Any Basset Fauve Owners?

[Lovestosing]

DH and I are seriously thinking about getting a dog, we have 3 young DCs (6, 5 and 3) and want a small to medium size dog who is good with young children. The Basset Fauve seems to fit this description, however we don't no anyone who owns one to advise us. Are they very hard to train? I am home a lot as I work part time but mostly over the weekend when DH is home so the dog wouldn't be left alone much at all. How much exercise do they need? Do they need at least 2 hours per day or could it sometimes be less? DH works away sometimes and I might not always be able to manage 2 walks a day when I'm on my own. We owned a dog when I was growing up and we sometimes look after my parents' Border Terrier when they're away so not completely inexperienced with dogs.

A scent hound are you sure?

All dogs can be trained but scent hounds are more of a challenge.......

They will hunt, You will need a very secure garden. Many Basset Fauve are never let off the lead as their hunting instinct is very hard wired. They do need exercise and if you have to keep on lead this will obviously be more time consuming and you will need to love walking!

Have you heard the noise they make it is like a sing than a bark you may love it or hate it.

I would speak to people at the Basset Fauve club or rescue. There are easier dogs that would give you less challenges

Lovestosing I absolutely love these dogs too, their "look", size, wiry coat etc but I think it would be a very challenging dog to own and train.

If you google, you will see that all sites says recall is a huge challenge as they are scent hounds. As Idirdog says, most can never be let off the lead because of this. They have been bred to run and run all day long following a scent...

I would also imagine that they are pretty expensive as they are an unusual breed here in the UK, although there are quite a lot in French rescues. If you're on Facebook, there is this group www.facebook.com/pages/Basset-Fauve-de-Bretagne/389542891086936?fref=ts - you could ask them questions (although maybe you shouldn't look as the photos are irresistible!)

if you can't commit to 2 hours a day - choose a diff breed. there are plenty of breeds that are happy with an hour a day.

I have meet one - he was lovely, but very high energy.

Also just from my experience at puppy classes, don't get a scent hound, or indeed any hound unless you are prepared to put a lot of time and money into training (as you say you are inexperienced you will need the support of a trainer)....hounds are really a challenge to train, to say the least....from my observation

Thanks for the advice, no I'm really not sure about them, DH is keener than I am on this particular dog, I had a smaller one in mind TBH! I will go on the Facebook page you suggested Lady Turmoil and will ask but I think I have been put off now! They do look gorgeous, but I think it would be unrealistic to get a dog that needs that amount of exercise, not to mention unfair on the dog.

I have to say it has been interesting going to puppy class to see the diff breeds, how trainable they are......could you go to a couple of puppy classes and watch?

Also decide how much time you have for walking....we have what is considered a low energy breed - but he still needs 1 walk that is 45min-1hr and then a couple of shorter walks.

Have you looked at whippets? Don't go on looks ( though they have grown on me) but look at temperament and energy levels.
I'd love a couple of whippets.......

Bassets are often described as a big dog on short legs. The body is the same as that of a large breed its just the legs letting it down. Steps for this reason are a problem, but they will be surprisingly able to reach a counter top due to their body length.

They do things in their own time and have been described as stubborn. For this reason toilet training them takes longer till you find what motivates them.

As others have said they are rarely able to be let off lead as recall is almost none existant and they will follow scent trail until they are hopelessly lost.

Hounds have a very distinctive hound scent and bassets don't really bark they bay (think Hound of the Baskervilles).

We had a PBGV, he lived to be 16. We loved him to pieces, he was loving, kind and well behaved in the house. He was also very very noisy - "Arf, Arf Arf" at any thing at all, to go in come out, in welcome wanting to eat, - everything. He also lived life through his nose - even at puppy class he just wandered around sniffing and had no recall at all.
He was quite hyper until he was about 8 and then we were finally able to let him off lead when he was around 9 and he had quietened down a bit. We all found him quite hard work, but still a very nice dog.

We have a pair of standard issue bassets but I've met a few Fauves and they're cheerful little creatures - smaller, more wire-coated and much more manageable, compared with 32kg of solid bone and muscle! One thing I would say, though, is that the basset breeds will scent but they don't hunt - there's no aggression in their nature. In all the years we've had ours, I've watched them pick up a scent from nowhere many times, but I've never seen either of them chase after anything, let alone go for it.

One thing I love about hounds as companions is that they love a walk, and will trot along at your side all day long, and play when you get home, if you want too, but if there's no attention to be had, they're chilled to the point of being like mobile cushions. I can literally hear my hounds dreaming right now. They're going, 'cheeeeeese... fox poo.... cheeeeeeese.... zzzzzz... fox poo! Badger poo? Hare piss! Hare piss!... cheeese.... zzzzz.' They're uncomplicated souls.

Talk to the breed club, or better, go along to one of the regional Breed Club fun days where you'll find lots of them in one place.

Don't write off hounds, I have a gorgeous basset. He has better recall than a lot of labs I know! The key with a hound is letting them off as soon as possible, especially when they're very young. Even practising recall in the garden, lots of cuddles when they come to you. Every hound I've had has had brilliant recall and been off lead.