Despite what you may have heard, Bassets are anything but lazy. I have two friends with Bassets, and despite what others say, I have found this breed to be full of energy and quite playful. At the dog park, they may not be able to keep up the pace with sleeker dogs with longer legs, but don’t tell that to a Basset. In his mind he is just as fast and will eventually run down that greyhound in front of him. But because thay have short legs I would highly recommend investing in steps such as small dog steps, so they can easily get to higher objects if need be. One thing I would be careful of with this breed of hound is the sad looking face. Many people give in to the Bassets “sad” face, but overfeeding a Basset can be detrimental. As a result, the dog is very much over-weight, which puts a great deal of strain on the shorter legs. It would be smart to feed a Basset, or any other canine for that matter nutritious dog food.

The occasional treat or scrap is still ok though (except chocolate of course). The Basset is not a dog that sheds a lot, but he is capable of drooling a bit more than the average dog. This can be lessened with minor, un-invasive surgery. Since Bassets have very long ears, it is imperative that they be kept clean to help ward off infections. The Basset can be a little stubborn at times, but this too is largely over blown. In the end, these minor short comings are far outweighed by the love and joy a Basset will bring to your family.

Golden Retrievers are not for people who are going to be gone over 8 hours a day as this would be cruel to say the least. They have a big appetite requiring lots of food. Golden Retrievers are a large athletic type of dog breed, but are slightly longer than they are tall. Being a kind, affectionate and beautiful dog they love nothing more than being in your company.

Golden retrievers are friendly to just about everyone and other dogs. They are not a dog that barks all the time, which is convenient for you and neighbours, but do bark when startled. You can trust a Golden Retriever to try and protect you in dangerous situations but they are not by nature suspicious of strangers, which rules them out as being any kind of guard dog.

Golden Retrievers tend to be worriers and great care should be taken during training; ensuring you are sensitive to their needs at all times. Because of their intelligence they are easily trained, also due to Golden Retrievers athleticism and desire to please their handlers they generally excel in obedience trials. Very competitive by nature you will find them to be great in agility and other similar events.

A Golden Retriever is Confident and outgoing, fun to be with, gentle, and a loyal and loving companion. Your Golden retriever will love nothing more than going for long walks, and being a playful pet they will enjoy the usual games of fetch and frisbee catching etc. Teaching them tricks is quite easy as well and its great to see your children’s faces light up with pleasure at seeing their dog perform the latest trick.

Care and maintenance is Important and regular brushing helps to promote a shiny, healthy coat and decreases shedding. This is also an opportune time to find those nasty mats that can be painful for your pet. Brushing several times a week will help control shedding. Golden Retriever’s have heavy sheds twice a year, but they do shed all year long.

All in all you can’t go wrong with a Golden Retriever by your side. Day In and day out they will shower you with affection, their obedience and companionship never in question and you will be hard put to repay the love and devotion they give to you.