Am I alone in looking for rescue specific advice?

[chubbypaws]

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Hello to everyone who reads this post.

I joined DogForum just yesterday, looking for fellow rescue owners - and more specifically non-puppy owners, as my dog was at least 6 yrs old when I adopted him.

Would it be possible to create a specific forum for Rescues and their special problems? Would anyone else find this useful?

Thanks for any thoughts on this.

 

[goldenbear2013]

I don't think you would need a specific forum for rescue dogs.

A lot of people on here have rescue dogs or had them in the past, so any questions specifically related to rescue breeds, I'm sure someone would be able to help.

Is there a specific question you had in mind?

Sophie x

 

[chubbypaws]

Hello and thank you for this reply ... I just thought a forum might be easier for consultation.

As for questions, where do I begin? I'm not sure if the problems I have are behavioral or educational ...

Caz is a Gascony Blue Basset. He was about 6 yrs old when I adopted and had only been in the shelter for a couple of months. Nothing of his history was known, and he had neither tattoo nor electronic identity. He was extremely thin and had apparently been wandering for some time.

From his behaviour, everyone I've spoken to say he'd been beaten; he also had (still has!) shot pellets and a healed tear in his left leather from which I deduced he'd had at least one hunting accident.

I've had him now for almost two years and despite my attempts at training he still doesn't automatically come on recall and refuses to let me attach a lead - as soon as he sees one he runs in the opposite direction, although in general he will let me put his collar and harness on if I can manage to do it very calmly and quietly. He's afraid of sudden movements coming from over his head but loud noises don't bother him at all - we often have low-fly training flights zipping noisily over the garden, he watches air-balloons floating over in summer, and stays completely zen during thunderstorms and firework displays.

I should have said already that I'm handicapped and use two sticks for walking; he's got used to those I think but he seems to use my weakness against me, he's understood I can't bend or run (this also makes training a bit problematic, I can't get down to his level in a non-threatning position). He doesn't play, either, he has no use for balls or frisbees (we don't talk about sticks!) even of the treats-containing type, apart from digging holes to bury them in!

Things will be fine for weeks at a time and I really feel we're getting somewhere and then suddenly, for no apparent reason he'll start having confidence issues again, not sitting next to me or doing any of the daily routine things he normally does quite well.

From other points of view he's a lovely dog. He's clean, he goes to his basket on command, he obeys the "no!" command, he loves riding in the car and will go anywhere with me and stays calmly if I can't let him out of the vehicle for some reason. He can equally easily stay quietly at home alone for a few hours if I can't take him with me (hospital visits for instance). He only "sings" when strangers approach the house but stops when I shush him.

I really would love opinions about these issues - for a beginning, because there will be others of course ... I know I'm not the perfect owner for this type of dog but we do get on well together in general.

Joyce

 

[eingana]

Hi Joyce, and welcome to DogForum

It sounds like you have a challenge on your hands with Caz, which is 'one of those things' with rescuing. I'm a rescuer too, although my rescue is a GSD for whom we had a lot of history- all of it was dreadful, including her front legs being broken by her first owner, starvation and being left alone for 12 hours a day as a puppy (all of which explained an awful lot!).

Are Gascony Blues like standard Bassets in temperament? I'm not sure which parts of Caz's temperament are normal for the breed and which are added on because of his previous history. I do know that all Bassets can be selectively deaf and very headstrong, but other than that my knowledge of them is very limited I'm afraid.

If you are not an experienced Basset owner and would like to consult a really Basset experienced person then I can put you in touch with a lady who is both a breeder and part of breed rescue for standard Bassets.

As I say to all rescuers- keep on keeping on

 

[goldenbear2013]

Well done for being so brave and rescuing Caz, especially if you have mobility problems as well, you really are brave!

I have had rescue dogs in the past. My first was a Rotti called Tank. We got him from the RSPCA and we had no history on him except he was left in a back garden to starve to death.

