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If you’re thinking of adopting a Basador, breeding and behavior tips should help you decide whether this is a good fit for you and your family. When any two different breeds are cross bred the outcome can be a blend of the best and the worst of each original breed and no one can truly predict how a crossbreed will compare to the expected results.
Basador Breeding and Behavior
Two of the world’s most beloved dog breeds are the Labrador retriever and the Basset Hound. The result of a cross between them is called a Basador. Basadors are a combination of two traditional hunting breeds and will have a strong urge to hunt and sniff out other critters so it’s important to have proper enclosures to prevent escape and be aware that cats and other small pets may not be a good idea around a Basador unless they are trained from the start.
As a crossbreed, Basadors often sport a wider range of sizes and colors but typically include a rugged short legged dog with longish ears and tail. Brown, black and white coloring is common and full grown Basadors average weight ranges from 50-70 lbs. That’s a pretty big dog so keep that in mind when choosing a home.
The personality of the Basador is friendly and loyal. However, Bassett Hounds can have a stubborn, independent nature and one minute they’ll want you to rub their belly and play and the next they want to wander off and explore the woodsy smells and trails. Young labs are highly active too so owners of Basadors must be willing to get outside in all kinds of weather to provide their pet with enough healthy activity.
Another way to provide exercise and training is agility training and other dog sports as long as the dog is physically able. As smart as they are Basadors will not enjoy long and tedious training sessions so keep them short and provide a pleasant experience for you and your dog to bond together. Gradually building trust and leadership only enhances your relationship with your dog.
Early socialization and exposure to children using positive reinforcement is the best way to ensure that your dog is “kid friendly”. With proper training Basadors make wonderful therapy dogs too. A concern for those with allergies is the heavy shedding that is a year round issue. Basadors will require regular brushing, nail care, ear and dental care.
Here are some additional tips for Basador Breeding and Behavior from Victoria Tiegert on Helium.com
These dogs usually want to please their owners, which is a very helpful trait when it comes to training time. Training should not be approached with a heavy hand; the breed is very sensitive and will not respond well.
Bassadors form strong bonds with their families and do not like being left alone for too long at a time. They will do alright for short periods of alone time, but after a while, they will become bored and possibly, begin destroying your things as they “play”.
It only takes one look to know that specific health issues for Basadors are mainly related to back problems. Overfeeding and jumping off of high furniture such as beds can cause damage to the hips and spine, which may not present themselves until the dog gets older. Cross breeding includes dealing with common health risks from both breeds. A good breeder will test the Labrador and Basset parents for genetic diseases before allowing them to breed.
Do you own a Basador? Please share your impressions of this breed below!
Melanie
says:The sweetest and tenderest dog in the world. Only wants to be hugged and loved. I was a first time dog owner when I adopted ruby from a rescue shelter. I had no experience training a dog and it was a rocky start at first but as our bond grew she just fell in line out of wanting to receive hugs. She’s an excellent watch dog as well with a deep bark that no one on the other side of the door would want to mess with. She is simple and low energy, happy with a gated yard and doesn’t try to escape. Soooooo cute! The biggest longest ears and is vocal. She expresses herself with moans and grunts kind of like a gentle bear and basically is the spitting image of a sea lion. Because her neck is larger than her head we have to use a chain collar otherwise a typical collar slides right off. A harness type collar proved difficult as well she would just wiggle her elbows through no matter how I adjusted it. She is a healthy weight at 70 lbs but dense and sturdy.
Tom Noland
says:We got Matt from a rescue in Wichita , he was presented to us as a Dasch/Lab . Very cute and 15 lbs. at 3 months and extremely honery. Now at 11 months and nearly 50 lbs still honery and quite handsome .We found a Bassador pup picture on the internet that looked identical so we’ve changed our thinking to what his true mix is. As others have noted he is stubborn and will only obey if it suits him all the while giving you that aren’t I cute look. He has decided he is a lap dog and will curl up like a 10 pounder in my lap if I let him. He loves to bring large sticks thru the dog door and destroy them in the house , again , if we let him . He’s a lot of fun has a lot of energy but when he crashes he crashes . The wife and I have both been pushed to our limit more than once by him but we’ve wrote that off as him being a 45# pup and us not have raised a pup for a while , We’re glad we have him , he’s a hoot !
SANDY
says:THIS IS NOT A DESIGNER BREED. I HAVE TWO OF THEM–SMART AND INTELLIGENT. THE GENTLEST, SWEETEST BREED OR MIX EVER. LOVES EVERYONE AND ALL ANIMALS. WISH I COULD AFFORD 50 OF THEM.
