Six Week Evaluations: The Lady Drinks Litter(s): Gimlet

The difference between very good, and great, Basset Hounds can be slight. Grizelda Laffee Taffee and ClarkeBar Grizwold have given us at least very good quality puppies in all three litters. This makes it difficult to write about since all of these Evaluations tend to sound the same. In the case of Gimlet we are faced with a puppy that is borderline great. All of the AKC Standard seems to be correct, and she is certainly a beautiful puppy. But occasionally the difference is in behavior and attitude. 

As stated above Gimlet has all the right stuff. Her head shape is wonderfully domed. Her ears a large, long, and set properly at the back of her skull. Gimlet's jaw set and fews are very good, bordering on great, for her age. Nothing is wrong with this puppy as far as I can tell. Gimlet's little body shape is nearly perfect in every respect as well, flowing smoothly from the shoulders to her waist. Her heavy frame and large feet tell us that she will be a wonderfully robust dog, Her stance, the way she stands when at rest, is very good.

Gimlet's has very good coloring. Her facial coloring is symmetrical and the tiniest white blaze on her forehead only serves to make her cuter. She is mostly black and white, with little brown coming through the black fur at this point in time. And there is an emerging ermine spotting beginning to show up in her  white fur, a sure sign of quality.  There is simply nothing about this puppy which is in any way non-conforming. She is very good. 

But the difference between good a great can be slight. In Gimlet we find a lack of patience, a need to explore her world, and a lack of ability to be self contained and sufficient. She is not any different than any other potential show quality puppies, but the way she engages life is much more playful and clownish than what would be needed for winning at competitive shows. Gimlet is a wonderful puppy and receives all five points for conforming to the AKC Standard and the full point for beauty. She will be a wonderful pet for a family. Breeding Gimlet is a good idea. If she is paired with a very high quality male she may produce offspring that might improved the breed.