AboutNicole Expertise I will offer assistance to anyone needing help with general Basset Hound care, health and behavior/training.
I do not, however, assist those who have bred their pet. If you are responsibly breeding, you shouldn't have simple questions as your mentor should be providing you all the instruction you need.
Experience I currently own a 5 year old Basset Hound and his 6 non-basset siblings...(a mutt and 5 Boxers). I have studied dog behavior and training extensively and train my own dogs.
Organizations Buckeye Boxer Rescue
Education/Credentials I was a certified obedience instructor and a certified potty-training instructor with Petsmart and studied under a canine behaviorist.
Question I currently have a 7 month old male basset which is the only dog we own. We were wondering if it would be a problem to get another dog to help keep him company during the day. We would love to have another basset any advice if it should be a female/male and if it would be okay to get another basset or should we go with a different breed?
Answer Hi Jenny,
My question(s) to you would be for what purpose does he need company? Are you at work during the day? At school? Is he crated or does he have full run of the house? Is he completely trained? Has he gone through obedience school? Think seriously about your reasons for wanting another dog.
If you DO leave him alone all day, a puppy is out of the question. You'll need to look to a rescue or shelter for an adult dog that has been trained properly already. Buying a puppy and then leaving it home isn't fair to the animal.
If your current guy is crated, having another dog in the house isn't going to matter.
If he's not trained, wait until he is. Concentrate on making him the dog you want him to be. :)
Dogs thrive in packs and love the company of other dogs. Provided he's well-behaved, house trained and roaming at large in the home while you're gone, there's nothing wrong with getting another dog of any breed. If you like Bassets and want another, there's no problem.
Yes, male/female is the best pairing to start off with, being sure, of course, that one or both are altered. Don't want any puppies running around that you aren't prepared for :)
If you decide to go with a different breed, do some research and find a breed that suits both your personality and that of the dog you already have. If your dog is laid back, you don't want a hyper little bouncy thing running around with him driving him crazy all day. ;)
