Bassett Hound Grandog

[Kidsgone]

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 with us as she travels between two places due to her work. She stays with us and our two Labs. No problems until Lucy had three seizures yesterday. We knew she may have had one from her original owner, but that owner turned her into our animal shelter knowing she would be put down! Don't let me get on my soap box on that!! Anyway, we are to watch her as our Vet doesn't want to treat with meds unless she seizes again rather soon.
My question for those that have raised hounds...in the event that we need to take her on a trip or two, how do you control the howling? She's good when she sees people, but oh my..let her see a bird, squirrel, cat or dog. People will stop to watch her howl and laugh (well, it is kinda funny) Is this just a "thing" with hounds? They are stubborn animals, but Lucy has been very receptive to training...but the howling...I'm concerned if we take her to campgrounds.
Advice? Comments?
Andi

[CA_POPPY]

I think it might be like asking a fish not to swim. :W I would find a Basset owners message board and ask the question there. Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing Bassets at campgrounds. More often it's yappy toy breed dogs, and that's even worse than baying.

I hope the seizures don't turn out to be a problem. We ended up with custody of a grand-dog, also. :B We later turned out to lose our other two dogs to aging/medical issue so the "inherited" Darcy ended up being a blessing. Funny how life works.

[Pawz4me]

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. 😉

[Kidsgone]

Too funny! Thanks for the replies. Lucy is very entertaining....and stubborn!!! But as long as my two are with her, she likes to keep up. She quickly figured out that no sit means no treat! She'll be a great pup for my daughter with her type of schedule. She starts training this weekend....could be a you tube moment:)
Andi

[Terryallan]

JayGee wrote:

Terryallan wrote:
Sweet as they are they are as stupid as the day is long.

🙂 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. 🙂

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.

[toedtoes]

Try a squirt bottle. When she howls "inappropriately", squirt her with water. Be consistent. Carry the bottle everywhere with you. Take it on walks, etc. When she howls inappropriately, squirt her.

She will learn, but it takes consistency and time. My Bat-dog used to bark at people as soon as she saw them. Squirt bottle in the car, one in the house, one in the RV - after a summer, barking dropped to a reasonable minimum.

[JayGee]

Terryallan wrote:
Sweet as they are they are as stupid as the day is long.

🙂 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. 🙂

[raindove]

Keep a record of the seizures, dates, times, length of duration and severity.
General rule of thumb is they don't put them on meds for epilepsy unless they have 2 or more per month on a regular basis.

We had two who had to go on meds. They did well on compounded liquid potassium bromide. They were litter mates. I think they were around 2 when we had to start the meds and they lived to be 12+ and 16+ yrs.

I also had a few others who only had a mild seizure maybe once a year or so. They all did well without meds and lived long lives.

[Terryallan]

I have had a Bassett for the last 11 years. Sweet as they are. they are as stupid as the day is long. I doubt you will be able to teach her not to howl. She might just have to be a stay at home dog. Our's was.

A bark collar "MAY" help. But I doubt it. As I said. they are pretty slow to learn.

Sweet as sugar though, and very loving