TAIT’S BASSETS
TAIT’S BASSETS
John Tait
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR PUPPY
This guide is the result of over 45 years of Tait’s Bassets experience and feedback from our customers. Please read thoroughly before picking up your puppy. Please bring any questions or suggestions along with you when you come to pick up your puppy.
We have alternated the use of him or her in this text, except where noted it applies to both sexes.
HOUSEBREAKING
Basset Hounds (and probably most dogs) are not really ready to be truly housebroken until they reach about 3 months of age. However, you must start a training system as soon as you get home to begin the process and to minimize accidents.
Dogs to not want to soil their nests and because of the way we raise our puppies they are already housebroken to their house here in the kennel. The whelping box and the entire inside pen. Instinctively they go to the far corner of the pen or outside. The housebreaking method below transfers this established habit to your home:
STEPS
1. Acquire a wire crate with the rough dimensions of 24” wide and 36” long and usually 28” high. (We recommend and sell Midwest crates in our kennel). A helpful feature of this crate is that is very easily folds down to a 4” thick suitcase. If you choose to purchase the crate before you come for your puppy, you can find them in places like PetSmart, PetCo, etc. We sell them for $75.00 plus tax.
2. Decide on a place for the crate that is near people, in or near the kitchen or living area (not in the basement or garage). Bassets are the happiest when near people and they can see you, that is why we recommend the wire crate.
3. When you first get home, pick a single spot outside where you want her to relieve herself. This will create a place with his odor and he will learn that when you take him/her there that you expect him to go. If he goes, get down and pet and praise him with love (do not feed him as a reward). When you go back inside you should either be actively playing with her, or place her in her crate. (“actively supervising” can include: playing with her, resting together on the couch or floor, holding her or watching her closely”). Remember that as long as the puppy is either in the crate, playing with you or being held, and not given freedom to roam, she will more easily understand that outside is where they go to relieve herself. Also, when removing the puppy from the crate it is best to carry the puppy to the outside. You should continue to do this until the puppy is a little older and starting to understand that he/she should wait until they are outside to relieve herself.
4. Even if you are home with the puppy all day you want to have some crate time for your puppy. When he is in the crate he will whine to tell you he wants out of the crate. It doesn’t matter if it is because he needs to go to the bathroom or just wants to be with you. When you take him out, make sure you take him to his spot outside. Say the puppy’s name and “out”. Don’t forget after he goes to praise him. During the trip out, do not play or cuddle with the puppy. What you want to teach him is that whining gets him a trip to his spot and that is all so he learns how to ask you to take him outside. Do not allow the puppy to make a mistake by giving him the run of the house. It will greatly slow the training if you allow this. Even if you are fairly close, a moments inattention is all the time a puppy needs.
5. After two or three days your puppy should start to get the routine established. After this, start giving the puppy some freedom. At first only let him get four or five feet away, then later six or eight and then later the entire room while keeping a close eye on him/her. You can do this by using a leash to keep the puppy fairly close. (A flexi-lead that has an adjustable length would be helpful). When he whines or starts to sniff around, take him to his spot outside immediately. Gradually, as he can handle it, give him more and more freedom. However, we strongly recommend that for 6 to 18 months you continue to confine him to an appropriate space any time you leave him alone.
6. The food and water dishes can go right in the crate during the day, however remove the food after your evening meal and the water a few hours before bedtime. This will allow the puppy to empty out before going to bed and will make it possible to make it through the night. Make sure you take a trip to her spot before going to bed for the night. (NEVER ALLOW THE PUPPY TO BE IN THE CRATE FOR MORE THAN 2 HOURS AT A TIME DURING THE DAY WHEN SHE HAS ACCESS TO FOOD AND WATER. THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS AT NIGHT WHEN SHE HAS BEEN WITHOUT FOOD SINCE EARLY EVENING AND THE WATER WAS REMOVED A FEW HOURS BEFORE BED TIME).
7. The puppy will almost surely be noisy the first night home. Make sure you give her enough time to go and then put her in the crate. If after 10-15 minutes he is whining and barking, take her out again to make sure she is empty. Then put him in the crate and do not cuddle or comfort her because it won’t help and will only teach her that whining gets attention. You will just have to ignore the puppy whining until she quits. We recommend keeping the crate in the same location of your house that you have it during the day. This way it is away from your bedroom and will allow you to get rest. You do not want to have your sleep disrupted. This does not make having a new puppy fun! Do not allow the puppy into your bed or out of the crate at night (unless you plan to permanently have the puppy sleep with you forever). Some people want the puppy to sleep with them and that is fine, however it is best to start that after the puppy is housebroken.