The rehabilitation process for him was very long. I'm talking years and what we found was that he was beaten as well. I only had to lift my arms up to put my hair in a pony tail and he'd bolt and go and hide. Once we fed him up he was 8 1/2 stone so he was a big dog and to see something as powerful as he was run off in pure fear at me putting my arms above my head shocked me. Right up until the day I had to say goodbye to my boy he still flinched from the smallest movement despite him having absolute trust in me.

The damage caused from dogs being mistreated sometimes never goes away and it sounds like Caz is one of those dogs!

The hound breed as a whole are independent thinkers, stubborn and as Eingana said, stone deaf when they want to be. As you are not able to exert proper discipline to him he will think he can get away with most things.

I agree with what Eingana said and get a breeder in to discuss with you their traits and what can be done to help you along in life with your boy beside you.

You can maybe consult a behavioral specialist as well, to help you along with rehabilitating him once you have spoken with a breeder. this way you will know what to do when he reacts to different thing and differentiate from whether its just basset behavior or something else that needs to be addressed.

My last suggestion would be to see if you know anyone who could be Caz's play date. This will give him more stimulation and also reaffirm doggy etiquette. this in itself will contribute towards his rehabilitation, so I really do hope he's good with other dogs. You will need to find someone though with a dog a similar age as if you bring a young dog into his life, he might just get grumpy as they could be too much for him. You need to match age (roughly) and temperament to get the best result really.

I wish you the best of luck!

Sophie x

 

[chubbypaws]

Hi there, and thank you for this answer.

Your poor GSD went through hell didn't she? She's magnificent if she's the one in the photo - how long has she been with you?

I never thought of Caz as a challenge though I suppose he is - it was just love at first sight on my part. I didn't go into the adoption totally blindly though - most of our previous dogs have been rescues - so I did visit the shelter, take him out and get to know him a bit; I also got hold of literature about the breed, joined specific basset websites etc., Unfortunately the sites are all about breeding, defining standards and so on, which is of no use to me - they don't deal in rescues, and though lovely old Caz is only very slightly crossbred if not purebred he was of course sterilised at the shelter before I even saw him. Which sterilisation didn't take away his propensity for putting his nose to the ground and following wherever it leads - not exactly fugues but seen as such in the eyes of the law no doubt. This is standard Basset behaviour I believe.

So yes, I guess that Gascony Blues are pretty much like standard Bassets character-wise, in a slightly more streamlined physical version, less skin folds, no droopy eyes.

It would be great to be able to talk to someone with Basset rescue experience so if you could help I'd be eternally grateful.

I'll bear the "keep on keeping on" in mind ...

 

[chubbypaws]

Well done for being so brave and rescuing Caz, especially if you have mobility problems as well, you really are brave!

I have had rescue dogs in the past. My first was a Rotti called Tank. We got him from the RSPCA and we had no history on him except he was left in a back garden to starve to death.

The rehabilitation process for him was very long. I'm talking years and what we found was that he was beaten as well. I only had to lift my arms up to put my hair in a pony tail and he'd bolt and go and hide. Once we fed him up he was 8 1/2 stone so he was a big dog and to see something as powerful as he was run off in pure fear at me putting my arms above my head shocked me. Right up until the day I had to say goodbye to my boy he still flinched from the smallest movement despite him having absolute trust in me.

The damage caused from dogs being mistreated sometimes never goes away and it sounds like Caz is one of those dogs!

The hound breed as a whole are independent thinkers, stubborn and as Eingana said, stone deaf when they want to be. As you are not able to exert proper discipline to him he will think he can get away with most things.

I agree with what Eingana said and get a breeder in to discuss with you their traits and what can be done to help you along in life with your boy beside you.

You can maybe consult a behavioral specialist as well, to help you along with rehabilitating him once you have spoken with a breeder. this way you will know what to do when he reacts to different thing and differentiate from whether its just basset behavior or something else that needs to be addressed.

My last suggestion would be to see if you know anyone who could be Caz's play date. This will give him more stimulation and also reaffirm doggy etiquette. this in itself will contribute towards his rehabilitation, so I really do hope he's good with other dogs. You will need to find someone though with a dog a similar age as if you bring a young dog into his life, he might just get grumpy as they could be too much for him. You need to match age (roughly) and temperament to get the best result really.

