Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is one of the many French hunting dog breeds, with its history dating back several centuries, probably to 16th century to his larger ancestor, the Griffon Vendeen. This breed was developed in the region of Vendee, where hunters needed a tough, independent and tenacious hunting dog breed that will be able to hunt in dense underbrush and between the rocks. And indeed, the PBGV is excellent at it.
2) Name
This breed has one of the longest names in the dog world, but it is also very descriptive. Petit means small, Basset is describing low to the ground dogs with short legs, Griffon means wire coated and Vendeen is the area of France, where this breed originated. So their name literally means small, low to the ground dog from Vendee region with wiry coat.
3) Petit and Grand
There are two types – the Petit and Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen, one is small and second is large. For a long time, the Petit had the same breed standard as the Grand Basset, the only difference was their size. After the second world war, breeders who had to revive this breed decided, that it is clear that there should be two different standards for these two dogs. The main difference is of course the size, but the PBGV also has shorter muzzle, squarer body shorter tail and muzzle. Since the 1950s, the PBGV has its own breed standard, but it was not until 1977, when the crossbreeding between the Petit and Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen was banned.
4) Size
So you already know that this is the smaller Basset Griffon Vendeen, but what is their typical size? Well, on average, these dogs are 34-38 cms tall, which is 13-15 inch and weight is usually aroun 15 kg, which is 33 pounds. There are no extreme size differences between males and females.
5) Hunters
I already mentioned in the beginning of the video, that this is a dog breed developed for hunting. And even though they look like total sweethearts and calm lapdogs, they are amazing at hunting. These dogs have amazing sense of smell, which is their main skill on the hunt. Typically, they scent the rabbit or some other small game, than they track and flush the rabbit in the bramble, sending rabbit out into the open where the hunter takes the rabbit with a shot. These dogs have high prey drive, they are quite tough, endurant, intelligent and independent – all very important characteristics or good hunting breed.
6) Companion
Of course, this is not only a great hunter, but also loving and always happy companion dog. Even the official FCI breed standard say, that this is devil in the country, but angel in the house. Often times, this dog is called as „the Happy Breed“ and indeed, it seems that their tail is constantly wagging from one side to another and they always seems to be in good mood. They truly love their people and they love human companionship. These dogs love attention, they are very loyal and typically, they do okay around other dogs and kids in the family, but of course, this is vastly influenced by early socialization.
7) Vocal dogs
Petits are known for barking, but they do not bark for no reason. Even the breed standard says, that they have good voice freely and purposefully used. So when they bark, it will most often have some purpose. They can alert you on something suspicious, which can make them okay watchdogs, they can greet you, let you know they want something, get your attention, greet other dogs.. Well there is a lot of reasons to bark and you should be prepared for it. This is not the quietest breed.

8) Coat
The PBGV has naturally wire coat, which can some peple describe as naturally looking or casual looking. This coat should never be too long and it is pretty harsh to touch. The coat is pretty dense and it is providing warmth in cold weather. You can find this breed in several colors, commonly in white with any combination of lemon, orange, black, tri-colour or grizzle markings

9) Maintenance
Good facts is, that the grooming is not extremely hard. These dogs do shed, so regular weekly brushing is recommended to remove loose and dead hair and minimize the shedding. You can also trim long hair on the bottom of the feet. Just like with all dogs, you should regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
The PBGV is generally quite healthy and hardy dog breed with average lifespan between 12-14 years. Of course, just like all dogs, they can suffer from some health issues. The major health problems include PBGV pain syndrome, epilepsy, congenital heart defect and spinal issues.