8. If the puppy starts to go to relieve him inside while you are watching, say his name loudly and sharply to get him to stop going and then carry him outside immediately to finish. Praise him when he is done.
9. After several weeks and the housebreaking routine is established, and you find a puddle or pile, you must let him know that you know that he made a mistake. Some people or books will say that if you don’t catch them in the act it is too late, however we don’t believe that at all. Just take him to the mistake and put his nose down to it so that he can smell it. Bassets have a great sense of smell and he will know that it is his. Scold him with the most annoyed voice that you have, that he is not supposed to go inside. Which words you choose doesn’t matter, but the tone does! Then carry him out to his spot in an annoyed way. If he goes more outside, praise him and let him know that you are pleased.
10. Occasionally, (mostly female) pups or adults will get a urinary tract infection and lose control. If your pup seems un-trainable or regresses in training, consult your veterinarian.
11. We have selected our breeding stock to be reasonably quiet and it is not uncommon that the puppy will go to the door and just sit there quietly and wait for you to find them. You can hang a bell from the doorknob or from a screw eye in the frame to teach the puppy to ring when he wants to go out. Soon he will learn that ringing the bell gets your attention and you will take him out. It works amazingly well. It also works too well at times because he will ring the bell just to go out and play. We think it is a great training technique and is better than a puddle on the carpet.
USING THE “DOORBELL” FOR HOUSETRAINING
Our customers have reported great success using a bell at the house door for the puppy to tell you when they want to go out.
1. Acquire a bell that, when knocked into, is loud enough to be heard around the house.
(Tait’s Basset Doorbell works well.)
2. Hang it from the door knob so that the bells are about one foot off the floor. (If you don’t want to hear the bells every time you go in or out, put a screw hook into the door frame.)
3. When you take your puppy out, say his name and “let’s go out.” Pick your puppy up go and to the one door you will taking him out every time. At the door, “let’s go out,” and bump his nose into the bell to ring it.
4. Then go out give him a chance to “go”, praise him when he “goes” and take him back in.
5. Repeat this for several days every time you take him out. Then give him enough supervised freedom (on or off a lead) to go back to the bell. His curiosity will make him investigate and when he hits it with his nose take him out immediately. As you and he repeat these actions, he will quickly learn to ring the bell to get a trip outside. People report that it only takes a few days for puppy to consistently use the bell.
6. Probably the only drawback to this training is that the puppy will want to go outside, just to play or get attention, more than only to “go.” However, this seems better than him finding a corner inside to go. If he has just taken you outside and asks again, you can simple tell him “later,” and basically ignore the ringing until later.
PAPER TRAINING METHOD (Recommended for owners that are away for extended periods of time during the day.)
1. It is common for owners of a puppy to be absent from the home for work, school and many other reasons. We do not recommend leaving the puppy in the crate for more than 2 hours at a time during the day. Left longer, the puppy will either fail to hold it and go in the crate, or hold it too long and this can be unhealthy. So, if you need to be away for extended periods we recommend the following:
• Preparation
1. Collect newspapers
2. Choose a room with hard floors that can be closed off with a baby gate, or purchase a crate extension (sometimes known as a dog playpen).
• Before leaving
1. Make sure the puppy’s bed, or crate is in the room and place his food or water near the crate or bed.
2. Remove all items (containers, furniture,etc.) that your puppy can damage.
3. Cover the entire floor with newspaper, so that your puppy can’t miss them when he goes.
• When arriving home
1. You want your puppy to go on the papers, so never scold him for going inside on the papers.
2. You are not back in the crate training mode. Immediately take your puppy outside to his/her spot. If he goes, praise with love.
3. Pick up soiled papers and clean floor.
4. By doing this your puppy will learn that it is okay to go inside on the papers only.
5. After about 2 weeks, start to reduce the area covered by the newspaper. Almost always your puppy will continue to go on the paper. The area covered should be away from the puppy’s bed.
