Basset Hound - wikipedia Basset Hound Basset Hound Tan and white Basset Hound Common nicknames Basset, Hush Puppy Origin Great Britain France Traits Weight male : 25 -- 34 kg ( 55 -- 75 lb ) female : 20 -- 29 kg ( 45 -- 65 lb ) Height male : 30 -- 38 cm ( 12 -- 15 in ) female : 28 -- 36 cm ( 11 -- 14 in ) Coat Smooth, short and close Colour Generally black, white and tan ( tri-colour ) or tan / lemon and white ( bi-colour ) ; but any recognised hound colour acceptable. Litter size 6 -- 8 puppies Life span Median 10 -- 12 years Classification / standards FCI Group 6, Section 1.3 Scenthounds : Small # 163 standard AKC Hound standard ANKC Group 4 ( Hounds ) standard CKC Group 2 ( Hounds ) standard KC ( UK ) Hound standard NZKC Hounds standard UKC Scenthound standard Domestic dog ( Canis lupus familiaris ) The Basset Hound is a short - legged breed of dog of the hound family. The Basset is a scent hound that was originally bred for the purpose of hunting hare. Their sense of smell and ability to ground - scent is second only to that of the Bloodhound. Basset Hounds are one of 6 recognised basset - type breeds in France. The name Basset is derived from the French word bas, meaning `` low '', with the attenuating suffix - et, together meaning `` rather low ''. Basset Hounds are usually bicolours or tricolours of standard hound colouration. Contents 1 Description 1.1 Appearance 1.1. 1 Coat 1.2 Temperament 2 Health 2.1 Ears 2.2 Short stature 2.3 Other health issues 2.4 Mortality 2.5 Morbidity 3 History 3.1 St Hubert 's Hound 3.2 France 3.3 England 4 Hunting with bassets 5 In popular culture 6 Related breeds 7 References 8 External links Description Adult Basset Hound Appearance Bassets are large, short, solid and long, with curved sabre tails held high over their long backs. An adult dog weighs between 20 and 35 kilograms ( 44 and 77 lb ). This breed, relative to size, is heavier - boned than any other. This breed, like its ancestor the Bloodhound, has a hanging skin structure, which causes the face to occasionally look sad ; this, for many people, adds to the breed 's charm. The dewlap, seen as the loose, elastic skin around the neck, and the trailing ears which along with the Bloodhound are the longest of any breed, help trap the scent of what they are tracking. Its neck is wider than its head. This, combined with the loose skin around its face and neck means that flat collars can easily be pulled off. The previous FCI standard described the characteristic skin of the Basset, which resembles its ancestor the Bloodhound as `` loose ''. This wording has since been updated to `` supple and elastic ''. The looseness of the skin results in the Basset 's characteristic facial wrinkles. They drool a lot due to their loose flews. The Basset 's skull is characterised by its large dolichocephalic nose, which is second only to the Bloodhound in scenting ability and number of olfactory receptor cells. The Basset 's short legs are due to a form of dwarfism ( see : Health ). Their short stature can be deceiving ; Bassets are surprisingly long and can reach things on table tops that other dogs of similar heights can not. Because Bassets are so heavy and have such short legs, they are not able to hold themselves above water for very long when swimming, and should always be closely supervised in the water. Coat The short - haired coat of a Basset is long, smooth and soft, and sheds constantly. Any hound coloration is acceptable, but this varies from country to country. They are usually Black, Tan and White tricolors or Tan and White bicolors. Tan can vary from reddish - brown and Red to Lemon. Lemon and White is less common color. Any hound coloration is acceptable. Some Bassets are also classified as gray or blue - this colour is considered rare and undesirable. The source of colour is the E Locus ( MC1R ), which has four alleles : EM, EG, E, and e. The EM, E and e alleles are present in the Basset Hounds. The E allele allows for the production of both red and black pigments, so is present with the majority of colour patterns in Basset Hounds. Red and Lemon colours are caused by the e allele of MC1R. The e allele is recessive, so red and lemon dogs are homozygous e / e. Lemon dogs are lighter in colour than Reds, but the genetic mechanism that dilutes phaeomelanin in this