Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

Griffon Bleu de GascogneGriffon Nivernais

Griffon Fauve de Bretagne – General Description

The Griffon Fauve de Bretagne translated into English as the Fawn Brittany Griffon, is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France in the region of Brittany.

[Top]

Classification and Standards

• FCI Group 6, Section 1.2, #66
• UKC Scenthound Group

[Top]

Character & Temperament

The breed’s ideal temperament is described in the breed standard as being wily and tenacious as a hunter on all terrains, but sociable and affectionate with people.[1] Temperament of individual dogs may vary.

[Top]

History

Griffon Fauve de Bretagne were used in packs for hunting wolves and wild boar, and Francois I was known to keep a pack of Griffon Fauve de Bretagne.[2] With the elimination of wolves in the nineteenth century, they nearly became extinct.[2] In 1949, Marcel Pambrun founded the Club de Fauve de Bretagne to save the remains of the breed that had been kept alive by a few farmers and hunters.[3] Since the 1980s the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne and the derived breed, the Basset Fauve de Bretagne, been successfully restored in numbers and are popular hunting dogs.[1]

The breed is a good hunting dog, still used in France to hunt boar, but is also a good family dog. Examples of the Griffon Nivernais have been exported to other countries, where they are promoted as a rare breed for those seeking a unique pet.

[Top]

Size & Appearance

The Griffon Fauve de Bretagne is a medium sized dog, 19 to 22 inches (48 to 56 cm), same for males and females at the withers. It has a distinctive rough (shaggy) pale coat, long drop ears, and a long tail carried up and in a slight curve. The body is short backed. The breed should appear bony and muscular. Colour of the coat can be any shade of fawn from golden to red.

[Top]

Health & Maintenance

No unusual health problems or claims of extraordinary health have been documented for this breed.

References

1. Breed Standard, English – http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/066A2002_en.doc
2. Clark, Anne Rogers; Andrew H. Brace (1995). The International Encyclopedia of Dogs. Howell Book House. pp. 252. ISBN 0-87605-624-9. – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Rogers_Clark
3. Club de Fauve de Bretagne, History (in French) – http://fauvedebretagne.free.fr/

Photo Credits

1. Alephalpha (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
2. Markus Seim (privat) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-2.5 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
3. W. E. Mason – Dogs of all Nations [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

This article is licensed (except where noted) under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

Videos

Breed Standard

Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

FCI – Standard N° 66 / 05. 05. 2003 / GB

TRANSLATION: John Miller and Raymond Triquet.

ORIGIN: France.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 25.03.2003.

UTILIZATION:

Scent hound used for hunting hare, fox, roe deer and wild boar.

F.C.I. CLASSIFICATION :

Group 6 Scent hounds and related breeds
Section 1.2 Medium-sized hounds
With working trial

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY:

The fauve de Bretagne is one of the oldest French scent hound breeds and as early as the XIV century a gentleman by the name of Huet des Ventes had a pack of these dogs. Much used until the XIX century for wolf hunting in Brittany, it suffered a decline when these animals disappeared.
Striving to maintain the quality of these hounds, which had become rare, Marcel Pambrun founded the Club de Fauve de Bretagne in 1949. Since the 1980’s, under the direction of Bernard Vallée, the griffon fauve de Bretagne (as well as the derived breed, the basset fauve de Bretagne) has established a place among the French scent hound breeds. The motto “hunting first” continues to guide the club’s conduct.

GENERAL APPEARANCE :

A bony and muscular dog, very resistant to weather and fatigue. A quite active hound, particularly suitable to difficult terrain. It has good scenting ability and the sustained voice of a “chopper” (short and repeated notes).

