Why Champion Lines?

You see "Champion Sired", "Champion Lines", "Champion This" and "Champion That".  What does it mean?  Is it important? Should I pay more for a puppy that has champions in his/her line?  What's the big deal?  Well, in our opinion, having Champions in your dog's lineage is a huge deal and means a lot to both your enjoyment of your new puppy and the health of your new puppy.

The American Kennel Club publishes a "Breed Standard" for all AKC-recognized breeds of dog.  You can find them all on their web site, www.akc.org.  These standards are the criterion used in the conformation portion of all AKC-sanctioned dog shows.  For each breed, there are specific physical characteristics that must be present for a dog to have a chance to win.  For most breeds, these characteristics have a specific purpose.  For basset hounds, the breed standard was developed based on the basset's use as a hunter of small game, mainly rabbits.  The long ears were meant to stir up the scent on the ground so the large, sensitive nose could pick it up.  The short powerful legs are meant for endurance and navigating rough terrain.  The tall, usually white-tipped tail allows the hunter to find his dog in the tall grass and the large paws give the basset a firm, sturdy base for it's massive bone structure.

Below is a link to the AKC's Breed Standards for the Basset Hound.  You'll notice that some of the characteristics listed have explanations.  Others are simply beauty contest features!

http://www.akc.org/breeds/basset_hound/

 

This drawing is from the AKC's web site page for basset hound breed standards.

The picture below is of our male "Julius" at just over one year old.  He will continue to "fill out" and get a more adult look to him.  Julius has 30 champions in his 5-generation pedigree.  Julius himself is not a Champion but he conforms well to the published standards.  We paid more for Julius than our other bassets because of his lineage and because we know that because of this lineage he will live a long, healthy and happy life.  It was also important to us that Julius had the sad, droopy eyes, the "tons of extra skin", long, low set ears, massive paws that are straight and not cocked to one side and a straight back.  Julius is our family's pet.  He might eventually get into the show ring but for now he is our big baby puppy.  "He's a good boy.  He's a very good boy."