Bassets vs. Beagles

[guest]

Just wanting to know how basste hounds compare to beagles for rabbit hunting???, I have never owned a bassett. I have only heard tales that bassets are slower, but they are more obediant, also I have heard they are easier to brake of trash running. I don't know if any of this is true but would like to hear from someone who has owned both. I have only owned beagles and only tri-color's at that not paticular just a little old fashioned I guess.
thanx

[Gerald Bailey]

Having owned both, but now owning only bassets, I'd say that on average, beagles are better all around rabbit hounds. However, I don't see that beagles are getting any better while the bassets are improving. For years, most of them were only bred for pet or show. For the last several years, an effort has been made to bring bassets back as hunters and the progress being made is remarkable. There is still plenty of room for improvement. As a breed, they seem to have better noses than beagles. Many of them are short on stamina and some can be right stubborn. Like beagles, speed varies. There are several bassets out there that run with Little Pack beagles every day (Jacob James hounds would be an example). Like everything in the hound world, it all comes down to the individual hound and the owner's preferences.

[vance]

I now have two 6 month old bassets that have yet to start although they will smoke a tame rabbit that i use to train my beagle pups. I dont think they will be able to keep up with a 15 in beagle but the 11 and 13 should not be a problem. what I'm looking for is not so much speed but for pressure and checking ability as well as temperment, bassets are a lot more laid back and tend to look under every bush whereas my beagles and I have had a lot of them from alot of different bloodlines can cover too much ground to quick. I did see a pack of bassets run a baby rabbit(wild) farther without the checks that I would have seen from any beagle that I have owned. Dont think I'm trying to knock beagles cause I'm not, I have a couple that are just now a year old and are going to be exceptional rabbit dogs, I'm just looking to improve my pack and add a different tone to the song they sing. so far they do not seem to tear everything you put in their dog house or kennel up i.e. waterbowls,blankets,lights you name it they hardly even gnaw on it. they do seem to need a little more maintenance in the ear area than beagles I recon because they drag the ground an keep the dust stirred up which settles inside their ears.

[New York Hillbilly]

Just a quick few points of interest. I met Frank Blockston a number of years back and we became good friends. Frank was ARHA LP and Bassett rep here in N.Y. at the time. He explained prior to our first hunt together the style his bassetts ran and I brought my hounds that I thouht would most closely match. Like beagles, bassetts have different abilities, speeds and style. His male Spanky, who is no longer alive was a rabbit hound in every sense of the word. He was what I would call medium to low/gear of fast and could run a rabbit with few if any losses.I loved running him with my two bitches Candy and Mousie Blue and his bitch Honey Pie. These hounds would compliment each other nicely and at times you could as Frank would say throw a blanket over the pack as they ran tight together. His hounds had more titles than I can remember and the two girls of mine have a couple of shiny trinkets about the house themselves. It was pure fun running with Frank and his hounds because it was just that "FUN". We seldom worried about who got that check, who struck first or who is in the lead. And I am sure some of the rabbits we chased are now collecting Social Security or retired on some beach some place because I don't remember ever even shooting one. It was just for fun as i said. I have over the years seen and handled for others bassetts in trials and I can say this. Over all beagles seem to be in a much better place as rabbit hounds because they have benefited from years of people who have tried to breed for better hunting beagles. Bassetts on the other hand had gone the way of show, pet or HushPuppy commercial types. I suspect if the interest in improving bassetts hunting abilities continues and they are bred for such it will happen. They have the nose and personalities to make for great hunting partners. At this time however in my experience, overall they have a long road by no fault of their own to catch up to beagles. If ego's stay out of the way and honest sound desicisions are made in breeding, I think a great hunting bassett can again become the rule rather than the exception! One troubling trend I have witnessed is crossing up beagles and bassetts and passing them off as bassetts. Many I have over heard talking about this, but it is the dark family secret no one wants to say out loud. I have hunted with beagle/bassett hounds in the past and they can make great rabbit hounds but lets face it they are neither beagle or bassett. To pass them off as pure one way or the other is dishonest. Bassetts don't need beagle blood to become great again, they need smart people working improve the breed. P.S. I own a daughter of Spanky, consider myself lucky and love her to death. She is a real sweetie!

Lets here it for bassetts!!!
NYH

[wvrabbithunter]

well said,i like the basset,i seen a grand champion class run,they do need alot of work but they have good people working on their side,

[Alabama John]

A one quarter or one eighth Bassett - Beagle mix is very popular here. They are real good at hitting the water. I do not know why? Are Bassetts water dogs or, is it the mix?

[Beagle]

I have a pair one male and one female. The male will not do anything. Female will sight chace but will not use her nose. She can run like the wind on a sight chase but wants to look to see the rabbit insted of using her nose. What do i do now. Beagle at gundog@socket .net

[vance]

how old are they? I keep hear from bassets owners that they are very slow starters (1 to 2 years). mine are 6 months and I know this year is shot but every time they go this year is making next year look even better.

[jwilliams]

I have been running beagles for a while now and really like the way they run and hunt, but I've always wanted a basset. I don't know much about how they hunt, but have always heard they are great jump dogs and good on the line. Can anyone tell me of someone that might have a hunting basset pup for sale? I'm located in Georgia.

[otis dog]

2 years old , getting noyhing out of the male. Female will sight chase but will not put her nose to the ground. Has sight chase over a dozen days.
beagle