Basset Fauve de Bretagne

These dogs are usually seen of fawn or wheaten colours and sometimes of ‘red brick’. 

Rough, short and wiry. 

Dark brown

A short-legged dog and long in the body; the head of the Bretagne is domed, longish and well-proportioned. The Bretagne’s ears are quite long, end in a point and turn inwards towards the cheek. When active the dog’s thick tail is carried up and over its top line.

Cheerful and confident, the Bretagne is a loving and loyal companion of people of all ages.  

Bretagnes are playful and like to be the centre of attention; they have a tendency to be mischievous and cheeky. 

A stable and even-tempered dog, the Bretagne is not easily upset or made nervous. 

The Basset Bretagne is reasonably intelligent.

This dog was originally bred to hunt small game and its prey instinct is still piqued by the scents of rabbits, squirrels and foxes. It is a courageous and wily dog. 

The Bretagne tends to be welcoming of new people.

This is an independent dog that has its own agenda and won’t be swayed by owners who lack confidence and firmness. 

The Basset Fauve de Bretagne does not like to be left alone for long periods of time.

To train the Basset Bretagne requires the owner to deliver consistent and confident training. This is a dog that is easily distracted and quick to boredom. 

This dog has a tendency to bark to excess. According to some owners its bark is ‘deep and musical’. 

The Basset Bretagne is hard to recall. It may not hear your command if it is focused on a particularly interesting scent. Reinforcing the recall command is useful and may be an effective strategy with some dogs, but the words ‘come here’ are not normally found in a Bretagne’s vocabulary. 

The Bretagne can be destructive if left on its own for long periods of time. 

The juvenile Bretagne is a greedy dog but the older Bretagne can be a fussy eater. It may take a while for the owner to find a type of food that is to the dog’s liking. 

The Bretagne is a watchful and alert dog but not overly aggressive. It will bark to make its pack aware of the approach of a stranger. 

The Basset Bretagne is a suitable first dog; the inexperienced dog owner should still take their time to learn about the breed and its foibles.

The Basset Bretagne will be happy to live in a flat as long as it is regularly exercised. Ideally, access to a fenced garden would suit this dog.

The Bretagne needs a good amount of exercise every day. 

Once trained, a Basset Bretagne is comfortable with travel. To house the dog in a crate is sensible; make sure the dog is properly crate trained first. 

The Basset Bretagne is reasonably tolerant of animals with which it has been brought up, but is still liable to bully a non-canine.  

Generally speaking, the Basset Bretagne gets on with other dogs. 

On the whole this breed is kind and placid with children and is tolerant of their boisterous play.

The Bretagne is an excellent dog for people of senior years. The dog prefers to live in a household where at least one person is present for the majority of the time. 

The Bretagne sheds only a small amount of hair throughout the year. 

A healthy breed of dog with no known genetic abnormalities or proneness to disease, it's life expectancy is 11 to 14 years.

This is an active and courageous dog that likes nothing better than a day of outdoor exploration. 

The Bretagne is not very tolerant of hot temperatures. Special care must be taken of the Basset Bretagne during the summer months.

The Bretagne is tolerant of cold temperatures and wet weather. 

The Basset Bretagne is prone to weight gain. If your dog is not exercised as regularly as it should be and is fed too much human or substandard food it will quickly become obese. 

• Corneal ulcers and cataracts
• Ear infections
• Heart and kidney problems
• Hip Dysplasia
• Reproductive problems

The breed is thought to have arisen from various crosses with the extinct Grand Fauve de Bretagne. Originally bred in Brittany, France, the dog’s skills of hunting were put to use first by the gentry of the Revolution and later by the commoners. The breed was brought to the UK in the 1980s. Its popularity, although risen since then, remains relatively unexceptional.