6. First two weeks the entire floor, 2nd 2 weeks half the floor and 3rd d 2 weeks cover quarter of the floor.
7. Work toward putting down a pad of newspapers unfolded in the opposite side of the room or area from the puppy’s bed.
8. You will start to see the progress of how long the puppy will “hold it” as he gets older. You will start to see less on the paper as he grows.
THE FIRST FEW DAYS AT HOME
The change in water and environment may cause a slight intestinal upset, with loose stool, poor appetite, etc. Usually a child’s dos of Pepto-Bismal will correct this. However, if the stool becomes bloody or continues to be loose for more than a day or two, consult your veterinarian.
Things that may comfort the puppy in bed the first night:
• A bottle of warm water
• Clothing item with your scent on it
• A wind up clock that ticks
• A radio left on low
Puppies miss their littermates the first night or so, however they adjust rather quickly.
Even with the above items, the puppy will likely be noisy the first night. If you have made sure she has had the opportunity to go to the bathroom, just allow the puppy to whine until she gives up. If the puppy continues to be noisy after the first night, there are several things you can do to discourage it:
• A sharp clap of hands, or roll up newspaper and slap it on your leg and say “NO” firmly. (The newspaper sound when slapped against your leg or wall, or anything usually gets their attention. It makes a noise they don’t like).
• You can also use a small water pistol. Just say “NO” and squirt the puppy in his face at the same time. This technique can be used any time the puppy is doing something you don’t want her to do. For example, biting, chewing, etc.
GENERAL TRAINING
The general rule for Basset training is to BE FIRM. All future discipline depends on the first few days and weeks.
Bassets are very entertaining dogs. Decide what is acceptable behavior in your home and what is NOT acceptable. If they feel they are entertaining you and can get away with it, your dog will continue to do it and will probably continue forever unless corrected.
You should never let your puppy bite you on your hands or feet. Like most puppies, Basset puppies can go through what we call the “alligator stage” where they want to mouth wrestle with other puppies. Unless you have another puppy or dog that they will do this with, the puppy will try it with you or your family members. This may seem like fun at first, however as the puppy gets older and stronger it will usually get out of control and become difficult to stop.
Steps to prevent “alligator biting”
1. When the puppy bites, you must yelp loudly “ow”, like another puppy and yell sharply “no biting”. At the same time quickly pull your hand or leg away.
2. If the puppy comes right back at you, repeat the above, but if that doesn’t work, use the power grab that the puppy’s mother would use. Grab the puppy by the skin on the back of the neck and lift his front legs off the ground and say ‘no biting”.
3. If this does not stop the biting, put the puppy in his crate for a 5 or 10 minute time out. Bassets hate to be alone and will consider this a strong consequence. It also gives the puppy a chance to calm down. Firmly repeating these steps should end this behavior and be a lifelong learning that biting is not okay.
Steps 2 & 3 can be used any time your puppy seems to be out of control. For example, if your puppy or dog seems to be play too roughly with another dog, or is in to the trash again after being told no.
Always confine your puppy to a crate or a safe room when you leave him alone. Continue to do this for 9 to 18 months depending on your puppy. While your puppy may know the rules while you are at home, your absence can bring boredom and or annoyance and it can forget what behaviors are not okay. As he matures this will not be necessary.
If you have a problem keeping your puppy or dog off furniture that you don’t want him on, place a mouse trap under newspaper. The snapping trap will scare but not hurt the puppy.
The water pistol also is a good way of telling your puppy “no”.
FEEDING
We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you continue SELF-FEEDING your puppy.
WHAT IS SELF-FEEDING?
All our adult dogs (and all puppies over 5 weeks old) have dry dog food available to them 24 hours/day. They have all been raised this way and are able to regulate how much they eat on their own without getting overweight. They eat slowly as they are hungry and do not “wolf down” their food like dogs fed once/day.
Puppies (like teenagers) eat a lot while they are actively growing and it is impossible to guess how much they need from the information on the back of the bag.
HOW DO YOU SELF-FEED?
Your puppy has been self-fed dry puppy food for at least two weeks before you take him home. We consider this the best way to feed because:
1. The puppy will only eat as much as he needs whenever he is hungry.
2. She does not gulp the food, so it is more easily digested.
3. The dry food cleans tartar from his teeth.
4. The puppy doesn’t get bored and bark because he is hungry.
Keep the dog dish full at all times, except at night. We recommend taking food from her after you eat your evening meal. You should provide water all day long and remove the water ½ to 1 hour after taking up the feed. This allows the puppy to empty out before bedtime. After a month or so you can leave the food and water down 24 hours/day, because she will get use to the routine.
