There are six recognized French basset breeds, and as of this writing, four of them are either fully recognized by the AKC  (the Basset Hound, Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen and the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen), or are in the AKC’s Miscellaneous Class (the Basset Fauve de Bretagne).

In time, the Basset Artésien Normand and/or the Basset Bleu de Gascogne may become part of the AKC family, but in this post, we’re discussing one of these six breeds in particular,  the Basset Fauve de Bretagne.

There are a couple of aspects that distinguishes the Basset Fauve de Bretagne from all the other French bassets, and we start with its color which is spelled out in its name: “Fauve” means fawn, and the Bretagne is known for its distinctive wheat-colored coat, a coloration is unique among French bassets.

The Basset Fauve de Bretagne has a shorter back than all the other French bassets. This does not mean its back is very short (though our reading suggests that several decades ago, some Bretagnes had a square silhouette which is not according to the standard. A basset should always be longer than it is tall, but the Bretagne’s standard reads, “The back is short for a basset and broad.”

The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is also the shortest in height of the French basset breeds. It stands at about 12.5-15 inches tall at the withers (and for anyone wondering, the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, or PBGV, is slightly taller at 13-15 inches).

Another distinction may be its age, and here it gets tricky.  Both the Basset Fauve de Bretagne and the Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen appear to have similarly long histories dating back several centuries, but we know that the Basset Fauve de Bretagne can trace its lineage to the reign of Francois I who regularly hunted with a pack of Breton hounds in the 1500s.  The earliest mention of the Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen can be traced back to the late 19th century when the Comte d’Elva was looking for dogs with “straight legs” to use in his breeding program to create a basset-type hound derived from larger hounds, particularly the Grand Griffon which also traced back to 16th century. Without further documentation, we may declare age to be a “toss up” among these two French basset.

And finally, we come to speed. With its relatively short back, a chest that is level with the elbows, and straight limbs, the construction of the fawn Bretagne Basset allows it to be faster than other bassets. And if you can believe it, Dog-Learn.com compared the Bretagne’s speed with that of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen and found that the top running speed of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen was 14 MPH as compared to the Basset Fauve de Bretagne’s speed of 16 MPH. We honestly don’t know how scientific the study was, but we came across it and thought it’s be nothing if not fun to include it. The breed standard does write that this hound is “lively and speedy for its size [and that] fauves are energetic and hardy.

And there you have it!

Image: Basset Fauve de Bretagne by chrisukphoto/Depositphotos