How to Socialize Your Basset Hound

In most cases, dog aggression can be accounted to fear. You see, whenever your Basset Hound puppy is afraid of something he will have one of two responses: he will cower a way from it or attack it. While you may think that a cowering puppy is of no concern, it is. This is because a cowering puppy can very quickly grow up to be an attacking dog.

To keep this from happening, you need to make sure that your dog is not afraid of anything that it may come into contact with. This is called socializing and it should begin at a very early age. By all estimates, dogs are either socialized or they are not by the time they are six months old. That means that you have to act quickly.

While you can’t foresee into the future and socialize your Basset Hound for every occasion, there are a few things that every dog should be socialized for: children, visitors and other dogs.

To do this is very easy. All you have to do is ensure that your puppy gets plenty of contact with all of these things which may become a cause of fear later in life. If you don’t have any children or young children in your family, take your Basset Hound to the park and let the children there pet him. Don’t worry if they make loud noises or tug on his ears, this is the treatment that he needs to learn to accept. After all, you don’t want a dog that will bite an excited, squealing toddler but leave the quiet five-year-old alone.

During the first few months of your puppy’s life, be sure to invite over plenty of guests. The more, the merrier. Get your dog used to strangers being accepted into the home and the high-noise level that comes along with visitors. Do you have a boisterous uncle? Have him over so that your dog can get used to booming voices.

You may think that all dogs should like other dogs. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago that you took your Basset Hound away from his litter mates. He seemed to get along with them just fine. But the truth of the matter is that, like babies, puppies will remember little of their first days as they grow older. So, if you keep your puppy away from other dogs until he is a year old and then expect him to play with your friend’s Boxer, you may have a rude awakening. So, make sure that you schedule regular play dates with other canine friends. If you don’t have any, take your dog to an animal park and let him meet other animals there. Also do not pass up a chance for your dog to meet a strange dog while you’re out for a walk as long as the other dog is on a leash and seems well socialized.

You may also choose to socialize your dog to other things like cats, chickens, loud noises, a motorcycle, or the vacuum cleaner, basically anything that you want your dog to be comfortable around. We once had a lovable dog that would attack as soon as the broom was brought out. So, think ahead, look down the road, and stop socialization problems before they occur.