Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

About the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

Wolf hunting in medieval Brittany produced the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne, and when the wolves were gone the breed turned to boar, fox and hare. It is the parent of the shorter-legged Basset Fauve, and it nearly disappeared in the early twentieth century before a small group of French breeders rebuilt it from a handful of dogs.

Standing about 48 to 56 cm, it is squarer and altogether leggier than its basset relative, carrying the same harsh, dry, fawn to red-wheaten jacket that never wants trimming into shape. The head is strong without coarseness, the ears set at eye level and turning slightly inward. A good specimen looks like a working hound in hard condition, and a stud should move soundly and show the bold, level temperament the standard asks for.

Hip scores and a current eye certificate are the reasonable requests to make of the owner, and gonioscopy is worth including given the attention paid to eye disease in the related Brittany hounds. Ask about epilepsy, thyroid problems and ear infections among close relatives, since none of those show on a certificate. This is a rare breed in Britain, so the question of how closely the two pedigrees are related deserves an answer before anything is arranged.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.