YES, THEY ARE STUBBORN!
George Perkins
says:Just lost my old girl last month after 22 wonderful years. The best dog a person could possibly ever owned in my eyes. She was excellent in the home as well as in the field. Good with commands and hand signals. But as stated in the article when younger extremely active. That didn't slow down until about age 8. Also note from the article they don't like being left at home. Always had to leave her with a neighbor or she would howl until she lost her voice
Amber Alstad
says:Adopted my Maxx from local shelter. He was 1 of 9 pups. He's so amazing!!! He was 4 months when I bought him, he's now 9 months. He's definitely stubborn, but I've learned to be sturn and direct with him and he's really turned out to be the best friend I could have ever hoped for!!!
Katie
says:We rescued what we were told was a German Shepard/lab mix but have since come to the conclusion that she must be a bassador. She looks like a small black lab but acts like a basset. We got her at 8 weeks she is now 2. Our first clue was the baying, she doesn't really bark mostly bays. She's very smart however extremely stubborn. If you call her and she's not finished sniffing the air for the night she'll just turn her head away like she didn't hear you. She's a sweet dog, she has some fear issues which I believe are from her rough start in life she's especially afraid of strange men. As I said she is smart and knows commands however she'll only mind them if she feels like it. Which can be frustrating when she's outside baying at 2am and refuses to come in. She occasionally brings me freshly killed gifts and I've caught her in the yard finishing off something with legs. Her hunting instinct is strong. She also burrows and digs. The burrowing and baying are what triggered me to research the breed and determine that she had to have basset in her. It explains her behaviors and some of her physical characteristics. Like her front legs as sometime at a weird angle or how she sits on her hip kind of lounging when she's relaxed. As I said before she's a sweet loving dog but she can be frustrating in her refusal to listen and can at times be stand offish. But I've had zero regrets about rescuing her. My older dog (a German/Aussie Shepard mix) and her love each other and refuse to be apart from one another. We feel truly blessed to have found her. Shes a little weird but highly entertaining. She's made a wonderful addition to our household.
Tracy Gentry
says:I love my bassador. I had his mama too..she was a lab but sadly passed away. They were together almost 8 years. He is the sweetest cutest dog I’ve had…so lovable.
Gary and Deb
says:We adopted our Leyla from Dog Bless a dog placement that is operated by volunteers and a group of veterentarians who rescued Leyla off the table when she had been ready to be to be put to sleep. She ended up in Victoria BC Canada from Alabama . We wanted a black lab and looked at her and fell in love. She is no designer breed she is one in a million. She will stay outside rain or shine and just sit and watch the stars . She can never be left off leash as of the hound in her will come out and she is just GONE. We were fortunate that her name and our cell number was on her tag as the cell rang and she was a mile away eating dinner. She gets along with our other dogs but cats and rabbits not so much. She is an amazing loving girl and completes our home. We would highly recommend this breed but from training from a puppy stage for running away would be more peaceful. You need a good fence and lots of room. Also do their nails and ears as the basset ears can be a problem with our girl. We routinely clean her ears and brush her then do her nails. She beams.
Amazing galant gal. Leyla is our black beauty and we are so fortunate. Dog Bless.
janine
says:my husband found some pups for sale and fell in love-he’s always liked bassets anyway and got this little girl-a bassador. we had never heard of a bassador before and just started referring to her as one (that and it was an Estelle Getty/John Wayne thing) . at 1st all I thought was “OMG, another stupid basset (had 1 before and it was dumber than dirt) this little girl started out almost as dumb but after trying to get her housebroken, took her head into my hands, looked into her beautiful big brown eyes and told her she WASN’T a basset, she was a lab (we had 1 and he was VERY intelligent), to feel and become 1 with her inner lab. you know, after that it only took 3 days to housebreak her completely. also refer to her as SFI (short, fat and infuriating) sweet girl is a pain and hates when her “daddy” goes anywhere without her. tries to look innocent, has shows NO guilt over anything. she’s a loyal dog, just not to me- quite the clown
Dave
says:I found my Bassador by accident, the previous Adoptors couldnt keep him, so we took the chance and found him to be the sweetest dog, gets along with our 3 cats, grandkids and goes to daycare one day week, i would never give him up and now that i found there is a name it is even better.
