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 GobStopper arrived he a massive 13.7 ounce tri-colored boy that made his mother yelp out loud. Since then he has developed into a snarly beast of a puppy. Always spoiling for a fight he often challenges anyone moving inside of what he perceives as his domain. He is the rarest of Bassets, the Guard Dog Basset. GobStopper has developed into a really strong 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, but not optimally heavy in bone.
The way a dog stands at rest is called Stance. In Basset Hounds, this is often associated with long term hip health. GobStopper has excellent stance and appears aggressive whenever he stands. He is an aggressive puppy in nearly every way. He does not have the appearance of a field dog but is a robustly built Basset Hound puppy.
All indications are that GobStopper 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 sixty pounds as an adult and care should be taken in feeding to avoid longer termed health problems stemming from a weight.
GobStopper has been very snarly since early on and we suggest that you keep your hands out of his mouth at all times. He spends all of his time playing very, very, hard with his siblings and this might make him a fine family dog with older children. He is always growly and occasionally snappish. He loves people and the comfort of being cuddled, but not by everyone. 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.
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