It is known history that he was  developed over a period of time from the early Greyhound Griffon types which  were part of the  evolution of deerhounds and similar dogs. One cross which had a great influence on the appearance of the PBGV and its larger cousins especially with regard to its colour and coat patterns , was the breeding done with the 'chien blanc du roi" (translated as the white dog of the king). This was a scent hound who's height and type was very like the Deerhound/Greyhound and although not a pure white dog (in fact it ranged in colour from almost pure white to spotted or patched with red, black, lemon, or badger markings, and strangely even in some cases, solid black or badger),it had the effect of adding the genes for the white pattern and some of the other colour patterns to the next generation of early ancestors to pass on in the breed's development.

Vendee is an area of France , distinguished by its rough terrain which was  covered in rocks, thorny brambles and brush  and was the region where  the PBGV, one of four rough coated Griffons emerged.   A special type of dog was needed to hunt in this type of countryside. He needed to be hardy with a  thick skin and a coat that was wiry and rough, so as to not be torn to piece by these harsh conditions. He also needed to have a good amount of white colouring on his body so that he could be easily seen by the hunter.  These four rough coated breeds were all similar, but evolved into  different heights and other conformational ways due to their own specific uses by the huntsmen over the years in this area.

So, the ‘Grand Griffon Vendeen’, the ‘Briquet Griffon Vendeen’ , the ‘Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen’ and the ‘Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen’ can all be traced back to the original dog of the area the 'Griffon Vendeen'  who was a powerful ancestor with a rough coat used by noblemen on horses,  to hunt large animals such a stags. As the ordinary man and farmer needed a dog they could follow on foot which could pursue smaller table fare such as rabbits and hare, and therefore hunted not by sight, but by scent, they began to cross smaller scenting dogs of the era with these larger dogs and hence the emergence of the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen and his smaller cousin the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. The Grand being used for larger game such as roe deer and wolf, the Petit to trail and drive smaller game such as rabbit and hare.

The French still to this day are passionate hunters and the art of 'Venery ' (defined as man hunting with the use of a hound) is very much alive in France. This has kept these rough little hounds very much as they are supposed to be 'rustic and hardy'. They are mainly hunted in packs or braces although work quite well individually and in Europe and especially France where there are still many packs kept and hunted for competition or just the pleasure.

Modern day PBGV's Hunting in the Vendeen region in France

 A single standard used for both the PBGV’s and GBGVs was developed in 1907 by Frenchman, Paul Dezamy, as both where born in the  same litters with only the height difference separating them.  The PBGV  stands at  34 to 38cms. (approx. 13 to 15 inches) and the Grand 38 to 42 cms (approx. 15 to 17 inches). In the 1950s the Petit was given an official standard of its own and so finally became  a separate breed.

(Click here to read the PBGV Standard).    

In 1975 interbreeding of Grand Bassets and Petit Bassets was disallowed but still to this day it is not uncommon to  find a Petit displaying Grand characteristics and visa versa, therefore it is very important that both breeders and judges are aware of the difference between these two breeds. -

First and the most obvious is the height different but the Grand Basset compared to the Petit is considered to have more of everything. He has a longer body, muzzle, tail and ears. His coat is longer and rougher and his legs are longer. Therefore a Petit should be penalized if he is not compact, or his ears extend beyond the end of his muzzle, if he has too much length to his foreface or an overly long tail.

Click here to learn about the Pbgv history in Australia