Teaching your basset hound obedience is imperative. Basset hound obedience training is needed for the well-being of your pup and the safety of those around him. Basset hounds are scent-driven dogs. You do not want your pup running away from you every time he picks up a new scent.
Once your basset hound is introduced to the obedience training, he will know the basic commands: sit, stay, lie down, and come. They might seem like not important commands, but trust me, these can save your pup’s life one day. I know for sure that the command ”stay” saved my basset hound a couple of times when he wanted to run across the street in front of a car.
Basset Hound Obedience Training Commands
Once you get your basset hound puppy, you must start with obedience training while your pup is young. You can introduce your basset hound to obedience training after they turn 45 days of age. The obedience training commands are very simple, yet very important commands. They include: sit, stay, lie down, and come. Here is how to train your basset hound the basic commands:
How To Teach Your Basset Hound To ”Sit”
The first command that you should teach your basset hound pup is to ”sit”. The command ”sit” is one of the easiest obedience training commands. For you to be able to tell your basset hound to sit whenever you want requires your pup to love you and respect you.
Teaching your basset hound to sit requires patience and consistency.
Here is how to teach your basset hound to ”sit”
1. Find a quiet place
For you to be able to teach your basset hound the ”sit” command, you have to find a quiet place. If you live in an apartment, then do this training in a room that is quiet and distraction-free. If you live in a house, you can always take your basset hound to the backyard.
2. Position yourself in front of your pup
Once you and your basset hound are in a distraction-free location, position yourself in front of your pup. Stand in front of your basset hound with a treat in your hand. I always choose vegetables as a treat because you will be giving him a lot of these until he teaches the command. The last thing you want is to have overweight and unhealthy puppies due to all the junk treats.
3. Say the command ”Sit”
While standing in front of your basset hound, gently say the command ”sit” and pause. Repeat the command once again and this time gently push his rear into a sitting position. Don’t worry if your basset hound doesn’t sit immediately. This is something new to him and of course, he will not do it. It will be confusing and he might run away. If he runs away, bring him back and continue. Remember, patience, and consistency.
4. Give your basset hound treats for each completed command
Each time your basset hound sits without you pushing his rear into a sitting position, give him a treat. Also, verbal praise goes a long way. Pet him and tell him how good he is. Make sure you get your basset hound to sit at least 10 times a day. There is no need to overdo it because you can continue tomorrow.
5. Try the command without giving treats
After you get your basset hound to sit 10 times in a row, try doing it without giving him treats. He might protest, but you can start slowly. It’s best if you give him treats after he sits 5 times in a row, and then increase that number.
6. End the ”Sit” training on a good note
Once you notice that your basset hound is losing focus and getting bored, end the training on a good note. Give your puppy a treat and verbal praise. Never yell at your puppy because he is doing something new. It can be quite confusing for them, the same as it was for you to learn to read and write.
How To Teach Your Basset Hound To ”Stay”
Teaching your basset hound to ”stay” can be quite tricky. Many basset hounds have separation anxiety. They want to spend as much time with you as possible. What I mean is, forget what going to the bathroom alone is, or doing laundry alone. There are ways how to deal with your basset hound separation anxiety and that will help you in teaching your puppy to ”stay”.
Here is how to teach your basset hound to ”stay”:
1. Take your basset hound for a walk
I prefer to teach my basset hound the ”stay” command when he is tired. When your basset hound is tired, he deals with his separation anxiety better. So, take your pup for a walk around the block or in the park. Then, when he is tired enough and he has mastered the ”sit” command, you can try with the second command ”stay”.
2. Find a disturbance-free location
Learning is done in silence. Get your basset hound to a location where he won’t be distracted. It is quite easy for your puppy to wander around after he sees a butterfly. So, make sure that your location is disturbance-free and quiet.
3. Tell your puppy to sit
Once you are in a quiet location, tell your basset hound to sit and give him a treat. Remember how I told you to tire your puppy before starting this training? Well, the thing is, when your basset hound is tired, he will want to sit and relax. They fall into the low-energy dog category, so telling him to sit won’t be very hard for him.
4. Take a step back
Once your basset hound is in the sitting position, take a step back while holding your hand in a ”stop” sign with your palm facing towards your puppy and tell him to ”stay”. Start small. Take only 2 steps back the first time you do this training session. Your basset hound might not stay the first time you tell him to, but don’t worry. He will learn it over time.
