It’s been all go for the bassets this week being parked off at playschool and getting lots of walks. It’s taken a while to build their stamina back up since they were ill but for the first time this week I noticed the bassets were getting their waists back. This is a sure sign that they are back to normal where they are converting their energy input into more output meaning little bassets big hips are getting smaller.
Basset hounds are prone to being “big hipped” as by nature they are lazy and will sleep all the time if you let them. As domesticated bassets they will lie around indoors permanently if they could. Ideally they need 60-90 minutes walking a day to keep up their levels of fitness. Without that their portion sizes must be reduced otherwise we end up with sumo bassets.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell when a basset is overweight as there are so many bits of them that are larger and more wrinkly than their body frame might otherwise have.
Little basset loves to take it easy and watch from a high viewing point. No point in wasting energy by getting too close to the action. Fortnum for instance likes to get up close. He’ll take the front row position every time.
Compare and contrast.
That’s not to say that Mason can’t be a champion sniffer. Here he is taking a close interest in the steps.
Oh what’s this? This requires closer inspection.
Nope, nothing of interest I’ll just keep going.
It amazes me how they sniff so close to the ground. This is of course not without it’s hazards. Those long ears can get in the way and cause a basset to trip.
Fortnum is our adventurer basset and has taken to wandering the bush for quite a while on his own. I thought I’d lost him earlier this week but after a few whistles and yells of his name his innocent face emerged out of the undergrowth with a look that said “What, I’m here, what are you shouting for?”
These independent excursions are rare indeed although he’ll happily potter around the house, barking at the cows and the goat or terrorising the chickens who might be close to the fence or indeed breach their boundary and come into a basset danger zone. Mason will however be more often found on the veranda by a door waiting to be let in. Where it is warm, where there are comfy places to lie.
They may be brothers but like most sibblings they are like different in lots of ways. Fortnum is our laid back, adventurer basset whilst Mason is more highly strung, attention seeker, comfort loving basset. But for all the differences there is one thing in common. They are lovable in nature and make the perfect thing to cuddle when it’s cold!