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50 free Basset Hound trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Basset Hound trivia quiz covers the low-slung scent hound from its name (French for 'rather low') to its place in pop culture. Questions run through the St Hubert's Hound and its Spartan ancestors, the 1585 La Venerie, Norman Staghound mutations, why footbound commoners prized short legs before the Revolution, Napoleon III's bronzed Bassets, the 1870 French breeding programmes and Everett Millais's Bloodhound cross that made the heavier English dog. The breed itself gets its due: nose second only to the Bloodhound, the heaviest bone for its size, dewlaps and ears, permitted colours, temperament, osteochondrodysplasia, glaucoma, bloat and the lifespan studies. Then the famous Bassets: Jason of Hush Puppies, Elvis's Sherlock, Fred Basset and his foreign aliases, Droopy's radio roots, Fred of Smokey and the Bandit, Flash and Flush of Hazzard, Columbo's Dog, Lafayette, Toby and Gabriel. Questions run from easy to expert with the difficulty shown on each one, and every answer was checked against a reference page and carries its citation. If you enjoy it, try our Dogs and Dachshund quizzes next.
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Q 01The name 'Basset' comes from the French word bas, meaning what?
Low
The suffix -et softens it, so the whole word means 'rather low'.
Q 02The Basset Hound was bred primarily to hunt what?
Rabbit and hare
It moved slowly enough that hunters could follow on foot without horses.
Q 03The Basset Hound's sense of smell and ground-scenting ability are said to be second only to which breed?
The Bloodhound
The long ears help stir scent up from the ground.
Q 04The modern Basset Hound was developed in which country, from now-extinct French strains?
Great Britain
French Bassets were imported into England from at least the 1870s.
Q 05How many recognised 'basset'-type breeds are there in France?
Six
They include the Basset Artésien Normand, Basset Bleu de Gascogne and the Grand and Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen.
Q 06Relative to its size, the Basset Hound holds what distinction among all breeds?
It is the heaviest-boned
Basset Hounds weigh 44 to 77 pounds on average, the frame of a large dog on very short legs.
Q 07How much does a Basset Hound weigh on average?
44 to 77 pounds
Size varies a lot between bloodlines.
Q 08What is the loose skin around a Basset Hound's neck called?
The dewlap
The wrinkled, loose skin gives the breed its famously sad expression.
Q 09What is the purpose of the Basset Hound's characteristically long ears?
To stir up ground scent
The slightly crooked legs meanwhile support the broad chest and ribs.
Q 10Which two colour patterns are NOT permitted in Basset Hounds?
Merle and brindle
Tricolour patterns are the most popular, but red and white also occur.
Q 11How is the Basset Hound's temperament described?
Friendly, outgoing and playful
It is tolerant of children and other pets, and mild but extremely devoted.
Q 12The Basset Hound's short stature is due to which genetic condition?
Osteochondrodysplasia
It causes stunted growth, splayed hind limbs, enlarged joints and bent long bones.
Q 13A 2024 UK study found what life expectancy for the Basset Hound?
12.5 years
A 2015 French study had put it at 10.3, and the breed's median is quoted as 10 to 12.
Q 21The Basset type is believed to have originated as a mutation in litters of which French hound?
The Norman Staghound
The Norman Staghound was itself descended from the abbey hound of the Ardennes.
Q 22Why were short-legged hounds so valued in France before the Revolution of 1789?
Only aristocrats could hunt on horseback
Commoners hunted on foot, and a slow dog kept pace with them.
Q 23Basset-type hounds became popular during the reign of which French emperor?
Napoleon III
Bronze sculptures of the emperor's Bassets were exhibited at the 1853 Paris Salon.
Q 14What was the leading cause of death for Basset Hounds in a 2004 UK Kennel Club survey?
Cancer
Cancer took 31 per cent, ahead of old age at 13 and gastric dilatation volvulus at 11.
Q 15A mutation in which gene causes the primary open angle glaucoma common in Basset Hounds?
ADAMTS17
Veterinary data put glaucoma prevalence at 5.44 per cent, the second highest in the study.
Q 16One study gave the Basset Hound what odds ratio for gastric dilatation volvulus (bloat)?
5.9
Deep-chested breeds are the classic bloat candidates.
Q 17The Basset type descends from 6th-century hounds belonging to which saint of Belgium?
St Hubert
Breeding at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Hubert produced the St Hubert's Hound around 1000 AD.
Q 18The saint whose hounds founded the Basset line is a patron of hunters and of which other group?
Mathematicians
He is also patron of opticians and metalworkers, and his 'key' was used to cure rabies until the 20th century.
Q 19The 6th-century hounds behind the Basset line are said to descend from which ancient Greek type of dog?
The Laconian (Spartan) Hound
Laconian Hounds were reputed never to give up a scent until they found their prey.
Q 20The first mention of a 'Basset' dog appeared in which 1585 hunting text?
La Venerie by Jacques du Fouilloux
The dogs in it were used to hunt foxes and badgers.
Q 24Which leading animal sculptor showed bronzes of the emperor's Basset Hounds at the 1853 Paris Salon?
Emmanuel Fremiet
Ten years later the breed drew international attention at the first Paris dog exhibition.
Q 25Controlled breeding of the short-haired Basset began in France in which year?
1870
Count Le Couteulx of Canteleu fixed a straight-legged type and Louis Lane a crooked-legged one; crossed, they became the Basset Artésien Normand.
Q 26Count Le Couteulx of Canteleu fixed a utilitarian straight-legged type known as what?
The Chien d'Artois
Louis Lane's crooked-legged type was the Normand; the two were crossed to make the Basset Artésien Normand.
Q 27Who is considered the father of the modern Basset Hound?
Everett Millais
In the 1890s he bred a Basset named Nicholas to a much heavier scent hound to create a heavier English type.
Q 28How was the mating that produced the heavier English Basset in the 1890s achieved?
Artificial insemination
The bitch was called Inoculation, and the litter was delivered by caesarean section.
Q 29How does the Basset Artésien Normand differ from the English-developed Basset Hound?
It stayed lighter-boned and more hunting-focused
English breeders made the Basset Hound more substantial by crossing in heavier hound blood.
Q 30The only Basset Hound to win at Crufts was also the first Best of Breed winner there from which country?
Malta
The win came in 2004.