General Appearance

1. The Head should be large, the skull narrow but of good length, the peak well-developed. The muzzle should be strong, and the jaws long and powerful ; a snipy muzzle and weakness of jaw are objectionable. The eyes should be dark and not prominent. The ears should be set on low, of good length and fine texture.

2. The Neck should be strong, of good length and muscular, set on sloping shoulders.

3. The Body should be massive, of good length, and well ribbed up, any weakness or slackness of loin being a bad fault. The chest should be large and very deep, the sternum prominent.

4. The Fore Legs should be short and very powerful, very heavy in bone, either half crooked or nearly straight. The elbows should lie against the side of the chest, and should not turn out.

5. Hindquarters should be powerful and muscular; the hind legs should be rather longer than the fore legs, and should be well bent at the stifles.

6. Stern. - Of moderate length and carried gaily ; should be set on high.

7. Coat. - An extremely important point. It should be profuse, thick and harsh to the touch, with a dense undercoat. The coat may be wavy.

8. Colour. - Any recognised hound colour.

9. Weight. - Dogs from 401b. to 5olb., bitches rather less.

The Rough Basset should appear a very powerful hound for his size, on short, strong legs. Body massive and good length, without slackness of loin. The feet should be thick, well padded, and not open. The expression should be kindly and intelligent. Any unsoundness should disqualify the hound.

Of recent years an emphatic stand has been made against unsoundness, and hounds that at one time would have won prizes on account of their beautiful type would now be sent out of the ring unnoticed. This is quite the right line to go upon, for the Basset is essentially a sporting hound, and every effort should be made to breed out unsound front legs or weak loins and quarters. Though many people keep Bassets simply for show purposes or as pets, there is no reason why the working properties should occupy a secondary position in the esteem of the breeder. Indeed, the writer would almost prefer seeing a sporting breed become extinct than suffer the degradation of being propagated simply for so-called "fancy" points. We should try for a well-balanced hound, beautiful in head, with the pathetic expression which is so much of his charm, short legs, with feet beyond reproach, well-sprung ribs, and deep chest. Why some people should wish for longer legs it is difficult to imagine. The Basset was never meant for speed, and, rather than take away one of his chief characteristics, those who want a faster pack should take up Beagles instead. The note of the little hound is deep and melodious.

Fig. 53. - Mrs. Tottie's Smooth Basset-Hound Champion Louis le Beau.

As with so many other varieties, persistent inbreeding for the maintenance of type has resulted in a greater susceptibility to distemper. In order to strengthen the constitution and also get an increase in size, the late Sir Everett Millais made experiments in the direction of a Bloodhound cross, and the results in the third generation were certainly striking. For some reason or other, however, breeders did not lend a ready favour to the idea, and no one has followed it up. As a rule, sensational figures are not paid for Bassets, and quite a little excitement was caused at Cruft's Show in 1900 when Mrs. Tottie claimed Mr. A. Croxton Smith's Wantage for the catalogue price of £150. At an earlier day Mr. Krehl obtained a somewhat similar sum. The illustrations (Fig. 53 and 54) show the present-day type of hound.

Bassets vary a good deal in disposition. Some make delightful companions, becoming much attached to master or mistress, while others display a stubbornness which requires considerable humouring. On the whole, it is mainly a question of early training.

Fig. 54. - Smooth Basset-Hound Champion Xena. Bred by Mrs. C. C. Ellis.

In choosing a puppy, select one with plenty of bone and substance. See that the ears are set on low and fold gracefully, instead of hanging flat to the side of the skull. Beware, too, of those with very narrow heads - they are likely to become snipy. The skin should be loose and fine to the touch, and the eyes should be deep set and show some haw, as with the Bloodhound. The legs should be clean at the shoulder, without any tendency to bow out : the writer prefers them wrinkled down to the feet, which should be large and clumsy-looking for the size of the puppy-