Some free advice as you begin life with your new Basset:

 

1. Find a good veterinarian. It is a great help and support to have a good vet that knows you and your dog and can answer your questions and provide quality preventative care. It is extremely important that your puppy gets all of his shots (at 9, 12, & 15 weeks). You will want to include Bordatella and Lepto. in the 9 & 12 week shots and rabies at 15 weeks. Begin heartworm preventative now and be sure to give it monthly. Do worming as needed. PLEASE do not expose your puppy to dogs outside your home, the park, Petsmart, etc. until he has had ALL of his shots at 15-16 weeks. Until that time your puppy is susceptible to Parvo just by walking in an area infected by urine/feces from a dog with Parvo, or being exposed to a dog with Parvo. or carrying Parvo.

 

2. While your Basset is still a puppy (and small) it is very

important to get him used to three care treatments:

1. having his nails clipped

2. having his ears cleaned and

3. brushing his teeth.

These three things are essential to your Basset’s health and regular care. When puppies learn to have this done weekly they don’t resist as grown dogs. (But if you don’t teach them as puppies you may have a 50-60lb. dog to wrestle and this can be nearly impossible). Nail clipping is easy to learn and if not done regularly the nails grow very long and are very tough to clip back.

Ears must be cleaned at least every two weeks, as Bassets are prone to get ear infections due to their long ears.

 

****A good and inexpensive solution for ear cleaning is equal parts

rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. (Recommended by my vet). Squirt into their ear and use only paper towel or cotton balls soaked in alcohol to wipe it out and insert in ear canal. You can injure them with a Q tip. It is best to rotate this homemade solution with Opti-Clens (purchased from vet).

 

Tooth brushing sounds silly but if you don’t do this regularly you will end up paying the vet a lot of $ to do cleaning for you (or your dog will have problems with bad or infected teeth). So begin NOW and save yourself a lot of hassle later. (use ONLY DOG toothpaste)

Dental chews purchased from your vet are another easy alternative to tooth brushing.

 

3. Do some basic obedience training while your Basset is young and small. They must be taught not to jump up on people beginning now or when they are BIG they will hurt you or knock a child over jumping up. They are so friendly, glad to see you and want to be loved but teach your puppy to sit for petting. You can take a puppy basic obedience class at Petsmart or Petco. It is well worth the money and the time to have a well-trained dog. Bassets are very smart but also strong willed so obedience training is a great help in dealing with any of their behaviors.

 

 

4. Feed a good quality food. After trying several of the

well known brands I am convinced that Iams and Eukanuba

are the very best. You get what you pay for and you will

actually save money because you will feed less food and get

higher nutrition. You will also have fewer vet bills because your

dog will be getting better nutrition. BE SURE TO FEED LARGE

BREED FORMULA PUPPY FOOD to your Basset from puppy

until 12-14 months old (then switch to Large Breed Adult). This

food is formulated for the special needs of fast growing

large breeds like Bassets. You will see a difference in how your

dog grows and develops if you use a high quality food.

REMEMBER if you decide to change food brands you must do so

gradually to keep your puppy from getting diarrhea.

 

5. Your first few nights with your puppy…. give him the toy we gave you to comfort him. Leaving on a radio in his room overnight with quiet music (no head banging) may also soothe him as he adjusts to being away from his mom and siblings. He needs lots of attention but also quiet time to rest.

 

6. I would like to recommend the following books as

wonderful resources for the Basset hound owner:

Basset Hounds—Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition,

Breeding, Behavior, and Training. By Joe Stahlkuppe

This book covers it all…care, housetraining, basic obedience,

health care…and all related to the Basset.

 

The Basset Hound Owner’s Survival Guide by Diane Morgan

This book is full of wonderful information on Bassets and

totally hilarious antidotes from Basset owners. I laughed

so hard I cried and I related to all the stories.

 

A New Owner’s Guide to Basset Hounds by Joan Urban. 

Another very comprehensive book concerning Bassets.

 

Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook

by Liisa Carlson,DVM and James M. Giffin, M.D.

Every dog owner should have this book. It will save you a lot of worry and unnecessary visits to the vet. Also helps you to know when to be concerned and teaches good preventative care.

****any of these books and more can be found on the internet at Amazon.com.. I got really good prices on used copies.

 

 

Please call us with any questions or concerns you have as your puppy grows, we are glad to help. We would love to see photos of your puppy as he grows and becomes part of your family….you can email photos to us at blessedbassets@gmail.com. We would love to add your puppy’s pictures and your testimonial to the website. We hope you will return for more puppies and refer us to others.