Breed Standard

FCI Standard N°33
Origin: France
Date of Publication: 09.01.1999

UTILIZATION:
It is the perfect assistant for the hunter with gun in territories of moderate size. Fastest of all the scenthound bassets, tenacious, courageous, a little stubborn. He must, from early age, be accustomed to obeying; its training implies will and punishment, for which he will bear no grudge.

CLASSIFICATION
F.C.I. Group 6: Scenthounds and related breeds.
Section 1.3 : Small-sized hounds with working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen is derived, like all bassets, from hounds of superior size, in this case the Grand Griffon. The first selections were made at the end of the 19th century by the Comte d'Elva who was looking for subjects with "straight legs". But it was Paul Dézamy who was especially responsable for fixing the type. He had understood that in order to catch a hare, dogs of a certain size were needed. He fixed the size at about 43 cm. Today used primarily when hunting with a gun, it is capable of hunting all furry game, from the rabbit to the wild boar. A team of Grand Bassets won the 5th edition of the European Cup for hare.

GENERAL APPEARANCE:
Slightly elongated overall, it has straight forelegs, the structure of a basset, and must not resemble a small Briquet. It is balanced and elegant.

BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT
Behavior: Fast, well voiced, a passionate hunter; courageous, loves bramble and scrub.
Temperament : A little stubborn but nevertheless well behaved. It is up to the master to take command.

HEAD
Cranial Region
Skull: Without heaviness, convex, elongated and not too wide, well chiselled below the eyes. Occipital bone well developed.
Stop: Frontal indentation well defined.

Facial Region
Nose: Nostrils well open. Black and developed, except for white and orange coats where a brown nose is tolerated.
Muzzle : Square at its extremity, noticeably longer than the skull, very slightly convex.
Lips: Quite pendulous, covering well the lower jaw and giving the front of the muzzle a square profile. They are well covered with moustaches.
Jaws/Teeth: Jaws strongly developed, scissor bite.
Eyes: Of oval shape, large, dark, not showing white; friendly and intelligent expression. The conjuntiva must not be apparent.
Leathers: Supple, narrow and fine, covered with long hair and ending in an elongated oval, well turned inwards. Low set, below the eye. They must be able to reach beyond the end of the nose.
NECK : Long, robust and well muscled. Strong at set-on. Without dewlap.

BODY
Body: Really that of a basset but avoiding an exaggerated length.
Back: Long, broad and really straight, never saddle-backed, and starting to arch at its junction with the loin; withers very slightly protruding.
Loin: Solid, well muscled, slightly arched.
Chest: Quite broad and well let down to elbow level.
Ribs: Rounded, never flat or cylindrical. Thorax slightly less broad at elbow level to facilitate the movement.
Flank: Rather full, belly never tucked up.
Tail: Thick at the base, tapering progressively, set quit high, carried sabre fashion or slightly curved but never on the back or bent at the tip. Rather long.

LIMBS
Over all view: Bone structure developed but lean. It is understood that bone quality is not a question of volume but of density.

Forequarters
Forequarters: They must be straight with a thick forearm and a very slightly defined but very solid carpal joint (wrist).

Shoulder: Long, clean and oblique.
Elbow: Should be neither too close to body nor loose.
Forearm: Thick, wrists (carpus) should never touch.

Hindquarters
Over all view: Solid and well directed in the axis of the body.
Hip (Iliac crest): Apparent.
Thigh: Strongly muscled but not too rounded, bone structure and articulations very solid.
Hock: Wide and angulated, must never be straight. Seen from the rear, it must not appear turned outwards or inwards.

Feet: Strong * and tight with hard pads and solid nails, good pigmentation of pads and nails is desirable.

Gait/movement: The dog in action must give an impression of resistance and ease; the movement must be free and harmonious.

Skin: Quite thick, often marbled in the tricolored subjects. No dewlap.

COAT
Hair: Hard, not too long and flat, never silky or woolly. The fringes should not be too abundant; the belly and inside of the thighs must not be bare; eyebrows well pronounced but not covering the eye.
Colour: Black with white spotting (white and black). Black with tan markings (black and tan). Black with light tan markings. Fawn with white spotting (white and orange). Fawn with black mantle and white spotting (tricolour). Fawn with black overlay. Pale fawn with black overlay and white spotting. Pale fawn with black overlay. Traditional names: hare colour, wolf colour, badger colour or wild boar colour.

SIZE
Height at withers:
Males : from 40 cm to 44 cm
Females: from 39 cm to 43 cm
with a tolerance of 1 cm more or less.

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.
Head: Too short, flat skull, short muzzle, depigmentation of the nose, lips or eyelids, pincer bite, light eye, leathers set high, short, insufficiently turned in or lacking hair.
Body: Too long or too short, lacking harmony, topline insufficiently firm, slanting rump.
Tail: Deviated stern.
Limbs: Insufficient bone structure, angulation too straight, hocks too close, slack in pasterns.
Hair: Insufficiently dense, fine hair.
Behaviour: Timid subject.

ELIMINATING FAULTS
– Lack of type.
– Prognathism (overshot or undershot mouth).
– Wall eye. Eyes of different colours (heterochromia).
– Lack of room in the sternal region; ribs narrow towards the lower part.
– Kinky tail.
– Crooked or half-crooked forelegs.
– Woolly coat.
– Self-coloured coat black or white.
– Size outside the standard.
– Noticeable invalidating fault. Anatomical malformation.
– Fearful or aggressive subject.
N.B.: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

*Feet: forts in French, perhaps better translated by large or heavy.