Question:
What a buzz kill those other folks were! You didn’t ask them about parenting issues, you asked them about the hound! You make up your own mind if you can handle a pet. They should go to the neurotic parent newsgroup. Here’s what I know about the basset…my wife grew up with them and was obsessed with the breed as long as I’ve known her. We rescued our beloved basset, Roxy, about 2 years ago. She was 5 months old at the time. Roxy is now about 2 and half years old and a great dog. We also have a 5 month old baby girl and everything is going great! Bassets are kind, friendly, loyal and loving dogs. They love children and are great with them. Though they do tend to want to knock them over and lick their faces! Bassets are not small dogs, they are medium sized dogs with short legs. Roxy weighs 55 lbs and she’s a relatively lean female. Big males can go over 70 lbs easily. Females tend to be more passive/less aggressive than males, which is common in most, if not all breeds. Another thing to consider – Bassets are hounds, this means they smell like hounds. We’ve become accustomed to that houndy scent and it never gets too bad because we bathe her regularly. Roxy gets a bath about every two weeks. Also, those cute ears drag on the ground, in the dirt and dangle in their food and water. You’ll need to clean their ears every couple of days or so. Basset fur is not to troublesome to maintain, though they do shed about twice a year. Your Basset will love the yard, but keep in mind, they are "people dogs". They would much rather be with you than be out in the yard alone. Being left alone in the yard (especially if they can see you inside!) will immediately lead to howling. And Bassets sure can howl! Also, while they are generally not too destructive, if you leave them alone in the yard for too long unattended (like while you go to work, or shopping), they will work on getting out. Usually by borrowing under the fence. Also, being hounds, Bassets are hunting dogs. They were originally bred by the French to hunt rabbit (the word "basset" means "low slung" in French). This means they love the outdoors and do require some regular exercise. Roxy really enjoys walks and even the occasional hike. If the weather is not too hot she’s good for several miles. They are scent hounds (in all of dogdom, second only to the Blood Hound) and a walk or hike usually entails the nose to the ground for a long time. I’m not going to lecture you about pet ownership. Hopefully if you’re even considering owning a dog you realize the level of commitment they require. Time, attention and love are mandatory. And pets are for life…be SURE before you get involved! With that said…Bassets are great family dogs and I recommend them strongly! I’m happy to answer any questions or help in anyway I can. Check out this web site for some good info… http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/basset.cfm This web site has much better descriptions than I gave and some important breed info you should know. Also check out the links to other pertinent sites. I’m not sure where you are located…in the US there are many Basset Hound clubs and Rescue organizations (as there are for most pure breeds). They are a great resource for info and support. If you are in Northern California I can hook you up with the info…else where, you’re on your own! Good luck….Rick
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hello! > I have 2 young children (2 years & 3 months) and my husband & I are > considering getting a dog. We want a breed that is very good with children > and have been told that a Basset Hound may be good for us. We live in the > city but have a fairly large fenced yard. > Any experiences/opinions would be greatly appreciated. > TIA, > Jacqui
Response:
> In all honesty, I would recommend you wait to get a dog. You’re children are > so very young and a puppy will basically be like adding a 3rd baby. An > adolescent Basset could probably knocker over a toddler with ease in his > exuberance, which though not meant to be nasty wouldn’t be much fun for the > toddler! > I don’t know much about the breed in particular, but I generally wouldn’t > recommend any dog for a household with that many young ‘uns, with the > possible exception of an older rescue. (IIOW, past the teething/chewing > stage, the adolescent stage and already house trained)
I will second Andrea’s recommendation. I know that even with my kids being 2 and 5, and having a LOT of dog experience (our own, fosters and classes), our puppy can still be too much. And Robin is a very well behaved puppy. My younger child was 2 when Robin came to us at about 3 months old. This is my child who will stand up for herself with dogs and whom the adult dogs do listen to, but puppy exuberence can be too much. Robin is 22 pounds at 6 months, so I’m not even talking about a large puppy. 
When I was pregnant with my oldest, I put off an application for a puppy as I knew that it would be very hard for me to CONSISTENTLY make the time to work the puppy. I might have felt differently if I’d had a lot of support with the kids (ie lots of regular babysitting available). Without that, it was sometimes even difficult to keep up with just working the older dogs. It was a good decision for us. I know that when my younger was as young as OP’s, there was a lot to do with the kids. Could I have done it-yes, but it would have taken a major job to do so, even with having experience. I rescued an older dog from a shelter during that first pregnancy, and he was a problem child in some ways, but he was far less work than the puppy is. Skyler’s issues were things that would have been known if he’d gone through a rescue organization’s fostering process-I sprang him from the shelter myself, and knew that, in doing so, I could get "baggage." To the OP, if your heart is set on a puppy, you might want to consider taking this time to research breeders. The ages of your kids gives you a really good reason to take the time to do a good job of meeting breeders and really learning about the breeds you might be interested in. Then you can consider the timing question an perhaps get on a waiting list from a breeder who you dedide you’d like to work with. That downtime can be very valuable and lets you make an informed decision. It’s hard for people to take this time, but you’ve got some built in incentive in having young kids who will grow up with the dog you pick. Karen, Random and Robin
Response:
> I have 2 young children (2 years & 3 months) and my husband & I are > considering getting a dog. We want a breed that is very good with children > and have been told that a Basset Hound may be good for us. We live in the > city but have a fairly large fenced yard. > Any experiences/opinions would be greatly appreciated.
What is your prior experience with dogs? Can you afford to spend 1 to 2 hours per day training, grooming, exercising etc the dog? Do you have the time and energy to go to a dog training class? Are you thinking of a puppy or of an adult dog? How many hours per day on average is someone at home? Do you have the time and energy to supervise all interactions between the dog and the children? My parents raised kids and dogs together BUT they were very experienced with dogs. They also prefer to spend their time at home or on outings with the family so supervisions wasn’t a big problem. We had lots of baby gates and doors to keep dogs and toddlers separate. If you think you have the time and energy to have a dog along with the toddlers here is a place to start for some information: http://www.dog-play.com/choosing.html Diane Blackman http://www.dog-play.com/ http://www.dog-play.com/TOTE.html Failure is when you quit trying.
Response:
Hello! I have 2 young children (2 years & 3 months) and my husband & I are considering getting a dog. We want a breed that is very good with children and have been told that a Basset Hound may be good for us. We live in the city but have a fairly large fenced yard. Any experiences/opinions would be greatly appreciated. TIA, Jacqui
Response:
In all honesty, I would recommend you wait to get a dog. You’re children are so very young and a puppy will basically be like adding a 3rd baby. An adolescent Basset could probably knocker over a toddler with ease in his exuberance, which though not meant to be nasty wouldn’t be much fun for the toddler! I don’t know much about the breed in particular, but I generally wouldn’t recommend any dog for a household with that many young ‘uns, with the possible exception of an older rescue. (IIOW, past the teething/chewing stage, the adolescent stage and already house trained) — Andrea Stone Saorsa Basenjis "The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." — Andrew A. Rooney
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hello! > I have 2 young children (2 years & 3 months) and my husband & I are > considering getting a dog. We want a breed that is very good with children > and have been told that a Basset Hound may be good for us. We live in the > city but have a fairly large fenced yard. > Any experiences/opinions would be greatly appreciated. > TIA, > Jacqui
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