I wish you the best of luck!

Sophie x

Thank you so much for this in-put, Sophie,

Yes, you make several valid points here concerning basset breeders and behaviour specialists.

Caz is very sociable and gets along well with other dogs - he is submissive rather than dominant in nature; I put this down to his being part of a hunt pack at one stage in his life (this being the only explanation for his presence in the region where I live, and for his injuries - I presume he was abandoned as being expendible, or ran away after punishment of some kind.

He and I recently spent three weeks in the UK at my daughter's where we met their new addition to the family - a CKC/English Springer cross pup. He and Caz played and slept together during the whole time and Caz did establish his dominant place in the hierarchy though he spent much of his time with Lennon hanging from his leathers and flews (and other more embarrassing parts of his anatomy!)

I've had to give up on visits to certain of my friends due to adverse reactions from their dogs - one was a husky which grabbed Caz's back through the chain-link fence before we'd even got into the garden, and another's Bichon bitch spent three days mounting Caz continuously (and I mean continuously, day and night)... without any reaction from the owner who either thought Caz should defend himself or supported this behaviour as the normal run of things. Is it?

As I live in a relatively isolated hamlet where cats are "de rigueur" - Caz's only doggie neighbour is a young Fox Terrier which has been banned from the near vicinity (he's a notorious chicken-killer and has caused a lot of neighbourhood strife) - I shall have to search further afield for walking companions. It's something I shall certainly try to do.

If you like I'll keep you informed of developments,

Joyce

 

[goldenbear2013]

Finding someone you can trust that can take him off your hands for a couple hours for walks with another dog would do him the world of good in my book.

When mine goes to sitter (he has a home boarding place he goes to) he comes back so happy and super tired too as he gets a chance to play all day.

Definitely get in touch with a breeder that is prepared to spend some time with you, even if its via email. I think with the behavioral specialist they will do house visits for you so they can not only train the dog but train you on how to handle him in day to life.

Do keep us posted. Be lovely to hear how you are both getting on.

Sophie x

 

[chubbypaws]

If I may, I'll just add a footnote here - I live in France and organising a "playgroup" for dogs will present some difficulties. Having said that, I have seen a local service-bartering among ecologists site on the internet which holds out some hope!!!

As for contacting BBG breeders I hestitate a lot - they're embroiled at present in a huge discussion as to where the standard is going and rescues are never even mentioned, let alone a priority! I hate to say it but the general pack hunting attitude here is about expendability - it doesn't cost much to create a pack if you don't vaccinate or identify your pack dogs! So the dogs can be treated like throw-aways ... no great loss if one goes missing, and above all no traceability!

I hold out much more hope in contacting a British Basset breeder to talk about Bassets in general and more specifically this rarer breed of BBGs.

Thank you so much for listening - Caz is SO worth the effort!

 

[eingana]

Hi there, and thank you for this answer.

Your poor GSD went through hell didn't she? She's magnificent if she's the one in the photo - how long has she been with you?

I never thought of Caz as a challenge though I suppose he is - it was just love at first sight on my part. I didn't go into the adoption totally blindly though - most of our previous dogs have been rescues - so I did visit the shelter, take him out and get to know him a bit; I also got hold of literature about the breed, joined specific basset websites etc., Unfortunately the sites are all about breeding, defining standards and so on, which is of no use to me - they don't deal in rescues, and though lovely old Caz is only very slightly crossbred if not purebred he was of course sterilised at the shelter before I even saw him. Which sterilisation didn't take away his propensity for putting his nose to the ground and following wherever it leads - not exactly fugues but seen as such in the eyes of the law no doubt. This is standard Basset behaviour I believe.

So yes, I guess that Gascony Blues are pretty much like standard Bassets character-wise, in a slightly more streamlined physical version, less skin folds, no droopy eyes.

