Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen

Breed Type: Hound
Country of Origin: France
Size: Medium Small – height to 38 cm weighing up to 16kg.
Other Names: PBGV (No wonder – there name is a mouthful!)
Maintenance Level: Medium
Exercise Requirements :– High
Suited for: Active Families

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is a medium-sized dwarf hound dog from France. Females miles of roughly the same size with short sturdy legs and long bodies. There is an obvious comparison between these dogs in the basset hound however the length height ratio in the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is nowhere near as pronounced.
They get their name from the French word “Petit” which means small, “Basset” which means low to the ground, “Griffon” which means rough or white coated and “Vendeen” which is the region they were developed

Appearance
They have a comically ruffled appearance with rough double coat. The hair on the body is quite rough though it is softer on the face and legs. They are typically referred to as a happy breed because of their extrovert had fun loving antics and incessant tag wagging combined with the comical furry face which makes them appear to be wearing a moustache and a beard. They have expressive eyes were extremely long eyelashes.

The head exhibits the typical domed hound shaped with a long drop oval ears. Though dogs and beaches are the same size more or less dogs tend to be slightly more masculine in appearance with larger heads. They hold their tails upright and they are long and tapered, most often they are white with Orange, lemon, black, or grey spotting. They come in by bicolour, tricolour or may show grizzling (blotches of grain white hairs combined).

Temperament
Typical of the hound dogs they are joyous friendly and strong world and independent. The tag seems to wag for any reason. Regardless that they are not tall they are a medium-sized dog in a playful nature and desire to engage in mock biting games makes them somewhat unsuitable as a pet to families with very young children. They are vocal – not a good choice for an apartment dog as it is virtually impossible to train them to be quiet. In a package the pack leader starts to howl the rest of the pack will to -you can mimic this behaviour by howling to your Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen and he will gleefully join in.

At the Park you should be careful with your Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is their willingness to express themselves at a considerable volume either in excitement or greeting to other dogs can be viewed within the dog community as aggression. The dog may be considered by other dogs to be a loudmouth punk, ready for scrap and scrap is what they will get.

Hound dogs and difficult animals to train and the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is no exception. If you have a desire to create a dollar be without question that perhaps not the breed to you. Never placed them in a situation of lead the road – should they see something worth chasing they will ignore your shouts to return even as they raced towards oncoming traffic.

Our excellent tracking dogs with the typical highly developed sense of smell of the hound breeds. They can track their prey over a great distance. They have a tendency to chase anything especially smaller animals so they are sometimes not so good in families that have other pets especially small animals. This can be overcome if you get them young and socialise them with the other animals presenting them as part of the puppies new pack.

Health
Whilst they are a predominately healthy and long lived breed with a lifespan a tremendous 17 years as a dwarf in long backed dog they have a tendency to suffer from slipped herniated discs as suffered by other long backed dog such as the Dachshund. They do suffer from this condition far less often than the Dachshunds as they are more sturdily built on the backs are not quite as long.

Grooming
The outer coat needs to be stripped regularly and be thoroughly brushed at least once a week especially if they spend a lot of time indoors is otherwise they will shed everywhere.

Exercise Requirements
Even if they were not excessively local breed they would not be suitable for apartment living due to their excitability and high energy levels. They need a decent size fenced yard preferably complete with some children to tear around with. They should be walked every day for around 30 minutes. Then at structurally designed to jump from heights and doing so will likely result in elbow, shoulder and back problems.

Ideal Owner
They love attention and will seek it out. Ideally you will have your company to most of the day if not as with all hound dogs don’t get one get two. A bored Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen will drive your neighbours crazy as it seeks to express its displeasure as loneliness and it might just decide to find some entertainment and company whilst you’re away.

They are rare in Australia but not unknown in several breeders to choose from.