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 TikTac arrived she a very small (6.7 ounces) tri-colored and noisy girl. Since this is Bit O'Honey's first litter we did not know what to expect. But TikTac has developed into a very good little pet quality Basset Hound. Her head shape is wonderfully domed with good, though not great, ear length at six weeks. Her jaw set and ear position are very much up to the Standard and her body shape is strong with no flanged ribs or other negative aspects. Foreleg bone density is not bad, but also not as heavy as some.
The way a dog stands at rest is called Stance. In Basset Hounds, this is often associated with long term hip health. TicTac has very good stance but lacks the heavy bones which usually make the dog look aggressive, even when at rest. I don't see anything in her to say she will develop bone health problems and her hip setting is very good, but dwarfism in Bassets can lead to all sorts of things which heavy bones tend to keep away and she is a bit light in bone weight.
All indications are that TicTak will develop into an adult more of her mother's form than fathers, with few of the more desirable heavier European traits coming from ClarkeBar Griswold. Expect her to eventually weigh in under fifty pounds as an adult providing sufficient care is taken in feeding and exercise.
TikTac has two very strong points: a wonderful coloring, and a really wonderful personality. . . Having four Basset brothers is tough for a little girl, but TikTac handles the challenge with grace and ferocity. She is ever playful, always engaged, and never lets a challenge go unaccepted. She is fierce. But she is also funny. I find her staring directly at me every once in a while as she practices something like a Jedi mind trick to get herself picked up. Her nearly complete black and white coloring is well spotted and this ought to evolve into something resembling ermine as she ages. As of this evaluation she is showing no signs of emergent brown in her coat, but time may change things. Her facial fur is symmetrical in coloring and she can often be found staring at whatever she most wants. Had she a bit heavier bone structure she might be an adequate show contender. She is a lovely little Basset.
Overall I must give her four and one half points of the five AKC Standard points and a half point for aesthetics, making her a solid 5 of 6 points. This is what we expect in a pet quality Basset. I take half a point from her for foreleg density and paw size, half a point for ear length. Otherwise she is a fine Basset Hound puppy. She might be bred, providing that care is taken to introduce more European genetic traits.
No comments:
Post a Comment