It would be great to be able to talk to someone with Basset rescue experience so if you could help I'd be eternally grateful.

I'll bear the "keep on keeping on" in mind ...

Molly is absolutely wonderful, and she's a total pain in the backside too on occasion (as I'm sure we all are sometimes!) but she has been my best buddy for 8 years now, and I love her to bits. She's got her own issues and challenges, but then so have I and so, too, do all dogs owned from a puppy. The issues may differ, but generally I find that the expectation with rescuers is that there will be issues and challenges (and that still we will be happy to live with them) and often people who buy a puppy forget that a similar number of issues can affect their dogs and quite a lot of the issues are boundary testing or phases that come around no matter whether the dog has been in rescue or not.

I've sent a message asking an English basset breeder and rescuer to come and take a look if she can, so crossed fingers she will be able to come and share her knowledge

I'm so glad that whether things are perfect or not, you are not regretting rescuing and are finding Caz a good dog. I so wish that more people could see that rescue dogs bring different experiences with them, but none of those experiences stop a rescue dog from being a lovely dog who has the same needs as any other.

 

[mad basset women]

hello love can you tell me what your limitations are i don't want to be telling you what to do when you just can't do it he sounds like he has been through the wars poor boy

i don't own rescue bassets but i used to breed them and decided a while ago not to do it anymore as i couldn't always settle knowing they would be ok in their new homes one couple i let have a puppy decided it wasn't for them

and rehomed him within a week of having him and didn't even get in touch with me about having him back and i still don't know to this day where he is and it was that , that was the final nail in the coffin for me and my husband i was devastated and decided that was it i was going to breed no more

i don't want to start telling you what to do with your lovely basset

until i know what you can and can't do i'll just let you know a little about me and my bassets

i am owned by 3 gorgeous bassets

their names are june jenny and george and i love them to bits

and god help anybody who hurts them they are my babies and

they know it but even though i do baby them they do know their place in the pack

bassets can get one up on you if you let them that's why they are not suited to everyone people do think they look cute when they are puppies and even when they are adults but don't let this fool you

they know how to work those looks x lol

 

[eingana]

Ey up Thank you for coming to share your basset brain

I can predict what you can and can't train out of a shep, but my basset knowledge isn't enough to help someone else out.

 

[mad basset women]

sorry i also forgot to tell you i am visually impaired and have a guide dog called ziggy she is my fourth guide dog before her

i did have a german shepherd as my third guide dog but i'm afraid our partnership didn't work out so she had to go back to guide dogs before her i had fern which was my second guide dog she passed away last year at 12 year old and my first guide dog was ramble she worked for one and a half years

she has to retire because some idiots set a pitbull on her she was never the same since she was always like jekyll and hyde poor soul

i am also a cake decorator go figure

hello

hello love sorry i didn't come on sooner i had one heck of a migraine

 

[chubbypaws]

Hello MadBasset,

I'm so happy to be in contact with you, especially your "love"s which are specific to us North folk (though I'm Lancashire - still, when it's us against them ...)

Your experiences in placing your basset pups is heartbreaking ... but how many pups are "lost" in this way? How do we fit a dog to one family's reqirements? As long as dog = fashion fad there'll be victims, martyrs along the way. Do you agree?

Let me be straight with you from the beginning. When Caz and I adopted each other I wasn't looking for a basset. I wanted a "senior", 10 yrs+ - preferably among the black lab rescues (black dogs being the most difficult to get adopted apparently). There was one black lab I was seriously thinking of, I'd even taken my eldest grand-daughter to play with him a couple of times ...

And then I saw Caz and I was lost as the saying goes. At a different shelter site in a town I visited often at the time.

He melted me - he was scared of my elbow crutches - and still is on certain days (he's the one who designates which days) but I just couldn't leave him there knowing that there were few possibilities of him being adopted otherwise ...

My Handicap - I suffer from Post-Polio Syndrome, I had polio age 3. Now I have to use two elbow crutches, I can't stand for more than 5 minutes at a time, I can't bend easily or kneel - at all !

