Six Week Evaluation for CoffeeNip

  Rocketdog Bassets has  provided many litters of puppies over the years. So were good, some better, and a few have been exceptional. In all of these each puppy from each litter has been evaluated as a single puppy, separate from the litter, but all by the same criteria and at the same level of development. The criteria for our pseudo-objective evaluations can be found here and you might want to review this information prior to moving forward through each evaluation. 

When CoffeeNip arrived he a strong (10.5 ounces) tri-colored boy. He was an instant hit with Ann, who still says he is her favorite. CoffeeNip has developed into a wonderful pet quality Basset Hound. His head shape is broad with good skin folding, his ear length is not optimal, but overall he is well formed.  His jaw set and ear position (appearing to hang from the back of the skull) are very much up to the Standard and his body shape is very strong with no flanged ribs or other negative aspects. Foreleg bone density is quite good, owing to his father's European lineage. 

The way a dog stands at rest is called Stance. In Basset Hounds, this is often associated with long term hip health. Coffee Nip has excellent stance and appears aggressive whenever he stands. He appears as a field dog in every way and is a robustly built Basset Hound puppy. 

All indications are that CoffeeNip will develop into an adult more of his father's form than mothers, with many of the more desirable heavier European traits coming from ClarkeBar Griswold. Expect him to eventually weigh in around fifty pounds as an adult providing sufficient care is taken in feeding and exercise. 

CoffeeNip has been very rangy since early on and we suggest that you keep the gate locked at all times. He spends most of his time playing hard with his siblings and this might make him a fine family dog with small children. He is occasionally growly but seldom snappish .  He is very active and plays all his waking hours. He loves people and the comfort they bring. His coloring is heavily black as of this evaluation, but I expect he will completely change as time goes on. His head is already mostly brown and it's likely his family will find him to magically grow brown pants to match. 

Overall I must give him five points of the five AKC Standard points, because he meets the Standard in every way, and a half point for aesthetics, making him a solid 5.5 of 6 points. This is what we expect in a very good pet quality Basset. I take half a point from him for his mothers form and nothing else (less than optimal ear length). As it is he is nearly everything I like to see in a pet Basset puppy. He would perhaps be a good candidate from breeding so long as he pairs with another Basset at least of his quality.