Basset Hound: The French Talking Dog
A dog that’s low to the ground, long-limbed, droopy-eyed and has floppy and velvety long ears is what physically describes the popular French breed, Basset Hound. For years, this dog has graced the many paintings and sculptures of artists which depict its unique physic and popularity among the French society. Originally from France and a cross of two French dog breeds, the Basset Hound today has spread its presence all throughout the world and has captured the hearts of many citizens of almost all countries.
Bassets are short legged dogs that have keen sense of smell, particularly smelling small games such as rabbits. This breed was intentionally bred to have osteochondrodysplasia or dwarfism in order to reach dug outs and burrows of games. Although short, this breed surprisingly can reach tall heights such as table tops but because of their heavy musculature and short legs, they cannot stay above water and therefore should never be encouraged to swim.
This breed’s natural hunting skills are superb and were put to good use decades ago by hunting enthusiasts. Today, the Basset is not used so much for hunting but instead for show ring, dog sports and family pet purposes. Efforts of enthusiast groups, however, are trying to bring back the glorious days of the Basset as a hunter and so they established Basset hunting clubs such as The American Hunting Basset Association.
The Basset is an amusing breed in terms of its vocal cords for it can splendidly imitate “talking” sounds whenever it whines about wanting attention. Most whining is the result of wanting for treats or food since this creature is a big treats-as-a-reward fancier. Moreover, the Basset would only respond to training if it is reinforced with treats as a reward.
Cute and adorable the Basset may seem but the low hanging ears and drooping eyes have disadvantages and sometimes lead to a fatal risk. The drooping eyes of the Basset cause mucus to build-up under the eyeballs and this collects dirt and bacteria causing the eyes to get infected. Its ears that are dangling freely to the ground and in food may catch or develop chronic diseases and some are potentially fatal.
Weighing 50 to 65 pounds and standing 12-15 inches, the Basset is probably the heaviest in terms of bone mass among other dog breeds. The coat of this breed is utterly short, coarse and velvety yet sheds excessively. Coat colors are often seen in tricolor, red spots and white, solid red with white feet and tail, honey and white, and lemon and white.
This breed is an excellent pet for children for they are friendly, gentle and playful. They are never aggressive and are equally friendly to strangers and very devoted and faithful to their masters. The Basset also tends to howl or bark in order to signal its owners that something is wrong such as a storm coming or sometimes, they do this to suggest that they want something.
The name Basset came from the French word bas meaning short. The parent breed of this breed is said to be the Bloodhound Artisien Normand and Basset Artisien Normand, a couple of French dog breeds that are existent to this day. The Basset became popular through the portraits of Emperor Napoleon III, as the portraits are said to depict the royal being surrounded by his glorious Basset Hound pets.
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