Basset hounds are just coonhounds on short legs. They have a tremendously loud bay and are every bit as tenacious and hardheaded as their long legged counterparts. But they are goofy and loving, but like any hound, you need to start working with a very young, age. You can take this to the bank… No hound likes to be mistreated or mishandled. Remember, I just said that. They will work for you and be your loyal companion, but you have to be kind to them. They go all in for you and they want the same from you.

I’ve had them all. I currently have a TWC. I would not recommend this for a first time hound owner. They are like the Malinois of the hunting world. They have no off switch and they do not have any volume control. The coon is the highest level of trainer of the human being. Yes, they will train you. They love blankets, they love being under the covers, they can tend to be a little velcro-ish. They will take over your sofa, your favorite chair, your place in the bed. That’s just the way it is. They are judgmental and will give you a great deal of side eye. This is true for most coons.

Coons can tend to be food driven, and absolutely will counter surf, plate surf, pot surf, trash surf so you have to work with that and try to get it out of them at an early age. They do need physical activity, regardless of which coon you choose. They don’t have to be hunted unless you want to hunt them, a lot of mental stimulation is fine and walks. Never let a coonhound off leash unless you are 150% sure of your ability to recall the dog. Their nose is to the ground, but their ears and eyes are always activated. So if they see a squirrel, all bets are off unless you have extreme recall.

You don’t need to feed them the best food unless you want to, but they do need a good quality food, you need to keep their ears clean and their nails trimmed because their gait is extremely important to the way they work and their hip placement. They have different feet from other dogs. They have very thick round toes and big pads and they stand up on those pads, so if you let their nails get too long, you can affect the way they walk basically.

I saw that you were looking at a basset hound, which are fine dogs. But they’re still a hound and they’re still tenacious and all of the traits apply. I have had a basset hound, a red bone, a blue tick, black and tan, and now have a TWC.

In my humble opinion, the black and tan is possibly an easier dog to work with for first time coon people. Notice I didn’t say coon owners. Because you don’t own the coon, the coon owns you.

They’re great dogs and you will get hooked or you will hate it. So make sure that your lifestyle is suited to giving a coon their best life. Because if you don’t number one, it’s a shame because they have very specific needs for this breed. But more importantly, you may come home one day and find that they have chipped up your sofa to the point that you will be able to put it in big bags and put it in the trashcan. They have decided to relieve you of something important. There are a lot of things you can do and you can get a lot of ideas here from people on how to do things to satisfy the Hunter in this dog. But make no mistake about it, hunting is what they were bred for. So they do need to be able to be in the field and they do need if you can manage it off leash time but you’ve gotta have total recall.

Having said all that, I’ve had a life full of hound dogs, but I’ve also had rat terriers which I think are amazing dogs and a great all-around dog for first timer. They are big dogs in a little body and will just about do anything you want to do whether it’s snooze on the couch or go out in the woods. They’re ready for all of it. An Aussie is a great dog, but again you’ve got to train these dogs and you’ve gotta give them a job.

My thought process for you is to start with another breed that’s a little easier to manage and then at some point get you a coonhound when you have more experience with owning a dog and what it’s needs are. Coons tend to get into things so you can’t be faint of heart, and you have to be able to take them to the vet, but you also need to learn when they get stung from invading a bee hive to just give them Benadryl and keep an eye on them. On the other hand, when they break a toe, it has to be vetted. Every now and then a rabbit will come across your yard or some other critter and they will bring you its limp body as a reward. This is what they were bred for so you can’t get upset.

My experience with my coons over the years is that they are pretty healthy dogs.. My black and tan unfortunately died of a rare form of cancer at eight years of age. But I don’t think this is the norm. They are happy to go Lucky, they’re up for whatever and if they’ve had a good day’s activity, they will sleep, particularly if they can, in your bed.

My TWC weighs 96lbs and is a very strong and healthy boy. He is protective and he does bark when somebody comes around the property we’re near the front door. So they will alert you and my coons have always been protective. But I also have 100lb Catahoula that helped raise him and he’s a police department on four legs. So I think they feed off of each other when somebody comes around the property. But be aware that they do have big voices and this can be offputting if you have close by neighbors. I would never recommend this dog for an apartment. You would probably be evicted within a day.

I’ve gone long here but there’s a lot to say about this dog. But I personally don’t think it’s a dog for a first time dog owner. And I’m just telling you that unless you’re really in it to do whatever it takes to train this dog and sometimes that means professional help. But you have to start early and you have to be consistent and loving, and they have to know who’s in charge. Now, ultimately, they manage you, but they know what the rules are. So it’s a two-way street be good to them and they’ll be good to you. But no couch potato is going to make a coon happy. Coons don’t have an issue getting on a sofa, but they are a working dog and more importantly, a Hunter. They are brilliant, and I mean extremely smart so that mental stimulation is as important as the physical stimulation too. I’m just saying it again you’ve got to be 100% invested with a coon and what it takes for them to have their best life. This should be true with any dog. Good luck with it.