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It seems I've caught Alicia's cold, so I'm taking it easier than I had hoped to today. Got my Netti Pot ready, Ruth. :)
After work and dinner yesterday, I took Flash over to Tiger's to play with her two Boxers. Flash and Cheyenne have played for years, so they know each other well. Chas (aka Smooshie) is a bit shy and uncertain, so Flash's utter enthusiasm for play can be a bit much. So today I took Doodle over to play with them both so he had an adventure this week. Those two wore Doodle out completely, which is exactly what I'd hoped for. Chas is learning to play and Doodle's easy-going approach seems to work a bit better.
Its actually a bit surprising at how well matched a Boxer and Basset are as playmates. Boxers are bigger and higher energy, but Bassets are sturdier and have considerably denser bones. The Bassets let the Boxers wear themselves out, then they just lunge out like a cobra.
The "boxing" style of Boxer play is particularly ineffective against a loose-skinned Basset. Pound for pound, they are probably fairly similar in strength. The size difference is really only in height, Boxers look very muscular until you put them up against a husky Hound like Doodle. Flash is considerably better at twisting and turning than the Boxers, he's agile in a way their straight up play style can't really compensate for.
The Basset has a VERY large muzzle with VERY large teeth, the Boxer's wide, shallow mouth and compromised nasal breathing are at a real disadvantage there. The very deep Basset chest handles air flow beautifully and powerfully. Should Doodle or Flash lose their tempers, they can do considerable damage to the very thin-skinned Boxers who have no fat to protect their vital organs. Thankfully, Bassets are very good losers in play fighting. We've only had to separate them when the Boxers lost their cool and thankfully, that's so rare as to be less than once a year.
After work and dinner yesterday, I took Flash over to Tiger's to play with her two Boxers. Flash and Cheyenne have played for years, so they know each other well. Chas (aka Smooshie) is a bit shy and uncertain, so Flash's utter enthusiasm for play can be a bit much. So today I took Doodle over to play with them both so he had an adventure this week. Those two wore Doodle out completely, which is exactly what I'd hoped for. Chas is learning to play and Doodle's easy-going approach seems to work a bit better.
Its actually a bit surprising at how well matched a Boxer and Basset are as playmates. Boxers are bigger and higher energy, but Bassets are sturdier and have considerably denser bones. The Bassets let the Boxers wear themselves out, then they just lunge out like a cobra.
The "boxing" style of Boxer play is particularly ineffective against a loose-skinned Basset. Pound for pound, they are probably fairly similar in strength. The size difference is really only in height, Boxers look very muscular until you put them up against a husky Hound like Doodle. Flash is considerably better at twisting and turning than the Boxers, he's agile in a way their straight up play style can't really compensate for.
The Basset has a VERY large muzzle with VERY large teeth, the Boxer's wide, shallow mouth and compromised nasal breathing are at a real disadvantage there. The very deep Basset chest handles air flow beautifully and powerfully. Should Doodle or Flash lose their tempers, they can do considerable damage to the very thin-skinned Boxers who have no fat to protect their vital organs. Thankfully, Bassets are very good losers in play fighting. We've only had to separate them when the Boxers lost their cool and thankfully, that's so rare as to be less than once a year.