instance is unknown. No black hairs will be present on either Red or Lemon dogs. If there are any black hairs, the dog is officially a tricolour. Basset Hounds are renowned for their gentle, docile demeanor. The EM allele produces a black mask on the face that may extend up around the eyes and onto the ears. This pattern is most easily seen on Mahogany dogs, although any Basset colour pattern may express the EM allele, except for `` red and white '' or `` lemon and white '' due to e / e. Many Bassets have a clearly defined white blaze and a white tip to their tail, intended to aid hunters in finding their dogs when tracking through underbrush. Like all dogs, the Basset Hound 's coat is naturally oily. The oil in their coat has a distinctive `` hound scent '', which is natural to the breed. Temperament The Basset Hound is a friendly, outgoing, and playful dog, tolerant of children and other pets. They are extremely vocal and famously devoted to tracking. Health An adult Basset Hound with a puppy Ears Basset Hounds have large pendulous ears ( known as `` leathers '' ) that do not allow air to circulate inside them, unlike other breeds with erect or more open ears. Their ears must be cleaned inside and out frequently to avoid infections and ear mites. Short stature According to the Basset Hound Club of America, the height of a Basset should not exceed 14 inches or 36 cm. The Basset Hound 's short stature is due to the genetic condition osteochondrodysplasia ( meaning abnormal growth of both bone and cartilage ). Dwarfism of this type in most animals is traditionally known as achondroplasia. Basset Hounds, Dachshunds and Bulldogs are a few of the dog breeds classified as Achondroplastic. This bone growth abnormality may be a predisposing factor in the development of elbow dysplasia seen in the breed, which leads to arthritis of the elbow joint. Other health issues In addition to ear problems, basset hounds may be susceptible to eye issues. Because of their droopy eyes the area under the eyeball can collect dirt and become clogged with a mucus. Basset Hounds are prone to yeast infections in the folds around the mouth, where drool can collect without thoroughly drying out. Overweight Basset Hounds develop many serious health issues, including bone and joint injuries, Gastric Dilatation Volvulus and paralysis. The only recent mortality and morbidity surveys of Basset Hounds are from the UK : a 1999 longevity survey with a small sample size of 10 deceased dogs and a 2004 UK Kennel Club health survey with a larger sample size of 142 deceased dogs and 226 live dogs. See Mortality and Morbidity below. Mortality Median longevity of Basset Hounds is about 10.3 years in France and 11.3 years in the UK, which is a typical median longevity for purebred dogs and for breeds similar in size to Basset Hounds. The oldest of the 142 deceased dogs in the 2004 UK Kennel Club survey was 16.7 years. Leading causes of death in the 2004 UK Kennel Club survey were cancer ( 31 % ), old age ( 13 % ), gastric dilatation volvulus ( 11 % ), and cardiac ( 8 % ). Morbidity Among the 226 live Basset Hounds in the 2004 UKC survey, the most - common health issues noted by owners were dermatologic ( such as dermatitis ), reproductive, musculoskeletal ( for example, arthritis and lameness ), and gastrointestinal ( for example, gastric dilatation volvulus and colitis ). Basset Hounds are also prone to epilepsy, glaucoma, luxating patella, thrombopathia, Von Willebrand disease, hypothyroidism, hip dysplasia, and elbow dysplasia. History An early 20th century basset - type hound The modern Basset Hound descends from French dogs that were bred in Great Britain in the late 1800s. The earliest - known depictions of short - legged hunting dogs are engravings from the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. Mummified remains of short - legged dogs from that period have been uncovered in the Dog Catacombs of Saqqara, Egypt. Scent Hounds were used for hunting in both Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. St Hubert 's Hound See also : Bloodhound The basset type originated in France, and is descended from the 6th century hounds belonging to St Hubert of Belgium, which through breeding at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Hubert eventually became what