Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

First used for hunting, the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne also makes an excellent life companion. His joie de vivre, patience, affection, presence and loyalty makes him an adorable companion dog. His formidable and diverse abilities make him an endearing dog that can perform multiple tasks for hunters and families alike.

Height 47 to 55 cm
Weight 18 to 22 kg
Life expectancy 13 to 14 years
Home country France

Quick Overview of the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

Temperament

  • Affectionate and gentle
  • Balanced and courageous
  • Tenacious and resourceful
  • Focused and obedient

Appearance

  • Solid and rustic build
  • Bony and muscular aspect
  • Smooth and hard coat
  • Tail carried in sickle

Health

  • Robust and hardy
  • Rarely ill
  • Sometimes affected by ear infections
  • No specific congenital diseases

Temperament of the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

Affectionate, balanced, gentle, courageous, tenacious, resourceful, diligent, efficient, obedient and very sociable, the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne is an excellent dog with an easy and adorable character.

He adapts easily but is nevertheless endowed with a strong temperament. His education must be adequate and firm.

Formerly used to hunt wolves, now used for wild boar and foxes, he is an intelligent, obstinate, dynamic and reckless hound.

In family, he is docile and affectionate. He shows a particular attraction to children with whom he likes to spend time. He is always very patient with them.

He is compatible with all members of the household.

griffon fauve de bretagne personnalité

Breed Appearance

griffon tawny griffin

This medium-size dog has a solid, hardy build that offers great resistance and strength.

His bony and muscular appearance gives him a gruff rather than noble look.

His constitution is well suited for difficult terrain and to withstand hunting episodes. His general appearance reveals a dog that is more hardworking than distinguished.

This gentle dog, easy to guide and tame, is an excellent hunting dog that can work on the most difficult terrain.

Passionate, active, fast and very hardy, he is also endowed with a beautiful throat and fine nose, adding to his excellent hunting skills.

Height

Between 50 and 55 cm (19.69 to 21.65 inches) for the male
Between 47 and 52 cm (18.50 to 20.47 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 18 and 22 kg (39.68 to 48.50 pounds) for the male
Between 18 and 22 kg (39.68 to 48.50 pounds) for the female

Color

The color of his coat can vary between red and auburn, brown and golden wheat.

Hair

His hair is long, smooth and hard.

Morphology

His head is rather elongated, and the stop is not very pronounced. His eyes are a pretty dark brown color.

His ears, ending in a point, are set at eye level. Generally, they don't  reach the end of the nose.

His nose is dark brown or completely black. His tail is carried as a sickle.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 6, section 1 and is #66

Tips About this breed

He can live just about anywhere, but prefers the rural world and wide open spaces to the city.

He can live with his family or in a pack in a kennel without any issue because he is very sociable with his fellow dogs.

Even if he is easy and sociable, he sometimes tends to be independent and needs early education, the master must be firm and assertive to make him an obedient dog. His socialization must also be precocious.

Health of the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

Robust and hardy, he is not often sick. He rather generally enjoys an excellent health.

No true congenital diseases affect the breed. Some specimens can be affected by ear infections, but these are only isolated cases.

His life expectancy is also very appreciable.

GROOMING

Avid hunter, it is best to check his ears regularly, especially after a hunting episode.

His smooth coat also requires regular brushing to keep it clean, beautiful and healthy. No other special care is necessary.

History of this breed

Native to France, more precisely the Brittany region as his name suggests, the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne is one of the oldest hound breeds to come from France.

In the 14th century, a pack of this type of dogs already existed, belonging to a certain Huet des Ventes.

This Griffon was widely used to hunt wolves until the 19th century. When the wolf began to disappear from Brittany, the breed lost his popularity.

Then, around 1949, Marcel Pambrun decided to create the Club du Griffon Fauve de Bretagne.

The breed's place now seems to be established among French hounds since the 1980s, when Bernard Vallée had the impulse to include the Basset Fauve de Bretagne in the Club, which then included Griffons and Bassets.

These hounds were first used to hunt wolves, but later used to hunt deer, bloodhounds, hares and foxes.

He can easily chase unwounded or wounded game by smell.

He has great aptitudes as a hunting dog, but also has very good qualities as a companion dog.

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