BEHAVIOR / TEMPERAMENT :

Fauves de Bretagne are impassioned hunters but are good natured with people, sociable, affectionate and equable.
They adapt themselves easily to all terrains and to all quarry. When hunting they reveal themselves to be courageous, wily, tenacious and steady. They are enterprising and efficient but show themselves equally capable of harking in. When well conducted, they are obedient and return readily.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION :

Skull: Rather long, marked occipital protuberance. Seen from the front, the cranium has the form of a flattened arch and diminishes in width from the rear to the superciliary arches, which are not very prominent.
Stop: Only slightly marked.

FACIAL REGION:

Nose: Black or dark brown; well-open nostrils.
Muzzle: Slightly tapering rather than being perfectly rectangular.
Lips: Covering well the lower jaw but without excess. Moustaches only slightly furnished.
Jaws/Teeth: The jaws and teeth are strong, meeting in a perfect and even scissors bite. The upper incisors cover the lower in close contact. The incisors are set square to the jaws. Absence of first premolars is not penalized.
Eyes: Neither bulging nor set too deeply in the orbits, dark brown in colour. The conjunctiva is not apparent. The expression is lively.
Ears: Finely attached, in line with the eye, just reaching the end of the nose when drawn forward, ending in a point, turned inwards and covered by finer and shorter hair than on the rest of the body.

NECK :

Rather short and well muscled.

BODY

Back: Short and broad. Never swaybacked.
Loin: Broad and muscular.
Chest: Deep and broad.
Ribs: Rather rounded.
Abdomen : The underline rises only slightly towards the rear.

TAIL :

Carried slightly sickle-fashion, of medium length, large at the base, often bristly and well-tapered at the end. In action, the tail is carried above the top line and makes regular movements from side to side.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS :

Overview: The limbs have good bone and are well poised.
Shoulder: Oblique and well set on the thorax.
Elbow: In line with the body.
Forearm: Vertical.
Metacarpus (Pastern): Seen in profile, somewhat oblique. Seen from the front, in line with the body.

HINDQUARTERS :

Overview : Well muscled. The limbs are well poised. Seen from behind, the rear legs are parallel, neither close nor wide.
Thigh: Long and well muscled.
Hock: Well let down and moderately bent.
Metatarsus (rear pastern): Vertical.
Feet : Compact with the toes tight together, arched and with solid nails. The pads are hard.

GAIT/MOVEMENT :

Supple and even, never bouncy.

SKIN :

Rather thick, supple. Absence of dewlap.

COAT :

HAIR :

Coat very rough, harsh, rather short, never woolly or curly. The face shouldn’t be too bushy.

COLOR :

Fawn colored, from golden wheaten to red brick in hue. A few black hairs dispersed on the back and ears are tolerated. Occasionally the presence of a small white star on the chest, something not sought after.

HEIGHT :

MALES and FEMALES: 48 cm minimum (19”)
56 cm maximum (22”)
with a tolerance of 2 cm (0.8”) for exceptional specimens.

FAULTS:

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

SEVERE FAULTS :

Behavior:

• Timid.

Head:

• Wide, flat skull. Superciliary arches too prominent,
• Short or pointed muzzle. Heavy and pendulous upper lips.

Eyes:

• Light.

Ears :

• Flat and large.

Body:

• Frail in appearance. Topline not level enough. Too tucked up.

Tail:

• Out of line.

Limbs:

• Poor bone. Splayed feet.

Coat :

• Sparse, smooth, fine, soft.

ELIMINATING FAULTS :

Temperament:

• Aggressive or overly shy.

Lack of type:

• Insufficient breed characteristics, which means the animal on the whole doesn’t resemble other samples of the breed.

Jaws/Teeth:

• Overshot or undershot.

Eyes:

• Overly light.

Pigmentation:

• Totally or partially unpigmented areas on the nose or the edges of eyelids or lips.

Tail:

• Kinked.

Dewclaws:

• Presence of dewclaws (this breed is always free from dewclaws).

Coat:

• Long, woolly coat. Any coat other than that defined by the standard.

Height:

• Outside the limits defined by the standard.

Defects:

• Noticeable invalidating defect. Anatomical malformation.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B.: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

© Fédération Cynologique Internationale