The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is the "ras de terre" variety of a larger breed, that of the Fauves de Bretagne, which is itself one of the oldest in France, since it is known since François 1er, as this quotation from Jacques du Fouilloux attests: "It is to be presumed that the Fauve Dogs of Brittany are the old dogs of the dukes and lords of Brittany, of whom the admiral d'Annebault and his predecessors have always kept the race which was first known in the time of the great King François."
In the fourteenth century, a salesman Huet already had a pack of dogs of this type, which we also know thanks to many books of the sixteenth century that he was among the three major groups of original dogs: White Dogs said "Du Roy", the Gris de Saint-Louis and the Fauves de Bretagne.
At present, the breed of Fauves de Bretagne is subdivided into two varieties: Bassets and Griffons. There was a third long, the Lighters, but it is no longer recognized since the National Breeding Exhibition of the Fauve de Bretagne which took place in Fougères in 1980. Wise decision despite everything, because it was better s' attach to renewing and developing the herd of Griffons and Bassets rather than artificially maintaining an intermediate variety that would have only harmed the other two.
The Basset is by far the most common subject, although the popularity of the Griffons has been growing in recent years. Griffon and Basset have the same characteristics as for the shape of the head, the texture of the hair, the color, the wearing of the whip. The Basset is essentially distinguished by its abnormally short legs. True genetic accident at the origin (the "bassetism"), this malformation makes the dog particularly adapted to the displacements in the thickets and the brushwood, which explains that breeders, wishing to join a companion of hunting adapted to difficult grounds as those of the moors and forests of Brittany, have encouraged and fixed.
Despite ; or perhaps because of it; from its antiquity, the race of Fauves de Bretagne had almost disappeared, forty years ago, from the region where it was born. It was for this reason that was created in 1949, under the leadership of Mr. Lessard, president of the Breton canine society, and Count Jean de Pluvie, the Fauve Briquet Club of Brittany, which gave itself among others for mission To protect and to make known these dogs threatened with extinction, it was then mainly the Lighter and the Basset, whose specialist of the time was Mr. Mascaro.
It is to Mr. Marcel Pambrun, successor of Mr. Lessard to the Breton Kennel Society, now gone, that we owe the national recognition of the Fauves de Bretagne. Putting all his skills as a pupil and judge at the service of this cause, he succeeded in bringing to life a quality breeding of which the level of rewards was measured: two French cups on rabbit, then, in 1980 in Verona, during the World Exhibition of the International Cynological Federation, the Best Current Dog Award to Mick, a Fawn Basset from Brittany.
The first Bassets Fauves de Bretagne were raised for hunting shooting and hunting small animals, especially rabbits, in brambles and thickets Breton. This is why most of the subjects have long kept a minimum size, but with the scarcity of small game, due in large part to the ravages of myxomatosis, the common dogs were more and more used to hunt all the game. This phenomenon has created a demand for higher-legged Breton Bassets de Bretagne, endowed with previous rights, especially since the breed, "exported" from its province of origin to other regions, was more and more called to work on different fields from those to which she was accustomed until then. The race club was therefore discouraged to twist legs and to admit a larger size.
The ideal is between 32 and 38 cm, with a tolerance of 2 cm more for exceptional subjects, Force is to recognize that this is a great maximum, because, beyond, the animal does not have much of Basset. In 1979, Marcel Pambrun could write: "Regarding the Basset Fauve, the race is now well fixed, However, it is necessary to produce the maximum number of subjects with straight legs, to avoid them being long (it must be remembered that the Fauve de Bretagne is the shortest of our Bassets), and naked too close. The hair must indeed be half-long, hard, dense, almost flat, and in any case never silky or curly. Beautiful example of adaptation of the fauna to the flora, since this short hair is particularly convenient for the race in a country of thickets cut of high slopes and bristling with gorse. It should be noted that the ears, meanwhile, are covered with a hair much softer and thinner.
