Category: basset

Is it okay if Bassett hounds go up and down stairs?

I’ve been told that it’s not okay by a lot of people but I wanna hear what yall have to say about it. I’ve also been told they can’t jump up and down couches and been trying to get ramps for beds to help

She’s two years old and it’s not a fitness problem – she will sprint and run and swim and play for hours at the lake, for instance. She’s also part lab and some other hounds, so her legs are a little longer and she’s a little leaner than her purebred counterparts. Very much a basset attitude, though.

I’m trying to get in shape and do the Couch to 5k program, which starts off with a 60 second jog / 90 second walk cycle that repeats. I can barely get her to complete that first 60 seconds before she starts acting like she’s the most exhausted she’s ever been in her life.

Part of it is obviously The Nose, but I think the bigger issue is motivation. She has no interest in pleasing me, lol (we love a queen though). She’s fairly food motivated, but I don’t think that’s a great idea to mix with exercise. I don’t have a ton of experience with this, as all my previous dogs wanted me to be happy. This queen, however, often seems to do (or not do) things out of spite.

I don’t have time in the morning to do a walk with her AND a run for me, and it’s too hot for both of us when i get off work.

Am I doomed??