Nothin' But a Hound Dog....

[QueenVee]

The story goes that a young girl taken to her first foxhunt studied the pack of hounds with great seriousness before remarking, "What a lot of dogs!" A nearby gentleman corrected her with, "Those are hounds, darling." The girl regarded the pack again and finally said, "Well, they're very like dogs!"

As every hound-owner knows, hounds often present very different personalities, challenges, and pleasures than the average domestic dog. I'd love to hear from other hound-owners, and trade stories, pics, advice, etc.

[KYS]

A warm welcome to Pet Talk.

[lovemyshiba]

Welcome!!!

I have Abbey, a beagle cross--no idea what she's mixed with, but she sure is a love bug

[QueenVee]

lovemyshiba wrote:
"I have Abbey, a beagle cross--no idea what she's mixed with, but she sure is a love bug"

She's a doll. Looks just like the beagle I had when I was a kid. His name was Sam, and in those days there were no leash laws and the neighbourhood dogs just ran free. He used to walk me to school every morning, and meet me at the school gate after school. What he did inbetween we had no idea! He was a love bug as well, slept in my bed every night and loved to be cuddled.

Do you have a fenced yard for Abbey, or do you always have to keep her on leash? Like most hounds, Beagles have a tendency to follow their nose if not kept on-leash. Or is she one of the exceptions?

I'm fortunate to have a large field and wooded area near my home that Henry can run and hunt on. When I first got him, I had such a problem getting him to come back and get back on leash when I needed him to, that I eventually resorted to an electronic collar, which he now wears whenever he's out there. Otherwise, I always keep him securely on-leash -- though it's one of those retractable ones, and the very longest one you can buy -- 30 ft -- so he doesn't exactly feel confined on it.

Is Abbey a "vocal" beagle? Henry sure can bay and howl up a storm when he's out hunting in the field. But he's generally quiet inside -- only howling if he hears thunder or firecrackers....

[lovemyshiba]

Henry is so cute!!!

We just bought a house this year, and our fence was finished a few weeks ago. Abbey cannot be trusted off leash--I know she'll come back, but I will not risk it.
We had a beagle growing up, his name was Spike--he was never on a leash either--he used to go hunting with my dad, but about halfway through he would go to sleep or just walk home--lazy boy!!!!!
Abbey's pretty vocal, but she doesn't howl. She loves to bark though, at anything she can--especially if one of the other dogs won't play--she barks until they do.
She wakes me up in the morning with kisses all over my face, and loves to cuddle too!! When my husband works early in the morning, she always comes up and curls right next to me!!!

[cloverfdx]

a big warm welcome to pet talk, i havnt a hound dog of my own but know a couple scent and sight hounds



this pic is from our dog clubs web site, very cute lol

also a friend of mine has a basset hound "emma louise" or just plain ol "Em" and she is a sweety pie, it is hilarious when she bays (Spl?) especially at ferrets (we were at a flyball demo and some kids had ferrets, emma went mental at the ferrets , an would not be quiet for the remainder of the day lmao)

i will try and get some photo's posted of her (will see her on sunday) ohhh also a Blood hound started at our dog club last week they are soooooooo rare here it was amazing see this 10 month old pup up close and he was huge and adorable ~awwwww~

[QueenVee]

OMG, what a HILARIOUS pic that is!

It is the perfect illustration to go along with the following excerpt from a book called "The Dog Rules (Damned Near Everything)" by William J. Thomas. (You can read more about this priceless book at http://www.williamthomas.ca/the-dog-rules.shtml)



The Dog Rules (as they apply to the family car)

Rule 1: Dogs are not allowed to travel in motorized vehicles. Period.

Rule 2: Okay, a seeing-eye dog is allowed to travel in a vehicle with its owner, provided that the owner is not the operator of said vehicle.

Rule 3: Okay, in a medical emergency, a dog may be taken directly to and from a veterinary clinic in a moving vehicle.

Rule 4: Okay, if the family’s out for a Sunday drive, the dog can go along, provided he sits in the back seat. But on Sundays only!

