house trained and, given that Bassets are notoriously stubborn and difficult to train, I believe we are in for a rough but, hopefully, thoroughly enjoyable time.

Any advice?

Yes.
Be prepared for him to smell Every.Single.Blade.Of.Grass on your walks.
Every time!

I don't know how you feel about feeding raw, but mine stunk eating tinned/dry food.

Congratulations!
Enjoy him

Sorry, no advice on training or owt- know there are some experts on here, so will leave that to them!

Aw! He's a handsome chap! Where's he come from? Have you had a basset before? They're quirky beasts. Give him time, and be very patient - bassets are sensitive dogs, and a bit slow to pick things up, but they do get there eventually if you incentivise them with a bit of food - they're hounds, so they don't work on human approval like Labs or collies (although they don't like it when their owners seem sad or cross, either!). It took me a while and a lot of cheese to housetrain my puppy but he's v reliable and now 'asks' to go out by banging thuggishly on the back door with his mighty paw.

The big advantage you've got is that Harvey's fully grown, so won't need hourly toilet breaks like a puppy would, so you just need to teach him that going outside gets big rewards - lots of happy fuss and small cubes of cheese/slivers of chicken - whereas going inside gets no reaction. (Easier said than done, I know.) You might have to put up with a few puddles until he twigs that it's more advantageous to hold on till he's outside. Can you restrict him to an easily cleaned area, like the kitchen, for the first few days, so you can pick up on his cues, and rush him outside in time for him to wee in the right place and thus help him make the connection?

Many thanks to both of you for your advice.

We've always had Springers before, so Bassets will be somewhat different! A whole lot less springy but more stubborn, I suppose.

I plan on containing him in the kitchen until he gets the pee thing. As you say, it's nearer the back door.

He has only ever lived in a kennel in the garden, so he is used to going to the toilet outside. Hopefully, that will help.

My only apprehension is that his current owner says the reason he is outside almost 24 hours a day is because whenever he goes into their home, Harvey goes to the toilet.

But he hasn't been toilet trained.

He is also intact. Someone has suggested that neutering normally stops a dog peeing if he's doing it as a territorial thing.

I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. I'm expecting the worst (pee and poo all over the kitchen) so, hopefully, what we get will be a bonus!

Thanks for the cheese tip - as you suggest, a tasty reward encourage him to understand.

I've bought him a Kong thingy so I can stuff it with edible goodies to help with any urge to chew - plus it should occupy him for an hour or two (maybe!). He's not yet two years old, so I imagine he may still be wanting to chew.

I'm working on the theory that a Basset is stubborn, has selective hearing, terrible wind, can be lazy and he will eat all foodstuffs if allowed - sounds as though Harvey will get on fine with both my DSs.

He is gorgeous
We have a girl bassett, getting on a bit at 9 years old but a lovely dog. I agree with Noveg, prepare for the 30min walk to talk 2 hours whilst they sniff everything in sight and then bolt down the road when they see a cat. Mine could walk for miles when we got her and was very happy off lead. She is a gentle dog, loves my dc's and is very patient with them. She is also a 'mother hen' around all babies which makes me thing the previous owners bred her. She even likes baby rabbits.
She will eat anything and would prefer several meals a day rather then just 2.
I went to tr5aining classes with, although she was already trained pretty well. The only struggle we had was with close heel work and getting her to lie down. She is very obedient and comes when called so good training will help.

that's unfair of the previous owners to keep him outside because they couldn't be bothered to train him! I do know quite a few outdoor bassets, and as long as they've got company they don't mind outdoor kennelling, but if Harvey was kept outside on his own, that must have made him really miserable. Did he howl too? They do get lonely.

Definitely stock up on the tasty treats! They love stinky stuff like cheap salami type sausage. Another hard-learned tip: get him a harness rather than a collar for walking, as all the loose skin round basset necks can make it really easy for them to slip out - either if they decide to hare off (fairly rare) or they decide actually they don't want to go any further right now (less rare). They're also very strong - walks are much easier if you train them to 'heel' with a piece of cheese/sausage/ham. You can't really get bassets to walk to heel for the whole walk, because stopping and smelling is the main pleasure for them, but it makes life easier if you have to walk past something distracting. You might need to persevere with recall but it can be done.