I can't walk Caz every day. However when I'm with my children or friends they walk Caz. But he doesn't seem bored otherwise, I have a big back garden where he's free whenever the weather permits.

Here I have a big question, because Caz does NOT play with toys - and I'd like to be able to exercise Caz via toys - but does he need my example? I can't run, I'm no longer supple ...

How can I train him to even like toys, given my own physical limits? I'm just afraid that right now he's bored out of his mind - he sleeps 16+ hours a day at present, though he doesn't gain weight as I control the proportion of his kibble ... but I'm afraid he'll become depressed. I was recently in the UK for three weeks and he had the "overwhelming?" companionship of four of my grandchildren ages 5 yrs x 2 + 3 yrs x 2 ... noisy, active ... plus a newly aquired pup. Caz had his work cut out. But there was absolutely no aggression, just hierarchy play with all ... children and pup all in!

I'd lke this "zen" attitude to continue even though we live the life of monks in between times ...

Can you help?

Also any hints on training for recall which is essential and yet still not acquired after 2 years together ...

Is it lack of confidence?

Cheers, Joyce

 

[mad basset women]

)hello love how are you with sitting on the floor if you could sit on the floor on a cushion and just have him sit next to you in his own time don't force him just let him come to you on the certain days he doesn't want to then fine just leave him be if he is food orientated then let that work for you basset hounds love sausage or cheese it doesn't have to be huge amounts just a small piece will do
i know you want to keep his weight down but you will have to make an exception for the first time im trying to get him used to you everytime he comes to sit with you
or dose something good that you are happy about reward him with these treats keep these treats
separate from everything else make these his special treats that
will only be used in getting him use to you if you can't sit on the floor do this on the sofa i don't know if you allow him on the sofa but it would be ideal if you could with your disability this will be the only way you can try and get him close to you at his level
i wouldn't worry too much about him not playing with toys some basset hounds just are not interested in playing with toys george will play with toys but
june will play with them sometimes but jenny has never really played with toys it's just her personality and your basset hound is probably the same it's just finding out what he likes and dislikes probably find he might like to play with you not toys but be very gentle with him george loves nothing more them to have a little scuffle with his mummy daddy
it will have to be things on his terms how is he about cuddles things like this would help if he allow you to do praise him with his special treats and everytime he does something that you think he is making progress on over phrase him but be careful not to smother him
as this could make him go back
the times he seems to go back will be things he has remembered it might be something so small that you do that will probably brought really bad memories back to him or maybe he has had a really bad dream about it
when he does go back with whatever you do that makes him do it don't make a big thing about it as hard as it is just carry on like normal the worst thing you can do is smother him when this happens
when he seems to forget and come and sit with you give him a special treat it will take time but hopefully Caz will shine through god only knows what he has seen through in his short little life
bassetts are very loyal dogs and if you can help him overcome his fear he will make a wonderful basset with a wonderful personality
i wouldn't personally let him off
the lead basset hounds have a terrible recall out of all the 3 bassets i own jenny is the only 1 that has a great recall with you having Caz from the age of 6
i really wouldn't advise you letting him off i would advise that you get a retractable lead which gives him the freedom when your out on walks
to keep his mind active play hide and seek with him with bits of food use bits of his kibble
from his dinner for this start of
easy and hide the food at a hight that is the ideal for you & Caz
and use the word "find it" you will have to show him what he is supposed to do a few times but

believe me he will grasp it and once again over praise , but be gentle !
hope this helps and let me know if there is anything i have missed out

feel free to join my forum on the link below

 

[chubbypaws]

Hi there, and thank you for this answer.

Your poor GSD went through hell didn't she? She's magnificent if she's the one in the photo - how long has she been with you?

