Great Fauve of Brittany

		Great Fauve of Brittany
		He is not recognized by the F.C.I.


Origin			France
Translation			Francis Vandersteen
En français, cette race se dit			Grand Fauve de Bretagne
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar			Großer Fauve der Bretagne
En español, esta raza se dice			Gran Fauve de Bretaña
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd			Grote Fauvist van Bretagne

The Great Fauve of Brittany was a breed of scenthound originating in Brittany, used for hunting wolves and wild boar. These large dogs had a short, dense, wiry coat that was a uniform light golden-fawn color. Known for being unruly and difficult to control, they possessed a temperament suited to hunting dangerous game such as wolves and wild boar; however, this spirited nature sometimes led them to kill sheep and goats, defying the orders of their master of the hunt.

Fauve de Bretagne dogs were known in France as early as the 16th century; in 1520, the Breton admiral Claude d'Annebault presented a dog named "Miraud" to Francis I, and the king subsequently established a pack of this breed. In 1570, in his work *La Chasse Royale* (The Royal Hunt), Charles IX listed the Fauve de Bretagne among the principal French scenthound breeds. With the eradication of wolves across much of France in the mid-19th century, these dogs became rare; by 1873, finding purebred specimens was difficult, and it was estimated that only three packs were maintaining the lineage; the breed eventually went extinct in the following decades.

Some Great Fauve of Brittany were crossed with Briquets Griffons Vendéens to create the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne; these smaller dogs retain much of the appearance of the Great Fauve of Brittany.