10 Surprising Facts About Basset Hounds That Make Them So Darn Special

Basset comes from the French word bas, which means 'low,' and the dogs also have the French to thank for their short stature. First bred in France, basset-type hounds achieved popularity during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III in the 1800s. Napoleon himself had a few, and the breed was popular amongst France's aristocrats who enjoyed using them for hunting.

Those ears! That extra neck skin! So squish! Droopiness is one of the most lovable qualities of basset hounds. But there's also a practical reason for all that extra dog. The loose neck and face skin and trailing ears (the longest of any breed besides bloodhounds) help hold the scent. Scent particles are scooped up by the long ears and trapped by the skin folds, which helps pups carry a reference sample as they hunt.

Watch out foxes, hares, rabbits, and badgers—these pups may be short, but they're not to be messed with! Your family pet might not know what to do if it caught a squirrel, but its ancestors were specifically bred for small game hunting. Their ability to track ground scents made finding small prey easy, and their short stature allowed people to follow the hunt on foot. Plus, the clearly defined white blaze on their snout and white tip on their tail was bred to help hunters spot their dogs when tracking through bushes.

From Disney animations to TV shows and movies, basset hounds have long captured the hearts and minds of Americans. However, the breed's natural stubbornness has made them difficult show partners. Lead actor Burt Reynolds personally picked the hound in the Smokey the Bandit movie series because it refused to obey commands. Maybe he found it charming!

As a working breed, basset hounds need their exercise—just not too much. Better suited to endurance, they'd much prefer a long walk to a race on the beach or a journey up a mountain. And they will definitely want their nap time after!

These small yet mighty dogs have short legs due to a type of dwarfism shared with dachshunds and corgis. Unlike most other dog breeds, their DNA contains an extra copy of a gene that codes for a growth-promoting protein, and this second copy is an old version borrowed from wolves.

If you think your basset hound has an unusually keen sense of smell, even for a dog, you're on the money! Of all the dogs out there, the basset sense of smell is second only to the bloodhound. Plus, their long floppy ears make it harder for them to hear far-off noises, which made the dogs more reliant on their sense of smell.

As hunters, this breed was developed to work in a pack, which makes them extra friendly, social, and playful. Unlike a guard dog, these working pups are happiest when surrounded by family. In fact, they probably make poor guard dogs because they're likely to greet strangers with a wagging tail.

Anyone who has raised a basset hound knows that they can be quite melodious. Howling is how these pups express wants or needs. It's also their particular strategy to get your attention about important news like a scary sound or interesting scent. That's due to the double whammy of being both a hunting dog and a pack dog—howling alerts everyone that they've spotted prey or that it's time to come together.

In 1928, Time magazine featured a Basset Hound on the front cover! Their big moment occurred just five years after the first woman, Eleanora Duse, was featured on the cover of the magazine. So, what was the story? It was coverage of the 52nd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show as if observed by the basset hound puppy cover star.