I never thought of Caz as a challenge though I suppose he is - it was just love at first sight on my part. I didn't go into the adoption totally blindly though - most of our previous dogs have been rescues - so I did visit the shelter, take him out and get to know him a bit; I also got hold of literature about the breed, joined specific basset websites etc., Unfortunately the sites are all about breeding, defining standards and so on, which is of no use to me - they don't deal in rescues, and though lovely old Caz is only very slightly crossbred if not purebred he was of course sterilised at the shelter before I even saw him. Which sterilisation didn't take away his propensity for putting his nose to the ground and following wherever it leads - not exactly fugues but seen as such in the eyes of the law no doubt. This is standard Basset behaviour I believe.

So yes, I guess that Gascony Blues are pretty much like standard Bassets character-wise, in a slightly more streamlined physical version, less skin folds, no droopy eyes.

It would be great to be able to talk to someone with Basset rescue experience so if you could help I'd be eternally grateful.

I'll bear the "keep on keeping on" in mind ...

Molly is absolutely wonderful, and she's a total pain in the backside too on occasion (as I'm sure we all are sometimes!) but she has been my best buddy for 8 years now, and I love her to bits. She's got her own issues and challenges, but then so have I and so, too, do all dogs owned from a puppy. The issues may differ, but generally I find that the expectation with rescuers is that there will be issues and challenges (and that still we will be happy to live with them) and often people who buy a puppy forget that a similar number of issues can affect their dogs and quite a lot of the issues are boundary testing or phases that come around no matter whether the dog has been in rescue or not.

I've sent a message asking an English basset breeder and rescuer to come and take a look if she can, so crossed fingers she will be able to come and share her knowledge

I'm so glad that whether things are perfect or not, you are not regretting rescuing and are finding Caz a good dog. I so wish that more people could see that rescue dogs bring different experiences with them, but none of those experiences stop a rescue dog from being a lovely dog who has the same needs as any other.

I must thank you again for your advice - I think the person you spoke of has contacted me (Mad Basset Woman?); in any case I'll br following her advice as nearly as I can and will post reports from time to time.

You're so right about rescue dogs being the same in its needs as any other - just an extra dose of willingness of the part of the adopter to go the whole mile ...

 

[chubbypaws]

)hello love how are you with sitting on the floor if you could sit on the floor on a cushion and just have him sit next to you in his own time don't force him just let him come to you on the certain days he doesn't want to then fine just leave him be if he is food orientated then let that work for you basset hounds love sausage or cheese it doesn't have to be huge amounts just a small piece will do

i know you want to keep his weight down but you will have to make an exception for the first time im trying to get him used to you everytime he comes to sit with you

or dose something good that you are happy about reward him with these treats keep these treats

separate from everything else make these his special treats that

will only be used in getting him use to you if you can't sit on the floor do this on the sofa i don't know if you allow him on the sofa but it would be ideal if you could with your disability this will be the only way you can try and get him close to you at his level

i wouldn't worry too much about him not playing with toys some basset hounds just are not interested in playing with toys george will play with toys but

june will play with them sometimes but jenny has never really played with toys it's just her personality and your basset hound is probably the same it's just finding out what he likes and dislikes probably find he might like to play with you not toys but be very gentle with him george loves nothing more them to have a little scuffle with his mummy daddy

it will have to be things on his terms how is he about cuddles things like this would help if he allow you to do praise him with his special treats and everytime he does something that you think he is making progress on over phrase him but be careful not to smother him

as this could make him go back

the times he seems to go back will be things he has remembered it might be something so small that you do that will probably brought really bad memories back to him or maybe he has had a really bad dream about it

when he does go back with whatever you do that makes him do it don't make a big thing about it as hard as it is just carry on like normal the worst thing you can do is smother him when this happens

when he seems to forget and come and sit with you give him a special treat it will take time but hopefully Caz will shine through god only knows what he has seen through in his short little life

bassetts are very loyal dogs and if you can help him overcome his fear he will make a wonderful basset with a wonderful personality

i wouldn't personally let him off

the lead basset hounds have a terrible recall out of all the 3 bassets i own jenny is the only 1 that has a great recall with you having Caz from the age of 6

i really wouldn't advise you letting him off i would advise that you get a retractable lead which gives him the freedom when your out on walks

to keep his mind active play hide and seek with him with bits of food use bits of his kibble

from his dinner for this start of

easy and hide the food at a hight that is the ideal for you & Caz

and use the word "find it" you will have to show him what he is supposed to do a few times but

believe me he will grasp it and once again over praise , but be gentle !

hope this helps and let me know if there is anything i have missed out

feel free to join my forum on the link below

I shall certainly be following all your excellent advice as near as I can (I can't sit on the floor - or at least, I can, but getting up again resembles a military manoeuvre!)

