What were basset hounds bred for? Their original job explained

Part 1

The short answer: bred to hunt small game on foot

Basset hounds were originally bred to hunt small game, especially rabbits and hares. They were bred primarily for hunting rabbit and hare on foot, moving at a pace that did not require horses. Packs of bassets drove rabbits and hares out of thick cover and into open ground, where hunters moved in. If your dog still noses along a hedge as if tracking something, that instinct traces back to this original job.

Built low and slow so hunters on foot could keep up

Before the French Revolution, hunting from horseback belonged mostly to kings and the aristocracy, so short-legged dogs that hunters could follow on foot were prized. A basset hound's slow, steady pace let a hunter follow him on foot for hours.

Contrast with faster hounds bred for mounted hunts

Basset hounds were bred for a different kind of hunter, one who walked rather than rode.

Part 2

Why the body shape serves the job

Your dog's short legs and heavy chest let him push through brushy, low trails that taller dogs can't reach. A basset hound's short stature comes from a genetic condition called osteochondrodysplasia, which affects bone growth in the legs. That same low build let the breed's ancestors push through dense underbrush that a taller dog could not easily enter.

Long ears are thought to help stir up scent from the ground and carry it up toward your dog's nose. The wrinkled skin around a basset hound's face and neck, known as the dewlap, may help trap scent so the nose can work it out. The breed also carries more bone relative to its size than any other breed. Loose skin lets your dog shrug off scratches from that same undergrowth.

Part 3

Where the name and early breeding trace back to

Early sources used the word for any hound under a certain height, and that height changed over the centuries. You can hear the same root in basset today whenever someone describes your dog's build.

Monastic and noble hunting kennels in France

Basset-type hounds are linked to hounds bred at the Abbey of St Hubert in the Ardennes region of France. Monks there bred dogs for wealthy, royal clients. Bassets were later refined further in France before a pair reached England in 1866, a gift from the Comte de Tournon to Lord Galway.

Development distinct from other scent hounds like bloodhounds

Basset hounds and bloodhounds are both thought to descend from the same St Hubert hound stock. But breeders shaped the basset into a shorter, slower dog suited to hunters on foot. Your basset hound's nose is often described as second only to the bloodhound's for ground scenting.

Part 4

How the job shaped temperament

The breed is often described as friendly, outgoing, and tolerant of children and other pets.

Independent nose-driven focus useful for tracking

Basset hounds were bred with an independent, thoughtful nature suited to their hunting job. Some describe this trait as the dog's nose ruling its brain.

Stamina for long, slow trailing rather than sprinting

A basset hound needed the endurance to stay on a scent trail for hours at a time. That stamina, paired with a deliberate pace, made the breed effective at trailing rather than sprinting.

Part 5

From hunting field to family companion

The Kennel Club in England recognized the basset hound as a breed in 1880, and the breed reached American show rings soon after. By 1956, the American standard dropped an old reference comparing the basset's head to a bloodhound's.

Even so, the breed still keeps some of its working instincts today. Some basset hounds still work in hunting packs in France, England, and the United States today.