5. Introduce a cue
Your basset hound will need a cue that is fine to come to you. Most basset hound owners use the cue ”okay” to tell their puppies when it’s okay for them to stop the ”stay” command and come to them.
6. Give your puppy a treat
If your basset hound stays while you take two steps back, give him a treat and lots of cuddles. He has to know that he is doing a good job. The only way a puppy knows he has done something correctly is when he receives a treat and pet on the head, or even a belly rub.
7. Lengthen the distance
If your basset hound is able to ”stay” while you take two steps back, it’s time to lengthen the distance. Increase the length by two steps each time your puppy completes the ”stay” command. Make sure to give him treats and verbal praise each time they stay.
8. Lengthen the duration
Once there is a decent distance between you and your basset hound, it’s time to lengthen the duration. He might be able to stay but only for a couple of seconds. It is important that he stays for as long as you want him to. So, each time you increase the distance for two steps, increase the duration for two seconds.
9. Dwindle the treat rewards down
As your basset hound completes this command with a satisfactory duration and distance, start reducing the number of treats. Dwindle the treat rewards down until he is finally able to perform the command without a reward.
How To Teach Your Basset Hound To ”Lie Down”
Teaching your basset hound to ”lie down” is another command from the obedience training. It is a command that I use when I want my puppy to take a break and sleep. Basset hounds love to relax, so teaching him this command wasn’t hard.
Here is how to teach your basset hound to ” lie down”
1. Get to a quiet place
When you train your basset hound to lie down, you have to be in an activity-free zone. All distractions would only prologue the obedience training and you will have a hard time teaching your puppy to lie down. I live in an apartment and I have one empty room that I use to train my basset hound. If I had a backyard, that is where I would do it.
2. Say the command ”lie down”
Once you are in a quiet place without any distractions, stand in front of your basset hound while holding a treat. Tell him to ”lie down” and make sure he sees the treat in your hand. If he lays down on his own, give him the treat.
3. Gently show him what lying down is
There is a good chance that your basset hound might not know what lying down is. So, gently push his back toward the ground. I would recommend that you are very gentle because you don’t want to hurt their back. Or, best if you first tell him to sit and then push his head toward the ground.
4. Give lots of treats and verbal praise
When your basset hound completes the ”lie down” command give him a treat and verbal praise. I always choose vegetables as treats because, during training, I end up giving him 20-30 pieces of treats.
5. Introduce a cue command for getting up
Once your basset hound is on the ground, tell him a cue command like ”Okay” or ”up” so your puppy will know that it is okay to get up. Reward him each time he gets up after you say the command.
6. Repeat the command without the treats
The next step is to try and let your basset hound complete the command without treats. I usually start by giving him treats after he completes the command three times, then five times, and so on until he is doing the command without any treats.
How To Teach Your Basset Hound The ”Come” Command
Teaching your basset hound the ”come” command has to be done only on good days. By good days, I mean when he is not mad at you. Basset hounds will love you forever, but they are stubborn. To be exact, they are stubborn and independent. So, if you two had an argument, it is better to teach him this command some other day.
The ”come” command is very important and your basset hound has to master it. You will be glad that your puppy knows this command when he starts running around the park without a leash.
Here is how to teach your basset hound to ”come”:
1. Get to a quiet area
Same to teaching any command from the obedience training, the ”come” command requires a quiet area. It doesn’t matter if you do this indoors or outdoors, just make sure that it is quiet and there are no distractions.
2. Stand in front of your puppy and say ”come”
Stand in front of your puppy and hold a treat in your hand. Make sure he sees that treat. Take two steps back and then say ”come”. If he comes to you, give him the treat. Take another two steps back and to the same.
3. Throw a treat halfway
If your basset hound isn’t responding to the ”come” command, take two steps back and throw a treat on the ground, and say come. Once he eats the treat from the ground, say one more time ”come” and show him the treat in your hand. Basset hounds love treats, so you won’t have a hard time.
4. Lengthen the distance
Once your basset hound gets to your location, work on the distance. Increase the distance for two steps each time he comes to you. Ideally, you will want him to come to you when you are in the other room.
5. Wean him off the treats
Obedience training is done to a point where your basset hound completes certain commands without a threat. So, go easy on the treats and reward your puppy after 5 completed commands and then after 10 and stop. The ”come” command will be used in emergencies and you want your basset hound to be able to complete it without any threats.
