Pooch Profile Snapshot - Basset Hound

Fun facts:

- beautiful big expressive eyes

- incredible droppy ears

- ancestor of the Bloodhound

- extraordinary sense of smell

- does well with children and other pets

- doesn't like to excercise

- loves to eat

- can be stubborn at times

- prone to ear infections, spinal injuries, and eye diseases

- mournful vocalizations

- loves to please

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Ten Important Things Your Dog Wants You To Know

If your dog could talk, these are some of most important things she would like to tell you...

1 - My life will probably only last 7 to 14 years. It will hurt me more than you know if I have to be away from you for longer than a day or two.

2 - If you have patience with me and give me time to learn what you would like from me, I can promise you, you will never be disappointed.

3 - Trust me with your life and have faith in our future together. If I don't feel that you honestly believe in me, I will suffer great emotional stress. My sense of self-worth is totally dependent upon your confidence in me.

4 - Don't stay mad at me for long or confine me to a cage to punish me. You have your friends, your job, and your recreation. I HAVE ONLY YOU!

5 - Talk to me about anything you want as frequently as possible. Even if I can't comprehend your precise words, I can understand the meaning of what you're telling me by the tone of your voice.

6 - Remember no matter how you treat me, I will NEVER forget it.

7 - When you consider raising your hand to hit me, remember I have teeth that could break the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.

8 - Before you scream at me for failing to respond to your commands as I usually do, take time to think about what might be wrong with me that would cause me to treat you differently. Maybe I haven't been eating right or drinking enough water. Or maybe my age is catching up with me and I just can't do what I used to do.

9 - Take good care of me when I get old. Someday you will be as old as me and you will see how it feels.

10 - Be there for me through good times and bad. Never say you can't handle taking me to the vets for stitches or surgery. Nothing could make me feel worse. Everything in my life is easier for me to deal with when I have you standing by my side. Remember my love for you is unconditional and it will last for your entire life.

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) Danielle Hollister is the Quotations Editor at BellaOnline and Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp

Interpreting Canine Vocalization


When scientists study dog sounds, they identify a number of different vocalizations with different nuances of meaning. There are two important factors to attend to in dog vocalizations. The first is the pitch of the sound. For barks and other sounds, low-pitched sounds usually indicate threats, anger, and the possibility of aggression, while higher-pitched sounds can mean fear or pain or, where they are less sharp, pleasure or playfulness.

The second factor in dog vocalizations is the frequency or repetition rate of the sound. Sounds that are repeated often, at a fast rate, indicate a degree of excitement and urgency. Sounds that are spaced out or not repeated usually indicate a lower level of excitement or a passing state of mind.

In addition, the duration of the sounds is also important. High-pitched sounds of short duration frequently indicate fear or pain. On the other hand, the same sounds repeated at a slower rate indicate playfulness or anticipation of pleasure. Generally speaking, more sustained sounds indicate intentionality, behavior that is about to happen, such as the low-pitched, sustained growl that precedes an attack.

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Disciplining Your Puppy

Although some canine behaviors are similar to the behavior of the wolf, the domestic dog has developed many unique adaptive behaviors as a result of his cohabitation, companion relationship, and interaction with humans. Consequently, training techniques derived from wolf behavior are not necessarily effective with the domesticated dog. For instance, the female wolf is said to pick up her misbehaving pup by his scruff, shake him, drop him to the ground, and pin him there.

The wolf's behavior is interpreted as a correction to the pup that demonstrates the mother's dominance. While the wolf pup may understand such language, the domestic dog may not. There is little evidence to indicate that domestic female dogs shake their puppies by the scruff or use the alpha rollover as a correction.

This is only one factor that preclude correcting the dog in a manner designed for wolf puppies; therefore, trainers and pet owners would benefit greatly in understanding dog behavior as opposed to wolf behavior.

