Base colour
Generally black, white and tan (tri-colour)
- lemon and white (bi-colour)
- Any recognized hound colour acceptable
Low-slung, heavy-boned scent hound with distinctive long, velvety ears, mournful expression, and loose skin. Known for powerful tracking ability and calm demeanor.
Developed by French aristocrats from hounds bred at the Abbey of St. Hubert for hunting small game in dense cover. Low-slung body perfected for trailing rabbits and hare, later refined in England for pack hunting.
“Tenacious hound of ancient lineage which hunts by scent, possesses a pack instinct and a deep melodious voice. Placid, never aggressive or timid. Affectionate”
Quoted from FCI standard n°163. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FCI breed standard; UFAW / Dachshund: Intervertebral Disc Disease (names Basset Hound as a chondrodystrophic breed at elevated IVDD risk). An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Basset Hound standard is published by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), the international federation of pedigree-dog clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour and size. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Smooth, short and close without being too fine.
Whole outline clean and free from feathering.
Long hair, soft coat or feathering highly undesirable
Base colour
Generally black, white and tan (tri-colour)
Shortened from FCI standard n°163 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health.
Height at the withers (cm)
The same scale for every breed: no source defines size categories by height.
An adult's measurements, per the standard. It does not say how big this puppy will be. Quotations from the FCI are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Basset Hound in general; any individual animal can differ.
Known hereditary risks for the Basset Hound breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
8 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
The same class of FGF4 skeletal mutation that gives the Basset Hound its short legs and long back also predisposes it, like the Dachshund, to premature disc degeneration and herniation, which can cause severe pain or paralysis.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents, or a radiographic disc-calcification assessment
An overgrowth of bone in the jaw and skull of young, growing dogs, usually before a year old: the jaw swells and is painful, so the puppy struggles to open its mouth and eat, and it often runs a fever. It usually settles by itself once the skeleton stops growing. It has been diagnosed in this breed; one affected Basset Hound carried one copy of an SLC37A2 variant different from the one known in the Scottish, Cairn and West Highland terriers, so its genetic cause here is not settled.
What to ask for
No validated DNA test for this breed — the SLC37A2 variant was found in a single affected Basset Hound. Ask whether the parents or their close relatives had a painful, swollen jaw as puppies.
An inherited, late-onset epilepsy caused by an expanding repeat in the NHLRC1 gene: it starts in middle or old age with sudden jerks, often set off by flashing light or noise, and slowly adds seizures, failing coordination, sight and hearing, and mental decline. It is recessive. It has been reported in this breed, alongside the Miniature Wirehaired Dachshund where it was first studied.
What to ask for
Lafora disease (NHLRC1 repeat expansion) DNA test result, on both parents
A build-up of pressure inside the eye that progressively and irreversibly damages the optic nerve, leading to blindness. Caused by either of two independent mutations in ADAMTS17 identified specifically in the Basset Hound and the Basset Fauve de Bretagne.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the ADAMTS17 mutations on both parents, plus a current ACVO eye exam
An inherited platelet function disorder in which platelets fail to aggregate normally, causing prolonged bleeding after injury or surgery, such as oral bleeding from a cracked tooth; typically a mild-to-moderate bleeding tendency rather than spontaneous haemorrhage.
What to ask for
No OFA-registered DNA test could be confirmed; ask the breeder for documented normal clotting/platelet function screening in the sire and dam, or a specialist laboratory diagnosis clearing close relatives
The stomach fills with gas and twists on itself, cutting off its own blood supply; without emergency surgery it is fatal within hours. The Basset Hound is one of the deep-chested breeds named at elevated risk, and a first-degree relative's history of the condition raises an individual dog's own risk.