Caz is always walked on a lead, there's no way I could ever let him off and yes he does have a retractable lead inherited from our previous dogs. He doesn't bolt as such, he just meanders off through any openeing available - door, gap in a fence, etc.,

If you don't mind I'll stay in touch and keep you up to date on any improvements even if they're few and far between.

I've joined your forum too ...

 

[mad basset women]

)hello love how are you with sitting on the floor if you could sit on the floor on a cushion and just have him sit next to you in his own time don't force him just let him come to you on the certain days he doesn't want to then fine just leave him be if he is food orientated then let that work for you basset hounds love sausage or cheese it doesn't have to be huge amounts just a small piece will do

i know you want to keep his weight down but you will have to make an exception for the first time im trying to get him used to you everytime he comes to sit with you

or dose something good that you are happy about reward him with these treats keep these treats

separate from everything else make these his special treats that

will only be used in getting him use to you if you can't sit on the floor do this on the sofa i don't know if you allow him on the sofa but it would be ideal if you could with your disability this will be the only way you can try and get him close to you at his level

i wouldn't worry too much about him not playing with toys some basset hounds just are not interested in playing with toys george will play with toys but

june will play with them sometimes but jenny has never really played with toys it's just her personality and your basset hound is probably the same it's just finding out what he likes and dislikes probably find he might like to play with you not toys but be very gentle with him george loves nothing more them to have a little scuffle with his mummy daddy

it will have to be things on his terms how is he about cuddles things like this would help if he allow you to do praise him with his special treats and everytime he does something that you think he is making progress on over phrase him but be careful not to smother him

as this could make him go back

the times he seems to go back will be things he has remembered it might be something so small that you do that will probably brought really bad memories back to him or maybe he has had a really bad dream about it

when he does go back with whatever you do that makes him do it don't make a big thing about it as hard as it is just carry on like normal the worst thing you can do is smother him when this happens

when he seems to forget and come and sit with you give him a special treat it will take time but hopefully Caz will shine through god only knows what he has seen through in his short little life

bassetts are very loyal dogs and if you can help him overcome his fear he will make a wonderful basset with a wonderful personality

i wouldn't personally let him off

the lead basset hounds have a terrible recall out of all the 3 bassets i own jenny is the only 1 that has a great recall with you having Caz from the age of 6

i really wouldn't advise you letting him off i would advise that you get a retractable lead which gives him the freedom when your out on walks

to keep his mind active play hide and seek with him with bits of food use bits of his kibble

from his dinner for this start of

easy and hide the food at a hight that is the ideal for you & Caz

and use the word "find it" you will have to show him what he is supposed to do a few times but

believe me he will grasp it and once again over praise , but be gentle !

hope this helps and let me know if there is anything i have missed out

feel free to join my forum on the link below

I shall certainly be following all your excellent advice as near as I can (I can't sit on the floor - or at least, I can, but getting up again resembles a military manoeuvre!)Caz is always walked on a lead, there's no way I could ever let him off and yes he does have a retractable lead inherited from our previous dogs. He doesn't bolt as such, he just meanders off through any openeing available - door, gap in a fence, etc.,

If you don't mind I'll stay in touch and keep you up to date on any improvements even if they're few and far between.

I've joined your forum too ...

that's great feel free to contact me anytime I hope the advice helps

did I give you my facebook link

here it is anyway I can't remember if I gave it you

https://m.facebook.com/tereaza?ref=bookmark

 

[mad basset women]

did you manage to sort the problems out ? :flowers:

& I hope your feeling fine hun