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5 Ways In Which A Dog's Intelligence Has Shaped Their Services

The uses of dogs that capitalize on aspects of their instinctive intelligence have become more varied in today's world. A quick sampling of some of these contemporary dog careers includes:

1. Seeing-eye dogs, who guide their blind masters around obstacles, warn them of approaching vehicles, and allow them to navigate independently, even in the complex urban environment;

2. Hearing-ear dogs, who alert their deaf masters to sounds, such as the ringing of a doorbell or telephone or the whistle of a teakettle;

3. Search and rescue dogs, who are used to track and find individuals who are lost or buried by debris in earthquakes or under snow in avalanches;

4. Water rescue dogs, who retrieve individuals and objects from the water, swim lines out to stranded boaters, and even drag small boats to waiting rescuers;

5. Drug and explosive-finding dogs, who use their scenting abilities to find contraband materials. A variation on this are the dogs that find truffles for connoisseurs of this delicacy. They are better than the pigs that have been traditionally used for two reasons: dogs have keener scenting powers, and they don't like the taste of truffles, so there is less worry that they will eat them before the gatherers get to them.

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How To Keep Dogs From Rolling Around In The Dirtiest Of Things

Dogs have been rolling in dirty things for as long as they have been dogs. It is as much a part of who they are as their barks and wagging tails. They are not going to quit doing it just because people want them to. All that you can hope to achieve is keeping them away from temptation or knocking down the odor enough that they are bearable to be around.

Baths are fine for eliminating a little bit of doggy smell, but they will not do a thing for a dog who has rolled on an old catfish. If anything, washing them seems to raise the scent. A better choice may be an odor neutralizer. Available in pet supply stores and online catalogs, these contain ingredients that break down bad odors chemically.

Beat them to it. It is not a glamorous job, but some people have resigned themselves to doing a treasure hunt every few days, looking for things in the yard that their dogs are likely to be attracted to such as dead mice and rotten bird eggs.

Take some goodies with you when you are out for a walk. It is not easy to convince dogs to ignore their natural urge to roll, but food is always a reliable distraction.

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Helping Your Dog Understand Communication

An open line of communication between owner and dog does not always ensure that the messages sent will be received correctly. A common instance in which unintentional messages are sent to a dog is during a fearful episode. The dog encounters a frightening object, event, or person and displays a variety of fear reactions, which may include shaking, barking, and backing away. The owner then sends out messages to comfort and assure the dog that there is no reason to be fearful.

These messages are highly potent as the owner lovingly strokes the dog and commiserates with a cross between baby talk and sincere empathy, "It's okay, no one will hurt you." The message the owner intends to send to the dog is the information that the situation is not threatening. The message the dog receives through the stroking and baby talk is that acting and being fearful is rewarding and pleasing to the owner.

Being consoled and stroked overshadows any information the dog could receive from the environment should he be allowed to remain in the situation without any intervention. Furthermore, the dog is reinforced for exhibiting fearful behavior by the pleasure of being stroked and consoled. Avoid the strong temptation to lovingly comfort the fearful dog lest he learn to act frightened for subsequent reinforcement.

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Why Dogs Jump Up And Lick People's Faces

Part of the canine greeting is to sniff and lick faces. Because people are so much bigger than they are, dogs try to bridge the gap by jumping up. Some people really dislike it when dogs, their own or someone else's, jump on them. But dogs, on the other hand, do it all the time because they think they are being polite.

The next time you take your dog to the park, watch how he greets and is greeted by other
dogs. They start by sniffing each other's mouths, then move around to sniff the back ends. All
of this is considered proper and polite behavior among dogs, and they assume it is the way they should greet people.

Dogs do not have any trouble sniffing our bottoms, they will do it all the time if given a chance. But the first part of the greeting, the mouth sniff, is not possible because we are so much taller than they are. Except for very short people with very tall dogs, the only way this is going to happen is if dogs get up on their hind legs.

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Why Do Dogs Bury Their Food?