If one refers to the nomenclature presented by Professor Denis of the National Veterinary School of Nantes to the Zootechnical Commission of the Central Canine Society, only one class of fawn must be admitted for the dress: red fawn or orange fawn, sometimes marked with white; the presence of a white spot on the chest may be tolerated, as well as that of some white hairs under the belly, but it is not to be found. Similarly, it is preferred not to see white between the fingers and at the end of the tail. The shade of the dress, unicolor, can go from golden wheat to mahogany, excluding black and charcoal. A few years ago, wheat seemed to prevail. Today we see a lot of dark dogs again. Sometimes it appears black hairs, probably resurgence of the dress of the Dachshunds hard hair used in the past fifty years ago. The truffle must be black or dark brown, with, as the standard says, "nostrils well open". The nails should also be black, but the clear nails are not eliminatory, nor the white spot on the chest and the tobacco truffle.
It should be noted that the truffle sometimes fades in the summer to re-color the winter and, moreover, that the color of the hair can vary slightly during the moult. These occasional differences in pigmentation can not, however, encourage breeders to "go to the bad guys", that is, to produce subjects with depigmentation. The British have never given much importance to this defect (which must be considered as an unsightly rather than a sign of degeneracy), which does not mean that they will endorse it. not yet seen a truffle topic too pale win at Peterborough.
On many occasions, Bassets Fauves de Bretagne have been crossed with Bassets Griffons Vendéens. The alliance was considered useful to increase the size of the Breton dog, and especially to calm his temperament particularly fiery. But this retreat is no longer recommended, because the head of the Basset Fauve de Bretagne must not be that of the Basset Griffon Vendéen. Moreover, any recall of the Vendéen on this point excludes the Basset Fauve de Bretagne from the qualifier "excellent"; The skull is rather elongated with a marked occipital hump. It has the appearance of a low semicircular arch, with this characteristic that it decreases width up to the level of the superciliary arches, which are not very marked. The snout is not heavy in chops, rather dry, which does not mean that it is sharp. As for the ears, they are attached at the line of the eye, so high enough, as in Lighters. Much shorter than those of the Vendéen, they end in peak.
The chest should be rimmed while having length. The kidney must be wide, supported, rectilinear. The flank must be full and the belly "not raised". The thighs will be muscular, without the animal being too heavy, because it remains a dog of function, a dog of use which must be able to run without having too much "meat" to transport.
The forelegs are sometimes slightly twisted, but it is necessary to require that this torsion is symmetrical, a condition sine qua non to ensure a good balance. In addition, it should be ensured that this quarter twist does not cause a bad application of the foot on the ground, which would constitute a serious physical handicap. The whip, finally, is usually carried cheerfully. Big at the base, not very long, it tapers well towards the end.
The gradual elimination of hereditary flaws in the breed that has been used by the breeders, without jeopardizing the genetic diversity due to a wide selection base, makes it possible to predict an excellent future for Basset Fauve de Bretagne. Especially since the Club, led by true hunters like Marcel Pambrun, Louis Petro or more recently Bernard Vallée, has powerfully contributed to make known the breed everywhere in France and abroad, especially in Holland, Italy and Spain .
Bassets and Griffin Griffons of Brittany have the same character. Their common ancestors hunted the wolf; so they are brave dogs, ardent, courageous, even foolhardy on the attack. They are thin-nosed, and they resist water and cold. Very active, they hunt gaily and shout well without being talkative, with rather short voices, voices of "hitters". These lively animals, whose ability to fill the woods is well established, have always been a hit with hunters of hares and rabbits, but they have also been able to adapt perfectly to game types and game. new modes of hunting for them, especially in hunting shooting, because they have the eye, the ear, and, important detail in such circumstances, do not fear gunshots.
The only small defect of the Basset Fauve de Bretagne, but which no doubt makes it more endearing: a certain tendency; not to say a certain tendency; to independence. A trait of a very natural character in this "Breton dog, coming from a province to which he looks like", to quote Bernard Vallée's pretty formula to whom the last word will be left: "If these dogs are by nature hunting dogs or and if they can not be transformed without damage into pet dogs throughout the year, they will prove to be excellent companions, affectionate and gentle with children." |
Timid.
English (United Kingdom) 
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