(Folks - when people ask how many times a day to feed their puppy, we know they haven’t carefully read these instructions – test failed.)
There are quite a few excellent dog foods on the market, however we have chosen to feed Canidae - All Life Stages.
(We have 5# and 40# bags available here at the kennel.)
You can find the closest dealer to you by clicking on this link:
Occasionally, Bassets, including ones from our kennel, have skin problems. We have found that some puppies/dogs are allergic to corn in the dog foods, so we recommend feeding foods without corn. Here is the link to the website for Canidae if you would like to read about the food we use.
dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html
Feeding low-fat leftovers is fine, however you don’t want to feed an excessive amount of “people food” or they will depend on that and not eat the dry dog food. We recommend that you never feed your dog during your meal or you will create a begging dog and a nuisance. Feed him leftovers away from the table, after you are finished.
TOYS
We have found that the puppies love rope chew toys and toys such as the Vermont style chewman. This is a gingerbread man shaped doll made out of artificial lambs wool. We sell both items in our kennel if you are interested in buying either. They love to carry the chewman around and play tug of war with the rope chew.
If you are going to allow your puppy to have rawhide chew toys, make sure they are large and when pieces break off they are thrown away. These are okay to use if monitored. You don’t want a large piece to be swallowed and lodged in the dog’s throat or intestines. They also are sometimes messy and smell badly. There are a lot of new chew toys on the market now, so the best advice we can give is to consult your veterinarian if you have any questions. Just remember that Bassets will swallow objects so make sure you have large enough toys.
Bassets love raw carrots, so you can feed carrots as a treat. Actually, Bassets will eat just about anything, even things you don’t want them to eat, so be careful with leaving things within reach of your puppy or dog as he grows up. If your Basset loses his appetite and becomes sick, make sure your vet considers that an object may be stuck in your dogs bowels and considers an x-ray.
COLLAR
Keep a comfortable collar on your puppy/dog at all times. Attach a license, dog identification tag and rabies tag to it.
We strongly recommend the Lupine “Combo collar”. We like this collar is because it has two rings, one for the leash, the other for the tags. It can be adjusted to fit comfortably around the puppy’s neck, but then tightens when the leash is pulled for control. We sell them in our kennel, or you can find them on this website --
Before you purchase a collar, you may want to see these Combo collars we offer. There are people who buy collars before coming, but then after we show them the Combo collar, decide to buy it and return the one they came with. For some reason, the Combo collars are not easy to find in retail stores.
Items for sale in our kennel:
6% PA SALES TAX WILL BE ADDED TO PRICE
Lupine Combo Collar $10.00
(10-14” for puppies)
(14-20” for 5 months and older)
Lupine 6ft. Leash $12.00
Tait’s Bassets Doorbell $12.50
(Really works – see instructions above)
Midwest Folding Crates
For 1 Dog $75.00
(36”D x 28”H x24”W)
Large size-2 Dogs $130.00
(48”D x 35”H x 30”W)
(Must special order)
Canidae - All Life Stages Dry Food
5 lb. bag $8.00
40 lb. bag $35.00
Bio-Groom Ear Cleaner $10.00
Nail Clippers $6.00
Rope Chew $6.00
Vermont Style Chewman $10.00
Fleece 12” Bone $10.00
HEALTH
Unless there is some special need for ear care, I suggest starting out trimming his nails and cleaning his ears at the same time about every 2 ½ weeks. Gradually lengthen that to once a month as an adult. (If you walk your puppy often on hard surfaces, the nails will wear down some on their own and will not need cut as often. )
Clean the puppy’s ears every 2-4 weeks with an ear cleansing solution (such as Bio-Groom Ear Care). It is very important to warm the ear cleaner first. Just place the bottle, with the cap loosened, in the micro-wave for anywhere from 15 to 45 seconds depending on how much is in the bottle. You want it to be warm, just a little warmer than body temperature, not hot. After microwaving, shake well and test it on your arm like a baby bottle for temperature.
Fill the ear canal with cleaner, generous amount.