Chris
says:Anyone who got there bassador from Leigh cats and dogs home or from the north west of England please contact me please I’m trying to find the litter that my 2 year old basador brody is related to thanks email me on [email protected]
Lisa Oliver
says:I adopted my Bassador, Chief who is almost 2 yrs old from a foster home but he come from a shelter previously. The previous owner did not take good care of Chief and they did not have the time so his foster mom, Marilyn took him in, bless her heart! Chief is absolutely an amazing dog. He is so laid back and so dog and kid friendly. We saw him on Petfinder and fell in love with him before we even met him. I have had him 1 month and would not give him up for the world!!!! I would like to get another Bassador for 2 reasons: 1. They are the most wonderful, most well-behaved dog which is nice to have around, and he very loving and affectionate. 2. I love the breed, everything about them and would like chief to have a sibling.
Shannon
says:We got Hollie our Bassador from a shelter 9 years ago when she was 8 months old & I would adopt another. I saw 3 others last year in the same shelter but I couldn’t adopt since I have 3 dogs tortilla. She is sweet, loyal & stubborn. I will get another but only if I adopt it. I didn’t know until today that there was a name for her mixed breed. She is friendly to both kids & dogs and has never had any behavior issues unless she gets free from the fence which doesn’t happen often.
Micky
says:We just got a basador from a rescue shelter. She was one of nine pups. Our cat and she hit it off right away. She’s is also very good with our 2 year old son. We monitored the area shelters for several months for the right dog given we had a toddler and cat before these puppies were transported from a high kill shelter in Oklahoma. She’s a fabulous pet and I would encourage any family to keep an eye on shelters for these dogs.
Penny
says:We just rescued a Labrador from Oklahoma as well. We live in CO and named her Betty. We have had her for about 5 weeks ago. So far she is great with our kids…barks a bit, but seems smart and loving.
olivia
says:I have a 4 year old bassadore named Gracie who is my treasure and my joy. She is a rescue dog but, truth be told, she rescued ME. She was left tied to a house (2 years ago) that had been foreclosed on and the owners drove away. I thought that was awful until our vet told us that with her fear issues (from her previous life) she probably would never had been re-homed and would have, more than likely, been put down. So i am GLAD they tied her up and drove away because she is MINE now and has improved the quality of my life 1000 fold. She is the best part of my day. She is my little bit of heavenly grace, which is why I named her Gracie. They are the best dogs ever. Absolutely the BEST.
I have an 11 year old bassador – wonderful dog and I love him. I want to find out about any that need adopting in shelters anywhere or anyone who has bassador puppies? Please let me know. Thanks….Bob
jean
says:I’m picking up a bassador foster tomorrow morning…:)
Emma
says:There is an amazing Bassador at the Polk County Sheriff’s office in Winter Haven, FL. It’s an overpopulated kill shelter and he will only last a month there before he’s put down. I would love to take him in but am not currently in the position to be able to. He’s the sweetest thing in the world, only about 35 pounds, and is an adult.
Meria
says:I have a bassador that I was given when he was a pup! He is a very loving dog and loves to play fetch! I would not trade him for anything in the world. He has brought so much joy to our family! He has a nonstop personality! I do have to say that they are very strong dogs and my Yogi is a tank!
Pip
says:Pssssht. I’m sick of intentionally bred “designer” breeds. Basically putting a high price tag on a good old fashioned mix. My girl Padfoot is a “bassador” – part Bassett, part Lab – and she was adopted, not purchased as a pricey designer dog. People that want to BUY a dog – find a rescue, adopt from a shelter, save a life, don’t create one while another dies without a loving home. My girl…sweetest pup you will ever meet. Not cat friendly? Please, she is the one (of my two dogs) my kitties head butt for lovins and snuggle on the bed with. She is mama’s girl, my life is sooooo full of love with her in it, I can’t express in words how very important she is to me.
ACT
says:I have a bassador who is a rescue from a high-kill shelter in Alabama. Thanks to the dedicated work of Labs4rescue, she was rescued by a foster family 1 day before she was scheduled for euthanasia. She was a pregnant stray when she went to the shelter. All of her puppies were adopted her out but no one wanted her. She is the sweetest dog ever. My hope is that bassadors NEVER become the next designer crossbreed. There are many of them in shelters in the southern states and many of them who NEVER make it out of the shelters alive. Maybe you should update your article to talk about what to consider when ADOPTING a bassador from a shelter or rescue.
Anonymous
says:Just another designer breed.