Breeding is not to be taken Lightly
Then you must be prepared for hundreds of hours of work.
Basset hounds are not easy to raise. The mothers are usually clumsy and can easily lie on and smother puppies. It is customary for the moms and puppies to require CONSTANT supervision for the first 2 weeks. This is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is time off from work. At our house, someone sleeps next to the whelping box at night. .During the day we take turns staying home with the babies. If supplemental feedings are needed, it means getting up at least twice a night to bottle or tube feed puppies. If puppies are colicky it means holding them for hours and rubbing tummies. After about 3 weeks when mom decides she has had enough of cleaning up after them you will feel like all you do is change poopy puppy papers. Once weaned, puppies need to be fed 3-4 times a day. They get filthy and need to be cleaned up. They need bedding laundered. They need to be played with and socialized.
Finally you must be prepared for unfathomable heartbreak.
There are few things worse than watching a puppy die, gasping and crying. And puppies do die. At a seminar for breeders, we were told that on an average, 30% of puppies die. In 20 years of breeding, I have seen many puppies die. I have seen puppies born dead who cannot be revived. I have seen monster puppies born. I have seen puppies smothered by their mothers. I have seen a whole litter die over a ten day period. I have poured hundreds of dollars and countless hours into saving a puppy, only to have it die anyway. I have had to have a puppy with a defect put to sleep. We have had a mother die three days after whelping, leaving us with eight hungry mouths to feed and huge hole in our hearts. Whenever we expect a litter, I am sick to my stomach for weeks before they are due and usually for weeks after they are born, because of worry and fear over what might happen.
Then there is the matter of homes.
Do you have enough homes?? I believe that statistically, basset litters average 6.8 puppies. In my experience, I have had litters ranging from 1 puppy to 13. I know a woman whose basset had 18 puppies and all of them lived. (Mom had no milk so all 18 had to be hand-raised!!) If you have 10 or 12 puppies, are you prepared to keep and nurture each and every one of them until you find them appropriate homes??
Please give this all some serious thought. If you then feel you want to go through with having a litter, get some good books on breeding and puppy rearing. I would especially recommend CARE OF THE BROOD BITCH AND WHELPING (available from the BHCA Country Store on the BHCA web site), and Successful Dog Breeding by Walkowic & Wilcox.
If you feel you are really ready to get into this, visit the Basset Hound Club of America website for a listing of breeders in your area you can contact. Be aware they will want to be able to evaluate your girl - be leery of anyone who says yes without asking questions.