1. Massage the ear
2. Use a paper towel wrapped over your index finger and clean gently, but thoroughly all the way to the bottom of the ear canal to remove any wax. Use your index finger to get all the way down. You will not hurt the puppy’s ear.
3. Make sure you have the ear dry and clean when you are finished.
If your puppy scratches at his/her ears a lot, have your vet check for ear mites. If found, they can be treated easily with medication.
Scratching: Look for fleas deep in the hair on shoulder and the rump. If you routinely take your dog to areas where there are other dog, you will probably need some type of flea treatment. If there are no fleas, look for raw irritated skin areas. If found, consult your vet.
There are many different types of flea treatments on the market, however we have had great success with Frontline-Plus flea treatment. We recommend speaking to your vet about what you should use.
Internal parasites(worms) Common in puppies, however if left untreated they can become a very serious health problem. Make sure on your first visit to the vet after leaving the kennel, you take a stool sample to have it checked for any parasites. You should also do this on your yearly routine visit to the vet, or any time that you think your dog may have been exposed to parasites. Disgusting as it is, dogs most often pick up worms from eating other dogs poop (containing worm eggs). Parks and highway rest stops are common places for infection. Any time that your dog has pale gums, her coat gets rough, suspect worms. Your vet will prescribe the right amount of medication.
We worm all of our puppies at least four times in the eight weeks that we have them in our kennel. However, we still suggest that you have the stool checked on your first visit out of the kennel. Parasites are very hard to control in the kennel environment, so we worm while they are here, but they continue to be re-infected while they are here, so it is best to make sure they are treated after being removed from our kennel, if necessary.
Basset hounds short legs provide little shock absorption, therefore you must be careful not to let the puppy jump off chairs or come downstairs until large enough to do it safely. We generally suggest that you carry your puppy up and down the stairs until they are too big for you to carry. (Generally 4-5 months old) If you are going to allow the puppy/dog on the bed, or furniture we suggest buying the steps made for the bed. This will allow the puppy/dog to use the steps instead of jumping off and injuring themselves.
If you have any questions during the life of your dog, please do not hesitate to contact us. We enjoy and want to be helpful if you would like our advice.
John Tait
2008
PLEASE READ OUR HEALTH GUARANTEE BELOW
Tait's Bassets Guarantee
We guarantee that our puppies leave the kennel in good health. We require that you to take your new puppy to your vet within five days after it leaves our kennel for a complete physical. We want you and your vet to be confident that the puppy is healthy. If your vet finds any problem, please contact us. If it is something minor, we will want you to get it treated and we will pay for the treatment. If it is something major, you must call us so that we can have a conversation about how to proceed. The puppy can come back for a full refund or a new puppy, or we will pay for the cost of treatment up to the cost of the puppy.
Our guarantee does not include reimbursement for the cost of the initial visit to your vet, however, we will reimburse you for any medications dispensed during the initial visit to your vet for any minor health issues that may be present. For example, ear infection or urinary tract infection.
We use a very good "wormers" to rid the puppies and the adults of intestinal parasites. Generally, they have had at least four "treatments" and usually leave here parasite free. However, to make sure, take about a golf ball size stool sample (poop) to your vet on your initial visit to the vet. We do not reimburse for anti-parasitic medication, if needed.
We have a long history of standing behind the health of our puppies and do everything we can to insure you are purchasing a healthy puppy, however we do not have any control over things that happen after the puppy leaves our kennel. Therefore, we will not reimburse for illness of your puppy that would be considered a normal health issue in dogs.
If your puppy is diagnosed with a genetic health issue in the first year, we want you to contact us before proceeding with treatment. We will gather information from you and your vet and consult with our vet to decide what would be our fair responsibility for reimbursement. In any case, the limit of reimbursement will be the cost of the puppy.
REGISTRATION:
This puppy is being sold with the AKC Limited Registration (this is the pet registration and means that the dog can he registered, but cannot be shown for points and any puppies produced by a parent with this registration cannot be registered.) Therefore, we fully expect your puppy to be spayed or neutered at six months of age. RE-PLACEMENT HELP:
With the breeding and raising of our puppies and the training of our customers, we try to assure that they have a long successful life together. However, if during the life of this dog, you find that you can no longer keep it and you need help in finding a new placement, we want you to contact us. We want none of our dogs to have the risks of going to a shelter.
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