Fauve de Bretagne

The Fauve de Bretagne, in full the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne or Fawn Brittany Griffon, is a scenthound from Brittany in France. It is a medium-sized, shaggy, fawn-colored hunting dog.

History

Its forerunner, the Grand Fauve de Bretagne, hunted wolves and wild boar in packs, and King Francis I of France is known to have kept one. When wolves were wiped out in the 19th century the big hounds almost disappeared. Those that were left were crossed with the Briquet Griffon Vendéen, which produced the smaller Griffon Fauve de Bretagne.

In 1949 Marcel Pambrun founded the Club de Fauve de Bretagne to rescue what remained of the breed, which a handful of farmers and hunters had kept going. Since the 1980s both the Griffon Fauve and the breed derived from it, the Basset Fauve de Bretagne, have recovered in numbers and become popular hunting dogs. The Griffon Fauve is still used in France to hunt boar. Some have been exported and are offered abroad as a rare breed.

Appearance

Dogs and bitches alike stand 48 to 56 cm (19 to 22 in) at the withers. The breed has a rough, shaggy coat in any shade of fawn from golden to red, long hanging ears, and a long tail carried up in a slight curve. The back is short, and the dog should look bony and muscular.

Temperament

The breed standard describes a wily, tenacious hunter on any ground that is sociable and affectionate with people. The breed is also said to make a good family dog, though individuals vary.

Care and health

No unusual health problems have been documented for the breed.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.