is known as the St Hubert 's Hound around 1000 AD. St Hubert 's original hounds are descended from the Laconian ( Spartan ) Hound, one of four groups of dogs discerned from Greek representations and descriptions. These scent hounds were described as large, slow, ' short - legged and deep mouthed ' dogs with a small head, straight nose, upright ears and long neck, and either tan with white markings or black with tan markings. Laconian Hounds were reputed to not give up the scent until they found their prey. They eventually found their way to Constantinople, and from there to Europe. France 1879 woodcut of Everett Millais ' first basset - type Hound `` Model '', who was imported from France in 1874. The first mention of a `` basset '' dog appeared in La Venerie, an illustrated hunting text written by Jacques du Fouilloux in 1585. The dogs in Fouilloux 's text were used to hunt foxes and badgers. It is believed that the Basset type originated as a mutation in the litters of Norman Staghounds, a descendant of the St Hubert 's Hound. These precursors were most likely bred back to the St. Hubert 's Hound, among other derivative French hounds. Until after the French Revolution around the year 1789, hunting from horseback was the preserve of kings, large aristocratic families and of the country squires, and for this reason short - legged dogs were highly valued for hunting on foot. Basset - type hounds became popular during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III ( r. 1852 -- 1870 ). In 1853, Emmanuel Fremiet, `` the leading sculptor of animals in his day '' exhibited bronze sculptures of Emperor Napoleon III 's basset hounds at the Paris Salon. Ten years later in 1863 at the first exhibition of dogs held in Paris, basset hounds attained international attention. The controlled breeding of the short haired basset began in France in the year 1870. From the existing bassets, Count Le Couteulx of Canteleu fixed a utilitarian type with straight front legs known as the Chien d'Artois, whereas Mr. Louis Lane developed a more spectacular type, with crooked front legs, known as the Basset Normand. These were bred together to create the original Basset Artésien Normand. England French basset hounds were being imported into England at least as early as the 1870s. While some of these dogs were certainly Basset Artésien Normands, by the 1880s linebreeding had thrown back to a different heavier type. Everett Millais, who is considered to be the father of the modern Basset Hound, bred one such dog, Nicholas, to a Bloodhound bitch named Inoculation through artificial insemination in order to create a heavier basset in England in the 1890s. The litter was delivered by caesarean section, and the surviving pups were refined with French and English bassets. The first breed standard for what is now known as the Basset Hound was made in Great Britain at the end of 19th century. This standard was updated in 2010. Hunting with Bassets The Basset Hound was bred to hunt, with a keen nose and short stature suited to small - game hunting on foot. A variety of Basset Hound developed purely for hunting by Colonel Morrison was admitted to the Masters of Basset Hounds Association in 1959 via an Appendix to the Stud Book. This breed differs in being straighter and longer in the leg and having shorter ears. In popular culture Jason, the mascot of Hush Puppies. Basset Hounds have been featured in popular culture many times. Some artists, such as director Mamoru Oshii and webcomic artist Scott Kurtz regularly feature their pet Bassets in their work. On February 27, 1928, Time magazine featured a basset hound on the front cover. The accompanying story was about the 52nd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden as if observed by the basset hound puppy. Many cartoon dogs are based on the Basset, such as Droopy, with several Bassets appearing in animated Disney films. Syndicated comic strip Fred Basset has been a regular feature in newspapers since 1963. There is a Basset Hound in the Smokey and the Bandit movie series. The dog, Fred, was personally picked by lead actor Burt Reynolds because it refused to obey commands. In the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, a Basset Hound called Flash served served as a companion to Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. In the early days of television, Elvis Presley famously sang `` Hound Dog '' to a disinterested basset hound named Sherlock on The Steve Allen Show on July 1, 1956. Lassie had a Basset friend named Pokey early in the Lassie television series. Other famous TV Bassets are the wisecracking Cleo from The People 's Choice, Columbo 's dog Dog, and the sheriff 's dog Flash in The Dukes of Hazzard. Basset Hounds are often used as advertising logos. The logo for Hush Puppies brand shoes prominently features a Basset Hound whose real name is Jason. Basset hounds are occasionally referred to as `` hush puppies '' for that reason. A basset hound also serves as the companion to the lonely Maytag Man in Maytag appliance advertisements. Tidewater Petroleum advertised its `` Flying A '' gasoline using a basset hound named Axelrod. Related breeds Albany and West Lodge Bassets Basset Artesien Normand Basset Bleu de Gascogne Basset Fauve de Bretagne Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen References Jump up ^ Hart, Ernest H. This Is the Basset Hound, T.F.H. Books, 1974. ISBN 0 - 87666 - 241 - 6 Jump up ^ American Kennel Club. `` Basset Hound ''. American Kennel Club. Retrieved 2015 - 06 - 08. ^ Jump up to : Liebers, Arthur ; Hardy, Dorothy. How to Raise and Train a Basset Hound, T.F.H. Publications, Jersey City, New Jersey, 1959. Jump up ^ Drega, Dana. `` Ph. D ''. Basset Hound Coat Colours. Retrieved June 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Basset Hound ''. Vetstreet.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Dog Ear Types at Caninest.com ; Archived April 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Care of a Basset Hound ''. Delsharlabassethounds.com. Retrieved 8 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Official Basset Hound Standard ''. Basset Hound Club of America. Retrieved June 14, 2015. Jump up ^ Martínez, Simón ; Fajardo, Raúl ; Valdés, Jesús ; Ulloa - Arvizu, Raúl ; Alonso, Rogelio ( January 2007 ). `` Histopathologic study of long - bone growth plates confirms the basset hound as an osteochondrodysplastic breed ''. Can J Vet Res. 71 ( 1 ) : 66 -- 69. PMC 1635992. PMID 17195339. Jump up ^ Jones, T ; Hunt, R ( 1979 ). `` The musculoskeletal system ''. In Jones, T ; Hunt, R. Veterinary Pathology ( 5th ed. ). Philadelphia : Lea & Febiger. pp. 1175 -- 1176. Jump up ^ Willis, MB ( 1989 ). `` Inheritance of specific skeletal and structural defects ''. In Willis, MB. Genetics of the Dog ( 1st ed. ). Great Britain : Howell Book House. pp. 119 -- 120. ^ Jump up to : `` Elbow Dysplasia ( Ununited Anconeal Process ) ''. Genetic Welfare Problems of Companion Animals. ufaw.org.uk : Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. Retrieved 10 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` Yeast Dermatitis in Dogs ''. vca_corporate. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Basset Hound Health Considerations Pets4Homes ''. Pets4Homes. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 01. ^ Jump up to : `` Breed Longevity Data ''. Users.pullman.com. Retrieved 8 December 2014. Jump up ^ Michell, AR ( 1999 ). `` Longevity of British breeds of dog and its relationships with sex, size, cardiovascular variables and disease ''. Veterinary Record. 145 : 625 -- 629. doi : 10.1136 / vr. 145.22. 625. PMID 10619607. ^ Jump up to : `` Purebred Dog Health Survey Results ''. TheKennelClub.org. Retrieved 8 December 2014. Jump up ^ Leroy, G.G. ; Phocas, F. ; Hedan, B. ; Verrier, E. ; Rognon, X. ( 2015 ). `` Inbreeding impact on litter size and survival in selected canine breeds ''. The Veterinary Journal. 203 : 74 -- 78. doi : 10.1016 / j. tvjl. 2014.11. 008. PMID 25475165. Jump up ^ `` Breed Weight and Lifespan ''. Users.pullman.com. Retrieved 8 December 2014. Jump up ^ Zedda, M. ; Manca, P. ; Chisu, V. ; Gadau, S. ; Lepore, G. ; Genovese, A. ; Farina, V. ( 2006 ). `` Ancient Pompeian Dogs -- Morphological and Morphometric Evidence for Different Canine Populations, Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia ''. Journal of Veterinary Medicine Series C. 35 ( 5 ) : 319 -- 324. doi : 10.1111 / j. 1439 - 0264.2006. 