Rule 5: Okay, the dog can sit in the front seat on the passenger side, provided there is no passenger in that seat. And if it’s really hot, he can roll the window down, but not all the way.

Rule 6: Okay, the dog can hang out the side window like a misplaced hood ornament going 60mph, with saliva spraying the passengers in the back seat.

Rule 7: The dog is never, repeat, NEVER allowed to operate a moving vehicle. That would be insane.

Rule 8: Okay, the dog can sit on the driver’s lap with his paws on the steering wheel, but he’s not allowed to put his foot on the accelerator.

Rule 9: Okay, the dog can steer the car and work the pedals, but he’s not allowed to drive at night or take the car out alone.

Rule 10: Okay, the dog can drive at night by himself, but not if he’s been drinking. No way. That’s against the law.

[cloverfdx]

lol love the canine car rules ~cute~

i will check out that web site about the book

[Layka3000]

Wow!

[prechrswife]

I am new to this site. (I actually found the link on a basset site earlier this week.) My husband and I are owned by two hounds, basset hounds to be exact. Max is a 2 year old red and white, and Oscar is an 8-week old tri-color. Bassets are very much hounds. They have a beautiful, deep bark, and wonderful personalities. We just brought Oscar home today, so we are still learning about his personality, but Max is the most laid-back dog that I have ever had. We currently have a large, fenced-in yard, which is a good thing, because bassets will follow their noses just about anywhere. (Sorry I don't have any pictures to share right now. I'll have to figure out that process a little later.)

Dusty

[puppygrrl4eva7]

Welcome to PetTalk ( PT ) I have a yorkie named Ringo, he's 6 months old. Hope to hear about your pooches!

[QueenVee]

Hi Dusty! I'll bet little Oscar is just too cute for words. I don't know much about basset hounds. Do they require a lot of exercise? What's their energy level like? And are they affectionate dogs? My hound Henry is the biggest suck you ever saw, loves to be cuddled and hugged and kissed, constantly.... except when he's out running in the field, of course.... I don't even exist for Henry when he's busy following his nose....

[prechrswife]

"Do they require a lot of exercise? What's their energy level like? And are they affectionate dogs?"

To answer your questions, basset hounds require an average amount of exercise. They are not high-energy dogs by any means. A good portion of their day is spent sleeping. (My husband grew up with beagles, and he compares our bassets to very large, very sedate beagles.) As for affection, they are very loving dogs, and like to be with their people and with other dogs. (Max even tries to play with the cats, although they are not too fond of that. ) What is funny is that as much as bassets love people, if you try to call them to you when they are in the midst of something that they consider important (like a nap), they are likely to ignore you or to wait until you come to them. We've gotten a few laughs out of that.

[Layka3000]

My NDN has a Beagle! It has enormus ears. LOL but really cute! They moved away

[QueenVee]

Originally posted by prechrswife
To answer your questions, basset hounds require an average amount of exercise. They are not high-energy dogs by any means. A good portion of their day is spent sleeping.

My Harrier Hound requires at least one good hour-long RUN in the field once a day, but he usually gets two such runs. Then he's so tired that he also spends the rest of the time sleeping....

Originally posted by prechrswife
My husband grew up with beagles, and he compares our bassets to very large, very sedate beagles.

LOL. Well, one book on Harrier Hounds calls them "Beagles on Steroids".....

Originally posted by prechrswife
As for affection, they are very loving dogs, and like to be with their people and with other dogs. Max even tries to play with the cats, although they are not too fond of that.

Hounds are pack animals, and very social by nature. In a hunting pack, any aggressive dogs are weeded out, as the dogs have to work together cooperatively. Henry and our cat Angel play all the time. She adores him and misses him when he's not home.

Originally posted by prechrswife
What is funny is that as much as bassets love people, if you try to call them to you when they are in the midst of something that they consider important (like a nap), they are likely to ignore you or to wait until you come to them.

Oh yes, I know that hound tendency very well. When Henry is out in the field tracking, he doesn't even glance in my direction when I call him. I took it very personally at first, until I realized that it's just a breed trait. Inside, he wants to be in my lap all the time....