Logo Bassets does not breed very often, about every two years. The selection process of who shall be bred and to whom is carefully considered on the basis of pedigree, family confirmation and health history and the specific breed characteristics of the dogs themselves. We only breed when we are ready to add a new family member.
When a female is bred, she receives the best of prenatal care. When proper nutrition and care is given to a pregnant lady it increases her changes of a good whelp with healthy vigorous puppies. We do not take in visitors or rescue foster dogs during this time to keep our environment safe for expectant mothers and their puppies.
The
house is prepped for the new arrivals. The dining room is converted
into a puppy room so the youngsters will have a safe indoor place
to reside until they are old enough to go to their new homes or
be with the older dogs. Mother
and puppies are kept in a very controlled environment until they
are ready to romp outdoors. When the puppies are first born, they
are carefully monitored 24-7 for the first two to three weeks
of their lives. Mother bassets have a tendency to roll over on
their pups without knowing they have done so. Careful monitoring
insures that puppies do not get accidentally suffocated and that
all the puppies are feeding well - keeping the more assertive
pups from bumping the mellower pups off the meal train. This high
level of supervision makes us comfortable that all of the puppies
are safe until they are big enough and old enough to be felt and
heard by mom and have had a good start nutrionally. This also
means we are close by to keep the bedding constantly changed for
the mother and babies since the combined discharge from mother
and kids can become quite messy very quickly. The power company
loves us as we keep the temperature constant and the washer and
dryer busy!
Basset puppies do not look very 'bassety' when they are born. The ears are short and fat, often flapped back. Their appearance will change as they grow older. The ears lengthen, the bone becomes stouter, they start to get more loose skin and even the markings will change. Below are some pictures of Bridgett as she grows up to demonstrate how they can change.
When they are old enough,
they have a 'puppy safe' area where they can go outside to explore
the world and play. This gives them both indoor and outdoor experiences.
They are not yet old enough to romp with adult dogs other than
their mother, but they do have contact nose-to-nose via the fence
line.
Some time around 3-4 weeks puppies begin eating 'puppy gruel'. This mush is the start of the weaning process. At first dinner gets as much on the puppies as it does in the puppies. They learn to eat and drink without suckling.. This can be quite a messy adventure until they 'get it'. As they get older, each puppy gets it's own bowl and the gruel graduates to regular puppy rations.
They do grow older and begin running with the adults who are gentle with the kids and eventually with all of the adult dogs when they are ready. All ofthe LogoN hounds are house dogs. My home is filled with dog beds and soft places where humans and dogs can reside together.
While some puppies stay with us at Logo Bassets, some move on to new homes. Puppies are evaluated as they mature. Some are show prospects for confirmation and/or obedience, tracking or field trials. others are pet quality and are available to approved pet homes. All pet quality dogs from Logo Bassets are either spayed or neutered before placing or sold on a spay/neuter requirement agreement that must be fulfilled by 6 months of age. A dog that is not show quality is not a breeding prospect and will not be sold as such.We like to keep in touch with new owners so we can watch the kids as they grow and change through their lifetimes. Homes are carefully selected so that each owner and dog will be happy together for a lifetime.
