Activities For Basschshunds
1k Views
0 Comments
0 Votes
Prepare for unexpected vet bills
Introduction
Whoever thought that one of the contending breeds for the title of "ultimate hunting dog" could look as cute and cuddly as the Basschshund does? While it might seem like we're joking, Basschshunds descend from two dog breeds who were both bred to be very keen hunters in their own right; the "Bass" in the Basschshund's name comes from their Basset Hound parents (who have some of the keenest noses in the canine kingdom) while the "chshund" comes from their Dachshund parents (aka wiener dogs, who were bred to help hunt badgers by chasing them out of their own burrows). As a result, Basschshunds tend to excel at scent, tracking, and retrieval based games.
Scent Training
Popular
0 Votes
Any Day
Cheap
Easy
30 min
Items needed
Scented Items
Fragrance Sprays
Dog's Favorite Foods
Activity description
You can help refine your Basschshund's natural smelling abilities by completing a few scent training games with them. These exercises encourage your dog to follow their nose in order to complete a number of complex and varied tasks. Scent training games are very versatile in nature, as you can use a number of household items to play the game as opposed to needing any specialized equipment or anything like that. It's best to attempt these sorts of exercises when your dog's a few months old - after the bond that the two of you share as well as your dog's body have both matured.
Step
1
Getting started
You won't be able to play any scent training games with your dog until you get a hold of a few powerful yet pleasant scents. You can get some scents directly from certain pet stores or you can go the unconventional route and use a few of your dog's favorite foods to incorporate a few familiar smells into the mix.
Step
2
Scented hide and seek
Now that you've got a few fragrances, you're ready to play a few games with your dog. Scented hide and seek is an easy game you can play by simply spraying yourself with a particular fragrance, hiding out of sight, and encouraging your dog to find you by sniffing you out.
Step
3
Scented treasure hunting
This activity is a good one to play using pieces of your dog's favorite foods. The idea is that you'll hide various pieces of food out of sight and then walk your dog over to their general location so that your pet can sniff them out on their own. You don't want to give the position of the food away now - you just want your dog close enough to smell it.
Love this activity?
Tracking Training
Popular
0 Votes
Any Day
Cheap
Normal
30 min
Items needed
Fetching Items
Leash
Activity description
Tracking, at least as far as dogs are concerned, refers to the act of a dog using their keen senses in order to try and find a person, place, or thing whose location is otherwise hidden from the naked eye. Bloodhounds are often considered to be the undisputed best trackers in the animal kingdom, but Basset Hounds are one of the few breeds that can give the aforementioned champs a run for their money. As they're part Basset Hound, Basschshunds have all of the genetic tools they need to become excellent trackers in their own right. The goal of tracking training is to refine those tools and help Basschshunds be the best trackers they can be.
Step
1
Tracking training basics
Despite what the name might imply, tracking training doesn't solely refer to the act of a dog following a trail of footprints or tire tracks until they find something or someone that was otherwise hidden. Rather, dogs can use both their eyes and their noses to track certain objects down. Your Basschshund will find great joy in putting their senses to use!
Step
2
Scent tracking
You can teach your Basschshund how to track something down by scent via the following steps; get your dog to hold still, get a scented item, let your dog sniff the item, hide the item, and then coax your dog into trying to find the item using their sense of smell alone. Try to subtly guide your dog towards the item when you feel them veering off course without also spoiling the location of the item.
Step
3
Sight tracking
The set up for this activity is similar to scent tracking; have your dog stay still but let them see you hide an item that they like a lot first before letting them try to find the time you just hid. If your dog was paying attention, they should be able to find the item relatively quickly. But if about 5 or 10 minutes pass and your dog still is off the mark, reset the activity and try again.
Love this activity?
Dog Puzzles
Popular
0 Votes
Any Day
Moderate
Normal
30 min
Items needed
Dog Puzzles
Cardboard Boxes
Activity description
Basschshunds don't have to be relegated to simply trying out activities that are meant to train their noses. As it happens, Basschshund's are fairly brainy dogs who like solving puzzles and figuring out riddles from time to time. If you think that your Basschshund is need of some serious mental stimulation, then we feel that letting your dog try out a few dog puzzles might do the trick. There are a number of dog puzzles that you can get from your local pet shop as well as a number of others that you can simply put together using common household items. You can choose your price point; try out a few homemade games or shop for something a little more pricey and complicated.
Step
1
Brand name dog puzzles
There are a number of brand name dog puzzles that are certain to tease your dog's brain for many, many hours over the course of a few months or even years based on how well they're maintained. Nina Ottoson is one of the most reliable names in the dog puzzle business as they make quality dog puzzles in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Step
2
Bootleg dog puzzles
We use the term bootleg affectionately, as the kinds of dog puzzles you can create with a number of household items are some of the most fun your dog can play with. For instance, if you have three cardboard boxes lying around the house, then try this out: set the three boxes in the middle of your living room, put a piece of your dog's favorite food in one of them, and them prompt your dog to try and figure out which box has their food in it.
Love this activity?
More Fun Ideas...
Hula Hoop
Letting your dog play with a hula hoop can be a fun and unconventional way of rewarding your dog for being a good Basschshund for an extended period of time. There aren't any special techniques or best practices here, save for maybe not skimping out on quality when it comes time to buy a hula hoop. Just sit back and watch your dog go for a whirl.
Active Frisbee
This activity will have you doing jumping jacks, lunges, and planks while your dog high tails it after a frisbee that you've just thrown a few yards away. This activity isn't really meant as a means for replacing your typical workout routine - rather it's meant to serve as a fun warm up before your real workout or a more relaxing cool down activity when you've almost finished.
Conclusion
Basschshunds have a lot of potential to become not just great family pets, but absolutely stellar trackers as well. Most of the activities in this guide really hone in on training your dog's tracking ability, but they're only really the tip of that iceberg in the grand scheme of things. We'd like to do two things before we close out this guide; firstly, we'd like to thank you for reading this article all the way to the end and, secondly, we'd like to encourage you to continue learning about various other methods that you can use to help train your dog's tracking abilities.