Bassett Hound Grandog
My daughter adopted a Bassett Hound a few weeks ago. Lucy Belle is 2 1/2 yrs old and a wonderful hound to have around...and yes she can howl like the rest of them. My daughter spends a lot of time wit...
Forum Discussion
JayGee wrote:
We had a Basset and I am convinced that he was not stupid, but he was extremely stubborn. He would look you right in the eye and do exactly what he wanted to in spite of your command. :)
Many of the hounds have undeserved reputations as being slow learners or stubborn or outright dumb. IMO it's mostly because they are bred to work far out in front of a hunter and therefore to have the ability to make decisions on their own while hunting. It can make for a challenging personality in a pet. An owner has to convince them of the "why" of what they want the dog to do. It's a very different personality than dogs that are bred to work closely under a hunter's direction (like the retrievers). Those dogs tend to be much more willing to do what a person wants just because the person says so. They don't typically have to be convinced of the "why" behind a command. People mistake the eager-to-please attitude as being smarter, but that's not necessarily so.
Terryallan wrote:
Shoot, Rudy was so slow. He would bump his head on the ladder I was carrying, and it would take a minute for him to register the pain.
Most hunting dogs are bred for touch insensitivity and to ignore discomfort. They wouldn't make very good hunting dogs if they were hesitant to run through briars or jump into icy streams and ponds. Makes a good hunting dog, but when your fast growing adolescent Lab thinks nothing of body slamming into you while going full speed, it's not such a good trait. ;)
