The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen

Appearance

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is a short legged, compact hound. He is distinguishable by his tousled, rough coated appearance, accentuated, by his long eyebrows, beard and moustache. The confident proud carriage of his head and his saber tail as he moves, and what seems to be a smile on his face, always attracts attentions every where he goes.

History

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is a scent hound, developed to hunt small game in packs over the rough and difficult terrain of the Vendee region in France. He evolved from his larger cousin the ‘Griffon Vendeen’ who was bred back in the 16th Century, to cope with difficult conditions of this region, which is distinguished by its rough, bramble and rock covered terrain. This larger ancestor, as well as being a suitable hunting companion to man, needed a rough coat to protect him from the harsh environment, and had to be strong, both physically and mentally, agile, determined, with no sign of timidity.
These larger dogs were generally used by the noblemen to hunt boar and stag. As the poor farmers and huntsmen had to follow their dogs on foot, it was natural to breed a dog with a shorter length of leg, thus restricting the speed of the dog and creating one that man could follow on foot, but still keep the necessary characteristics to cope with the conditions of the area. This low set hound became known as the Basset (from the Latin word ‘Bassus’ meaning ‘low’) The PBGV is the smallest of four varieties of Griffon Vendeens and is still used extensively in France to hunt rabbit, hare and roe deer.

Temperament

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is a happy, vivacious, extrovert, who is independent, yet willing to please. He is often nicknamed the ‘The Happy Breed’, for obvious reason. He seems to trot through life as though not having a care in the world. Most owners will remark on the breed’s ability to make them laugh daily. They are wonderful with children as they love to play for hours. They are a very intelligent breed and can sometimes be a little stubborn, but once something is learned, it will never be forgotten. Being a ‘scent-hound’, unless taught from an early age to come on command, they should not be’ let off the lead’ to run in unsecured areas, as once they get their noses on a scent, their natural instinct to hunt, quickly takes over.

Care / Grooming

Their coat is a combination of a harsh outer coat and softer undercoat, which if correct, should only need a brush and comb, once a week. Having longer, dropped ears, these need to be also checked weekly and kept clean. A little trimming of hair around the eyes and under the feet is occasionally needed along with trimming of any long toenails.

Health

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is basically a robust, healthy breed, but like all breeds a small percentage of the breed around the world, suffers a variety of general health issues including Epilepsy, Glaucoma and Neck Pain Syndrome. Most of the breeders today are working to eradicate these problems and can tell prospective breeders about their own breeding stock.

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