Crossword Genius

Risk chaining animal, dog (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

basset

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'dog' is the definition.
(basset is a kind of dog)

'risk chaining animal' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'animal' could be 'ass' (I've seen this before) and 'ass' is present in the answer.
'risk' could be 'bet' and 'bet' is found within the remaining letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for basset that I've seen before include "Short-legged dog" , "Hound (named Fred?)" , "Hound with short legs and long ears" , "Low-set hound" , "Hare-hunting hound among beasts" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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