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LargeHound Group

Basset Hound

The Basset Hound is a French scent hound, refined from the Saint Hubert hound in the 16th century for slow-paced rabbit and hare work on foot.

Calculate Basset Hound age
Lifespan12.5 yrrange 12–13
SizeLargeHound Group
Weight40–65 lb18.1–29.5 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Basset Hound

The Basset Hound is a French scent hound, refined from the Saint Hubert hound in the 16th century for slow-paced rabbit and hare work on foot. The dwarfism, long ear leather, and loose skin that define the breed also concentrate its welfare concerns.

Aging

How Basset Hounds age

RVC VetCompass gives a median 12.5 years (n=2,896). Chronic otitis externa is the defining welfare concern — the long ear leather traps moisture — with GDV and intervertebral disc disease secondary; elbow dysplasia leads orthopedic findings.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 12.5 yr · range 12–13Senior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues2 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
40–65 lb(18.1–29.5 kg)
Height
7.5–15 in(19.1–38.1 cm)
Coat type
Short
Colors
Black & WhiteBlack Brown & WhiteBlack Tan & WhiteBlack White & BrownBlack White & TanBrown Black & WhiteLemon & WhiteMahogany & WhiteRed & WhiteBlack & BrownBlack Red & WhiteBlue & White
Temperament

Temperament

How Basset Hounds tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

patientlow-keyfriendlystubborn
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Patellar Luxation

    Description and veterinary guidance for Patellar Luxation land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
30min
per day

Basset Hounds are satisfied by around 30 minutes of daily activity (energy level 2/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.