Dry skin. In dog parlance, it doesn’t mean the absence of moisture. It means the absence of wrinkles and loose skin, and every breed is different in what is appropriate for its breed. Scent hounds, such as the Basset Hound, are NOT dry skinned, nor would being so enable them to do their job effectively. As a Basset Hound puts nose to ground, loose skin falling forward from his face helps trap scent particles that his nose inhales. Loose skin also rolls with sticks and brush as the dog plows through undergrowth to track a smell, and this diminishes punctures or torn skin.

“Basset Hound in Red Wagon” by Debra Sisson
http://www.dailypainters.com/…/artist_gall…/709/Debra-Sisson
www.debrasisson.blogspot.com