Ancient dogs survived on whatever they could find or catch. If they managed to get more than they could eat in a sitting, they had to make sure it would be there when they came back to it later. "They stored spare food by burying it," says Benjamin Hart, D.V.M., Ph.D., professor of physiology and behavior at the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine at Davis. "It was a pretty resourceful way of keeping leftovers." Dirt may be gritty and hard on the teeth, but it is also protective.

The temperature in the ground is cooler than it is in the air, so burying food helped it stay fresh longer. Buried food did not roast in the sun. It did not immediately get covered with flies and insects. All in all, burying food and juicy bones was a very good solution.

Dogs do not need to bury their food anymore. But when they have an excess of rations, they feel that old urge coming on. So they look for a secluded spot, dig a quick hole, and put some goodies away for a rainy day.

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Reading Your Dog's Ear Movement

All positions of a dog's ears should be gauged relative to the way the dog normally carries his ears when he is relaxed. Dogs with severely cropped or very long ears will be harder to read.

Ears erect or slightly forward: "What is that?" This is a sign of attention in response to a sound or when studying a new situation. Accompanied by a slightly tilted head and a relaxed or slightly open mouth, the meaning changes to "This is really interesting" or "I do not understand that" and is associated with observation of an event. However, when accompanied with bared teeth and wrinkled nose, it is an offensive threat by a confident dog.

Ears pulled back flat against the head: "I am scared" or "I am protecting myself against a possible attack." This is usually associated with a challenge of some sort.

Ears pulled slightly back: On a prick-eared dog such as a German Shepherd, the ears take on a slightly splayed, sideways spread in this position. It means "I do not like this" and "I am ready to fight or run." This is the look of suspicion and may show both aggression and ambivalence.

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Dog's Mouth Gestures & What They Mean

1. Mouth relaxed and slightly open, tongue may be slightly visible or even slightly draped over the lower teeth: This is the dog equivalent of the human smile. It means "I am happy and relaxed."

2. Yawn: While it is usually interpreted by humans as meaning fatigue or boredom, it is actually a stress-related signal, best interpreted as "I am tense or anxious."

3. Lips curled to expose some teeth, mouth still mostly closed: "You are annoying me!" This is the first sign of menace or threat.

4. Lips curled up to show major teeth, some wrinkling of the area above the nose, mouth partly open: "If you do something that I might interpret as a threat, I may bite." This is the next stage of threat but may also indicate fearfulness. Pressing a dog at this stage may lead to an aggressive attack.

5. Lips curled up to expose not only all of the teeth but also the gums above the front teeth, visible wrinkles above the nose: "Back off!" This is the full threat display that indicates a dog is ready to release a violent attack. If you are ever confronted with this display, you should not turn and run: the level of arousal is so high that your movement will probably produce a pursuit-and-attack response. Instead, cast your gaze slightly down (a slightly submissive eye position), open your mouth a bit (a bit of a counter-threat), and back off slowly.

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A Dog's Growl & What It Means

Growls can stand alone or be used to modify barking sounds to add a degree of threat. Below are five different ways a dog may growl and what the dog means by that growl:

1. Soft, low-pitched growling: "Beware!" "Back off!" This is used as a threat and usually causes the listener to move away, giving the dog more space.

2. Low-pitched growl-bark: This is a clear growl that leads to a bark. It means "I'm upset and I'm ready to fight!" This is a clear warning that pressing the dog will lead to aggression.

3. Higher midrange-pitched growl-bark: "I'm worried [or frightened], but I will defend myself." This is the threat of a less-confident animal who will, however, most likely fight back if pushed.

4. Undulating growl: This is a growl that goes from low midrange to high midrange with a kind of a semi-bark often added as the pitch rises. It means "I'm terrified. If you come at me, I may fight or I may run." This is the fearful-aggressive sound of a very unsure dog.

5. Noisy growl, with teeth hidden from view: "This is a good game!" "I'm having fun!" It is usually part of the play sequence and may be tucked in between a series of stutter-barks. It usually indicates intense concentration, as in a tug-of-war or play-acting aggression.