00687. x. Jump up ^ `` Pictures : Millions of Puppy Mummies in Egypt Labyrinth ''. National Geographic. Retrieved 8 December 2014. ^ Jump up to : Campbell Thornton, Kim ; Earle - Bridges, Michele ( 1998 ). Bloodhounds : Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Breeding, Behavior, and Training. Barron 's Educational Series. ISBN 0764103423. Retrieved January 15, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Dogs in Rome and Greece ''. Penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 8 December 2014. Jump up ^ Fusco, Peter and H.W. Janson, eds., The Romantics to Rodin, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1980, p. 272. Jump up ^ Leighton, Robert ( 1907 ). The New Book of the Dog. Cassell and Company, Ltd. ISBN 978 - 1 - 151 - 75332 - 8. Jump up ^ Breed standard, Basset Artésien Normand ( DOC file ) at FCI.be ; Archived November 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` The Early History of the Basset Hound in England, 1874 - 1921 ''. Basset.net. Retrieved 8 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Standard of the Breed Bassethound with Comments by Iva Černohubová ''. Bohemia-horrido.com. Retrieved 8 December 2014. Jump up ^ Breed standard, Basset Hound 2010 ( DOC file ) at FCI.be ; Archived November 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ All About Dogs. Orbis Publishing Ltd. 1974. ISBN 0 - 85613 - 033 - 8. Jump up ^ TIME Magazine Cover : Baby Basset Hound, TIME Magazine, February 27, 1928 Jump up ^ Jason 's Hush Puppies Scrapbook External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Basset Hound. Basset Hound at Curlie ( based on DMOZ ) -- An active listing of Basset Hound links Hounds Scenthounds Alpine Dachsbracke American Foxhound Anglo - Français de Petite Vénerie Ariegeois Artois Hound Austrian Black and Tan Hound Basset Artésien Normand Basset Bleu de Gascogne Basset Fauve de Bretagne Basset Hound Bavarian Mountain Hound Beagle Beagle - Harrier Billy Black and Tan Coonhound Bloodhound Bluetick Coonhound Briquet Griffon Vendéen Dachshund Deutsche Bracke Drever Dumfriesshire Hound Dunker English Coonhound English Foxhound Estonian Hound Finnish Hound Gascon Saintongeois Grand Anglo - Français Blanc et Noir Grand Anglo - Français Blanc et Orange Grand Anglo - Français Tricolore Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen Grand Bleu de Gascogne Grand Griffon Vendéen Greek Harehound Griffon Bleu de Gascogne Griffon Fauve de Bretagne Griffon Nivernais Hamiltonstövare Hanover Hound Harrier Kerry Beagle Otterhound Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Petit Bleu de Gascogne Plott Hound Poitevin Polish Hound Porcelaine Posavaz Hound Redbone Coonhound Sabueso Cántabro Sabueso Español Schillerstövare Schweizer Laufhund Schweizerischer Niederlaufhund Segugio Italiano Slovenský kopov Transylvanian Hound Treeing Walker Coonhound Welsh Hound Westphalian Dachsbracke Sighthounds Afghan Hound Azawakh Borzoi Chippiparai Combai Galgo Español Greyhound Hortaya borzaya Irish Wolfhound Italian Greyhound Kanni Longdog Lurcher Magyar agár Mudhol Hound Polish Greyhound Rajapalayam Rampur Greyhound Saluki Scottish Deerhound Sloughi Taigan Whippet Other Andalusian Hound Basenji Cirneco dell'Etna Cretan Hound Ibizan Hound Pharaoh Hound Phu Quoc Ridgeback Podenco Canario Portuguese Podengo Rhodesian Ridgeback Thai Ridgeback Xarnego Extinct Celtic Hounds Chien - gris Grand Fauve de Bretagne Limer North Country Beagle Rache Sleuth Hound Southern Hound Talbot Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Basset_Hound&oldid=837444855 '' Categories : Hounds Companion dogs Dog breeds originating in France Dog breeds originating in England Dog breeds Hunting with hounds Scent hounds Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with ' species ' microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from October 2015 Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017 Articles with Curlie links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español فارسی Français Gaeilge 한국어 Ido Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Latviešu Magyar Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk پښتو Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 27 more Edit links This page was last edited on 20 April 2018, at 21 : 24. 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Question: what's the average lifespan of a basset hound
Answer: Median 10–12 years; 10–12 years; 10–12 years; 10–12 years