Tips for Training a Basset Hound Puppy

Many people do not realize when they bring home a basset hound puppy how difficult it will be to train. All puppies are difficult to train, but a basset hound puppy is often much more difficult to train than other breeds. Basset hounds are often difficult to train because their natural instincts cause their mind to wander as scents fill their nose. Their natural instinct is to follow those scents and as a result, they often do not obey commands. Plus, basset hounds are very stubborn. Most breeds of dogs will go out of their way to please their owner, but not a basset hound.

Obedience Training

Obedience training a basset hound is a very difficult task, but if you take the time to remain dedicated to the task it is not impossible. Training a basset hound puppy requires patience and you need to make the training fun for the puppy. Begin the training while the puppy is very young and make it as enjoyable as possible so the puppy looks forward to the training. To keep the obedience training fun, use a wide variety of training methods and activities to prevent the puppy from getting bored. Make sure you keep the training sessions short, to only about 15 minutes because the puppy will become overly tired and not be as excited for the next training session.

Positive Encouragement

Puppies, especially basset hound puppies, require a lot of positive encouragement in order for them to become obedience trained. To get your basset hound puppy to respond better to the training, use a reward system. If a reward is offered after the puppy has successfully completed a task, they are more likely to want to do the task again. When using the reward system, make sure you do not offer the reward until the task has been completed correctly. Hide the treat until the puppy has completed the task, this way the puppy will not except a treat all the time and only complete the task to get the treat.

You must remain consistent with your training in order for it to be successful. You cannot train for one day and then wait two week to train again. Your puppy will forget everything by then if you do that. Keep a consistent routine to avoid your puppy regressing and do not force your puppy to train. It should always be kept fun for the puppy. If you force the puppy to train, the basset hound's stubborn streak will appear and you will accomplish nothing.

References:

"Basset Hound Training Essentials" By Richard Cussons articlebiz.com
"Basset Hound Training" MyBassetHoundGuide