Six Week Evaluation for LemonHead

  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 LemonHead arrived he a stout (11.8 ounces) red and white baby boy with a wonderful blase on his forehead . Since this is Bit O'Honey's first litter we did not know what to expect. But LemonHead has developed into a wonderful pet quality Basset Hound. His head shape is broad with good, though not great, ear length.  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. LemonHead has very good stance and appears aggressive whenever he stands. He appears as a field dog in every way. A robustly built Basset Hound

All indications are that LemonHead 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. 

LemonHead has been "all about the nose" from early on. He spend most of his time playing alone and seems more happy to play by himself than with the others. He is never growly or snappish, but takes no guff from siblings.  He is sedate and stoic in his approach. But also quite happy to be cuddled occasionally. Having seen so few red and white Bassets in our litters it is hard to tell how he might turn out, but I expect his fur will become a deeper red as time goes on and his white bits will stand out quite well. 

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). Had he the champions ear length he might have become a show contender. As it is he is nearly everything I like to see in a Basset puppy. He would be a good candidate from breeding so long as he pairs with another Basset at least of his quality.