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Basset Hounds
Basset Hound board and train in Gloucester, MA
The AKC says that among dogs only the Bloodhound's nose is more accurate than the Basset's, and that the breed is mild and agreeable at home but stubborn on the trail. What looks like stubbornness is usually a dog doing exactly what it was bred for. Here is how a stay works with that instead of fighting it.
Nose first
A Basset brings a scenthound's focus, a pack dog's sociability and a slow, deliberate pace
The AKC calls the Basset independent, friendly and inquisitive. It scores the breed two for energy, three for trainability, five for getting along with other dogs and with young children, and four for barking, a voice the breed page describes as loud and ringing. The training note explains the independence: scenthounds of this type were developed to hunt on their own and follow a track without distraction, so they can seem aloof and uninterested in commands. A Basset definitely can be trained, the AKC adds, with time, consistency and persistence.
The body matters too. A Basset stands no more than about 15 inches tall yet weighs 40 to 65 pounds, and the AKC describes heavy bone and big-dog strength on powerful little legs. The breed was developed in France and Belgium, the AKC says, possibly by the friars of the Abbey of St. Hubert, to track rabbit and deer while hunters followed on foot. It was built for endurance rather than speed and to work in a pack, and the AKC notes Bassets enjoy canine company on their outings.
- A nose second only to the Bloodhound's, says the AKC
- Energy: two, but a daily walk at a moderate pace is still needed
- Barking: four, in a loud, ringing voice
- 40 to 65 pounds on short legs, with big-dog strength
Picking a program
Foundation pays a young Basset for checking in; Advanced keeps the check-in working when the ground smells interesting
Foundation's single week covers the household essentials, from leash skills and recall to crate manners and impulse control, alongside daycare time, enrichment and a closing go-home lesson. The AKC calls treats and early socialization crucial for a Basset, so the stay uses food generously and counts it against the dog's daily ration. Leash work pays slack-leash steps with permission to sniff. The recall is built indoors first, then on a long line, where coming back is worth more than the smell the dog left.
Advanced lasts two weeks, includes everything in Foundation and aims at reliability out in the world, through distraction proofing, outings, neutrality and socialization, with two coaching lessons for you at the end. For a Basset, distraction proofing mostly means smell: food on the ground, another dog's trail, a picnic spot. The trainer works on leave it until the dog can pass a scent and look back. Our board and train overview goes through both programs item by item.
Stubborn or busy?
What reads as stubborn is usually a nose that has found something better, so the trainer becomes the better thing
When a Basset plants its feet on a walk, it is usually reading the ground, not defying you. AKC trainers suggest using sniffing itself as the reward: short stretches of loose-leash walking paid with a sniff break, a go sniff cue that tells the dog it may relax and smell, and leave it when the break is over. That turns the dog's favorite thing into your currency. Dragging a heavy, low-slung dog forward rarely works and strains you both.
Nose games build focus indoors too. Dogtown's enrichment add-ons include the sniff room for $7 and a puzzle game for $7, and Academy days fold scent and puzzle work into time with a trainer. At home, the find-it game below turns part of dinner into a search. AKC Scent Work, in which dogs hunt for hidden scented swabs and tell their handler when they find one, is a sport that suits a Basset's talent.
- 01
Show the dog a treat and toss it a short way while saying find it
- 02
Repeat until the dog sets off to search when it hears the cue
- 03
Hide the treat behind a chair leg while the dog watches
- 04
Hide it out of sight while the dog waits in another room
- 05
Move the game to the yard, then onto a long line during walks
Pitfalls
Basset owners tend to trust the recall near a trail, overfeed the training and let the baying pay
Trusting the recall is the costly one. The AKC describes a dog developed to follow a track without distraction, and a Basset with its nose on a fresh scent may not register your voice at all. Ravenswood Park in Gloucester appears on The Trustees' list of properties with off-leash walking, but a Basset there belongs on a long line. The second is food. Treats are essential tools, yet the AKC ties regular exercise to keeping the breed from becoming overweight, so training food should come out of meals.
The third is the voice. A Basset that bays at the door and gets let out, fed or fussed over learns that the ringing voice works. Reward the quiet moments and send the dog to its bed when the bell rings. Finally, watch ears and joints. The AKC advises checking the long ears often for infection, and lists hip and elbow dysplasia and luxating patella among the conditions breeders screen for, so ask your vet before long hikes or jumping games.
- A long line on trails, even where off-leash walking is allowed
- Training treats counted against the daily ration
- No reward for baying at the door
- Frequent ear checks, especially after wet walks
Keeping it going
After the stay, make every walk a sniff-and-walk trade and give the nose a daily job
In the closing lessons at Dogtown, the trainer hands you the sniff-break routine and the leave it, then coaches you through both with your own dog. Use them on every walk for the first weeks so the dog learns the deal holds with you too. Keep recall practice on a long line, in your yard or a quiet field, with the best food saved for coming back.
Cape Ann has good ground for a nose. Ravenswood's ten miles of carriage paths and trails wind through about 600 acres, with dogs leashed in the parking area, and Dogtown Common's woods are dog friendly. Tick season runs from April to November, and a low, long-eared dog brushes through a lot of undergrowth, so check the ears, belly and legs after each walk. Dogtown Academy, $89 a full day or $69 a half, keeps the nose busy with a trainer.
At Dogtown
For a Basset's nose and coat
Training, scent-based enrichment like the sniff room, Academy days with a trainer, and a bath before the ride home.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Can a Basset Hound really be trained?
Will my Basset come when called off leash?
Why does my Basset bay at everything?
Can my Basset join the playgroups during the stay?
Can my Basset have a bath before pick-up?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AKC: Basset Hound
- AKC: why does my dog sniff everything?
- The Trustees: Ravenswood Park
- The Trustees: guidelines for dog walkers
- CDC: ticks
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Work with the nose, not against it.
Tell us on the training form what your Basset follows, what it bays at and how walks go. We reply within an hour on business days.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
