[Dailydrool] Howling/Baying

[Sandi Wittenberg]

We enjoyed Frank's howling session also.  In fact, Grady, my Bell Hound, was
on my lap as I played it and he about went nuts!  Had to go check the
*perimeter* to be sure we weren't being invaded.  

Baying is typically a pack activity.  This is why it is not uncommon for
single hounds to not bay.  Ever wonder how the dogs know when to start and
stop howling?  For those who may not know, every pack of basset hounds has a
bell hound.  This dog is the one who *always* starts and finishes a baying
session.  A true baying session, vs just making noise, lasts about 45
seconds.  The bell hound starts the session, sometimes with some *warm-up*
vocalizations, sometimes without the *warm-up*.  At the designated moment,
the other hounds join in.  When the session is over, the bell hound's voice
will be the last one heard.  The position of bell hound is one that is
designated within the pack and is not challenged, unlike the alpha position.
Our pack is rather complex since the females live with Pat and the males
live with me.  The females have a bell hound and my boys have a bell hound.
However, when all of them are together, there is only one bell hound.  At
this point, Grady (age 9) is the bell hound of the boys and also of the
entire pack.  

In my 20 years of observing our pack of bassets, I have had the pleasure and
honor of watching a current bell hound select and train the next bell hound.
The first time Pat and I observed this, we could hardly believe what we were
witnessing.  But very clearly Flash, who was about 12 years old, selected
Abby who was about 4 at the time, to be the next bell hound.  One weekend at
a dog show, he taught her how to begin and end the baying sessions.  At
first, he would begin the sessions and allow her to be the last voice heard.
Then over the next few days, he would help her get the session going but
would kind of *fade out* as soon as another hound or two joined in.  By the
end of the weekend, Abby was assuming the position of the bell hound.  Since
we were in the summer dog show mode, we watched carefully all summer as
Flash continued to monitor Abby's progress.  If she had difficulty getting a
session started, he would help out by lending his voice.  If another hound
tried to be the last voice heard, he would prevent that by making his and
Abby's voices last.  By the end of the summer, Abby was clearly the bell
hound.  Flash deteriorated over the next few months and left us that winter.
We have watched this transfer of duties four or five more times and it never
ceases to amaze us.  But we also recognize that with the wonder of this
process comes the sadness that the current bell hound is aging and is
passing this job on to a younger hound.

So, watch your pack carefully and enjoy their beautiful voices.  

Sandi Wittenberg - Red Bay Bassets

sandi at redbaybassets.com

 

 

 

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