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The Basset Hound

Breed Standard

Dear Fellow Basset Hound lover,

If you are a current, new or prospective Basset Hound owner, you should find the following breed standards helpful.

The American Kennel Club has laid down a detailed report on the physical characteristics and temperament of Basset Hounds.

 The American Kennel Club accepted the standard for Basset Hounds in early 1964. Since then, the Basset Hound Club of America has revised it with recommendations.

Physical characteristics: As you know, the Basset Hound is a medium sized dog. He has a large but proportionate head, with slightly sad eyes and long ears. Loose skin on his forms a dewlap and gives him a distinctive character.

His eyes: Neither do his eyes bulge nor are they deep-set; but they range in color from being mid-brown in light colored Basset Hounds to dark. The red of his lower lids can be seen. If he has light or yellow eyes, they run contrary to the standard.

His ears: His ears are low–set, just below eye level. He has long, narrow ears that are fine and smooth in texture that end in an inward curl.

His forequarters: The standard lays down that his shoulder blades be laid back. He must ideally have short forelegs with the upper forearm tilting inwards without hindering motion. Some wrinkles on his lower legs are acceptable.

His hindquarters: This part of his body should be well muscled and should ideally look spherical from the rear. The stifles should be well bent and the hocks, though bent a bit under the body, should neither turn in nor out. The skin between the hock and the foot could appear wrinkled.

His coat: His coat is usually short but dense.

Coat colors: Acceptable coat colors of a Basset Hound are black, tan and white, though the coat looks black and white from a distance. Lemon and white are common too. But blue or gray is not usually welcome since these colors indicate a genetic problem. If the coat is soft with feathers, reject the animal.

The Basset’s coat color is not directly proportional to its price. All we can say is that the commonest color is the tri-color, followed by the red and white, sometimes with a touch of tan, a deep mahogany and a dash of white.

Real lemon, though, is unusual with white markings running into light tan. A lemon Basset Hound at birth is really all white. When it develops a tan with age, it becomes a lemon Basset Hound.

A blue Basset Hound is not very good as this color proves it has a recessive trait and indicates genetic disorders. A good and responsible breeder would not breed this color.

His gait: Since the Basset Hound is a hunting dog primarily, look for smooth, fluid movements in him. His forelegs should reach out and the hind legs should pack in a powerful thrust. If he drags his toes or has stiff hocks, he has a problem.

His temperament: This is a gentle breed and belongs in a pack so a Basset Hound is usually pretty friendly and very adjusting. Males usually do not mark their territory unless there is a male that has not been neutered.

When a Basset Hound runs contrary to the Standard: Here are some features that disqualify a Basset Hound from being his best:

I am sorry if that was all a bit "dry" but it is a little tricky to make the breed standards exciting.

Feel free to look around some more at our other pages on our  website.

Thank you.