The 2026 FCI standard contains a sentence that sounds like a warning: never forget that the Basset is a working hound and must be fit for purpose, strong, active and enduring. Many Bassets with drooping eyelids and ears dragging on the ground look otherwise. Anyone fond of the breed should understand what lies behind that.
| FCI | Group 6 (Scent hounds and related breeds), Section 1.3 Small-sized hounds, Standard No. 163, with working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Great Britain |
| Size (height at the withers) | 33 to 38 cm |
| Weight | not specified in the FCI standard |
| Life expectancy | median 12.5 years in a UK analysis of 584,734 dogs (McMillan et al. 2024) |
| Coat | smooth, short and close-fitting, without feathering |
| Colours in the standard | usually tricolour (black, white and tan) or lemon and white; any recognised hound colour permitted |
Origins
According to the standard, French monks are thought to have bred the Basset in the Middle Ages for hunting through dense cover, nose close to the ground. Closely related to French Bassets, the breed developed into its present form in Great Britain: a dog persistently following hares at a rather slow pace over enormous distances.
Temperament
Tenacious, with a pack instinct and a deep, melodious voice; calm, never aggressive or shy, and affectionate: that is the standard’s description. A Basset prefers following their nose to your recall. Patience achieves more than harshness.
Exercise and activity
Long, calm walks with plenty of sniffing time, tracking and searching games are needed. Keep your dog lean. For how other scent specialists think, see the Beagle and Bloodhound entries.
Grooming
The short coat is quickly brushed. Ears, eyes and skin folds matter much more: check ears weekly, look at the eyes daily and take any redness seriously.
Health
The 2025 VetCompass study found outward-drooping eyelids (ectropion) in 1.59 percent of Basset Hounds attending UK practices, with 147 times the odds compared with crossbreeds; inward-rolling eyelids (entropion) were also more frequent (O’Neill et al. 2025). Bassets had the highest odds of ear infection of any breed, with more than one in four affected during the study year (O’Neill et al. 2021). As the largest chondrodystrophic breed, they are prone to disc extrusion: among 188 Bassets seen at three neurology departments, 36.2 percent had thoracolumbar extrusion (Thatcher et al. 2024). A genetic test exists for one form of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma (Oliver et al. 2015). With a median of 12.5 years, the breed lived slightly longer than crossbreeds at 12.0 years (McMillan et al. 2024). Choose parents with tight eyelids, free movement and enough ground clearance.
Who is a Basset Hound right for?
Calm, patient people and families who enjoy long, leisurely walks, appreciate a sociable dog and will keep lasting watch over eyes, ears and weight.
Who should look elsewhere?
Anyone seeking an obedient off-lead companion, and people unable to budget for veterinary treatment of eyes and ears.
Before bringing home a Basset, try the breed quiz. It also shows breeds with similar temperaments and less exaggerated bodies. Our book “Which Dog REALLY Suits You?” (book in German) helps with a thorough assessment. Many adult Bassets need homes through shelters and breed rescue groups; ask there before visiting a breeder. For the first weeks, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack; find more breeds in the Dog Breed Encyclopedia.
Further reading
- Beagle: a nose with a dog attached, and what that means day to day
- Dachshund: the back that shapes a whole life
- Is my dog overweight? Assessing body condition and ideal weight
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI Standard No. 163 Basset Hound (fci.be, English version dated 06.10.2026; no German version is published); O'Neill DG et al., Conformational eyelid disorders in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK, PLOS ONE 2025; O'Neill DG et al., Frequency and predisposing factors for canine otitis externa in the UK, Canine Medicine and Genetics 2021; Thatcher H et al., Incidence and clinical characterisation of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusions in Basset Hounds compared with Dachshunds, Veterinary Record 2024; Oliver JA et al., Two Independent Mutations in ADAMTS17 Are Associated with Primary Open Angle Glaucoma in the Basset Hound and Basset Fauve de Bretagne, PLOS ONE 2015; McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024.
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