Also, watch out for the sleeping gas. When they climb up on your knee, they emit this invisible, undetectable, (non-smelly!) sleeping agent that will make you drop off pretty much instantly. Imagine one of those lavender bags you heat up in the microwave but weighing 30kg.

He is very handsome!!

Wildfig Apparently, he howls when his current owners go out and he sees them going.

I'll see how it goes but it sounds as though a spot of training is needed here as well as the toilet thing.

Also, he's coming with a harness so hopefully he won't be able to slip out. I'd not thought of that. I suppose that's one thing you learn through experience, eh?

Smelling everything while out for a walk is a Springer thing, too, so I'm used to it. I do envy dog owners whose pets just trot alongside, it always looks so sophisticated

Only one day to go now until we collect him, so, so excited - plenty of hard work ahead but so much joy too, hopefully!

debs75 Your Basset sounds adorable. Hopefully, Harvey will enjoy his walks with us too. We spend the summer months at the beach hut (yes, sometimes even when it is raining!) and then the winter out and about too.

Stinkfoot Yes, I think so, too.

Aw. Poor boy. It's a throwback to their pack background; the howl is designed to help their lost pack mates find them if they fall off the scent. And my God, does it carry. You might need to build up to leaving gradually if you want to keep your neighbours happy - the usual increasing intervals, with a Kong to distract him, and the television/radio on for background noise helps. (Sorry if egg sucking...)

Sounds like he's going to a lovely new home! Mine love the beach - they do amazing handbrake turns on the wet sand and then bounce around like Komodo dragons.

Thanks wildfig. Your advice is exactly what I need. That's why I started this thread - for the wise words of good old mumnetters.

I've bought a Kong, and also will steal DH's salami and cheese stash from the fridge to use as special treats for Harvey!

I'm thinking that I should leave him alone from day two, albeit for just a few minutes to begin with, to get him used to the idea that I do return. As you say, we can build up the absence over the coming days and weeks.

I'm going to have to contain him in the kitchen initially, so plan to leave the radio on low for him (our local Beeb station that's mostly conversation rather than pop music blasting out!)

We've got just one more dog-free night in this house - this time tomorrow he'll be here and our lives will have changed for ever. Can't wait.

We are leaving DS2 (5) at my PILs while we collect Harvey. He will be in the car when we collect DS2 so I'm thinking the best thing to do will be to take both DS2 and Harvey over to the field opposite for a short walk.

I'm giving DS2 a little selection of dog biscuits so he has a tasty treat or two to greet Harvey with to help with the bonding.

Once we get home, I'll stay in the back garden with Harvey and DS2 for a while before coming into the house.

Wish me luck....

Our bsssett is a howler. She loves outside if it is hot and windy but as soon as it rains or gets dark she howls to come back in.
We started training her from day 2 as well. I would get ready to go out, locking the door, going to the end of the drive then coming back. She wasn't fazed, in fact once she realised I was going longer than 5 mins she would get up on the chair.

Debs75, so often does she howl? Does she do it when you leave her alone, or just when she wants to come inside if it starts to rain?

One of my fears is Harvey howling the place down when left.

She doesnt do it anymore when we leave her inside but she did for a couple of months.

Keep his creases clean or he'll get stinky

How has it been so far?

We are looking after my brothers Bassett Hound Digger. He is always after year old DS' food, he would eat all day if we would let him! He is very good with DS.

I am always amazed at how strong (and how stubborn!) he is, also, despite having such little legs he is very fast when he wants to be. Usually when he realises we are near home at the end of the walk!

I would advise you to avoid all take away places and restaurants during your walks, Digger stands outside them for ages with begging eyes and refuses to move, I am sure people think I starve him!

Yes, updates, please!!

I've had to get my basset boy used to being an only dog for the first time in his life and a new baby! I always said that I'd never have a basset by itself without another dog but so far he's doing ok.

A basset never forgets bad things that happen to them (I've had lots of rescue baskets, bog standard and gbgv), they'll get better but it's always there.

Mine forgets that he's a basset and should be tracking things, instead he chases swallows, butterflies etc!

It's not stubbornness, it's not wanting to do things unless they can see a point to it, ie for treats!

Get used to all one of your armchairs being taken over and offended looks if a human dares to sit on it! Likewise get used to a sudden heavy weight landing on you! Also people wanting to fuss him up when you're on walks.