What to ask for
No DNA test exists. Ask whether the sire or dam has had a prophylactic gastropexy, and whether gastric dilatation-volvulus has occurred in the litter's close relatives
The same class of FGF4 skeletal mutation that gives the Basset Hound its short legs and long back also predisposes it, like the Dachshund, to premature disc degeneration and herniation, which can cause severe pain or paralysis.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents, or a radiographic disc-calcification assessment
An inherited, late-onset epilepsy caused by an expanding repeat in the NHLRC1 gene: it starts in middle or old age with sudden jerks, often set off by flashing light or noise, and slowly adds seizures, failing coordination, sight and hearing, and mental decline. It is recessive. It has been reported in this breed, alongside the Miniature Wirehaired Dachshund where it was first studied.
What to ask for
Lafora disease (NHLRC1 repeat expansion) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited platelet function disorder in which platelets fail to aggregate normally, causing prolonged bleeding after injury or surgery, such as oral bleeding from a cracked tooth; typically a mild-to-moderate bleeding tendency rather than spontaneous haemorrhage.
What to ask for
No OFA-registered DNA test could be confirmed; ask the breeder for documented normal clotting/platelet function screening in the sire and dam, or a specialist laboratory diagnosis clearing close relatives
An overgrowth of bone in the jaw and skull of young, growing dogs, usually before a year old: the jaw swells and is painful, so the puppy struggles to open its mouth and eat, and it often runs a fever. It usually settles by itself once the skeleton stops growing. It has been diagnosed in this breed; one affected Basset Hound carried one copy of an SLC37A2 variant different from the one known in the Scottish, Cairn and West Highland terriers, so its genetic cause here is not settled.
What to ask for
No validated DNA test for this breed — the SLC37A2 variant was found in a single affected Basset Hound. Ask whether the parents or their close relatives had a painful, swollen jaw as puppies.
Described in this breed, but found in few or no dogs in recent screening, or only ever in one dog or one family. They are here so a test result makes sense if a breeder mentions one.
An inherited failure of the immune system described in this breed: affected puppies cannot fight infections, and without a bone-marrow transplant they die young. It is X-linked, so it shows in males while their mothers carry it silently. It looks very rare now — the variant was not found in any of 990 Basset Hounds in a large screen.
What to ask for
X-linked SCID (IL2RG, Basset Hound type) DNA test result on the dam, since carriers are female
An inherited fragility of the skin described in one litter of this breed, born of a close mating: from birth, three of seven puppies had blisters and ulcers on the nose and paw pads and lost their claws, and none survived. It is recessive and looks very rare — the variant was not found in twelve unaffected Basset Hounds tested.
What to ask for
Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (COL7A1, Basset Hound type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited failure of the immune system described in this breed: affected puppies cannot fight infections, and without a bone-marrow transplant they die young. It is X-linked, so it shows in males while their mothers carry it silently. It looks very rare now — the variant was not found in any of 990 Basset Hounds in a large screen.
What to ask for
X-linked SCID (IL2RG, Basset Hound type) DNA test result on the dam, since carriers are female
Median survival 12.5 years
95% confidence interval 12.2–12.7 years, from 883 recorded deaths among 1,997 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.9 (0.84, 0.96) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
A build-up of pressure inside the eye that progressively and irreversibly damages the optic nerve, leading to blindness. Caused by either of two independent mutations in ADAMTS17 identified specifically in the Basset Hound and the Basset Fauve de Bretagne.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the ADAMTS17 mutations on both parents, plus a current ACVO eye exam
The stomach fills with gas and twists on itself, cutting off its own blood supply; without emergency surgery it is fatal within hours. The Basset Hound is one of the deep-chested breeds named at elevated risk, and a first-degree relative's history of the condition raises an individual dog's own risk.
What to ask for
No DNA test exists. Ask whether the sire or dam has had a prophylactic gastropexy, and whether gastric dilatation-volvulus has occurred in the litter's close relatives
An inherited fragility of the skin described in one litter of this breed, born of a close mating: from birth, three of seven puppies had blisters and ulcers on the nose and paw pads and lost their claws, and none survived. It is recessive and looks very rare — the variant was not found in twelve unaffected Basset Hounds tested.
What to ask for
Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (COL7A1, Basset Hound type) DNA test result, on both parents