Griffon Fauve de Bretagne: a larger Fauve with a harsh coat
The Griffon Fauve de Bretagne shares the Basset Fauve’s fawn colouring and harsh texture, but stands substantially taller. Its short, broad back and muscular loin help distinguish the outline from the longer-lined Vendéen bassets.
Coat texture and body
The FCI description calls the coat very rough, harsh and rather short, never woolly or curly, with a face that is not too bushy. The earlier UK overview labels coat length Medium, while its detailed description also says rather short and harsh. The category and the fuller texture description serve different purposes.
The UK body description gives a length-to-height ratio of 10:9. FCI describes a short, broad back and broad, muscular loin without giving that numeric body ratio. Keep the ratio with its UK description when comparing proportions.
Height and a useful Fauve comparison
FCI height is 48–56 cm for both sexes, with a separate 2 cm tolerance for exceptional specimens. The earlier UK description gives the same main interval and a 2 cm tolerance. No numeric weight range is supplied by the FCI standard.
The Basset Fauve de Bretagne’s FCI main range is 32–38 cm. Both standards describe a rough, rather short fawn coat, but that similarity does not make their proportions or care guidance interchangeable.
Regular coat care and daily activity
The UK guide lists weekly grooming, up to one hour of daily exercise, a small house, small or medium garden and country setting. The RKC guide gives the same categories. Wisdom Panel’s own Griffon Fauve guidance adds regular brushing to remove loose hair and dirt, plus ear checks, nail trimming and dental care.
For activity, Wisdom Panel suggests daily walks, outdoor play and longer outings with sniffing opportunities, ideally totalling two hours. That is a higher planning recommendation than the UK up-to-one-hour category. Discuss a routine that fits the individual dog’s age and condition rather than treating either figure as a universal dose.
Arrange a coat-care demonstration with a groomer familiar with the breed if you need help with the harsh hair. Plan both the hands-on maintenance and time for shared outings through an ordinary week.
Another rough-coat comparison
Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen have lower, sex-specific height ranges and longer lines, with pronounced eyebrows and a hard, flat coat. Compare the actual coat-care demonstration and adult dimensions rather than using the shared Griffon name as a grooming instruction.
Sources and further reading
- FCI breed standard (PDF)
- Basset Fauve De Bretagne: FCI standard (PDF)
- Basset Griffon Vendeen (Grand): FCI standard (PDF)
- RKC Griffon Fauve De Bretagne (Imp) breed guide: care categories (read 15 October 2026)
- Earlier UK breed guide
- Wisdom Panel: Griffon Fauve de Bretagne care (publisher review 2023-07-11; read 15 October 2026)
Griffon Fauve De Bretagne (Imp) at a glance
These earlier UK breed guides are starting points for comparison. Details may have changed, and individual dogs vary.
- Breed group
- Hound
- Size
- Medium
- Daily exercise
- Up to 1 hour per day
- Grooming frequency
- Once a week
- Coat length
- Medium
- Sheds
- Yes
- Suggested home size
- Small house
- Town or country
- Country
- Garden recommendation
- Small / medium garden
- Lifespan
- Over 10 years
FCI breed standard
Standard guidance describes the breed ideal; individual dogs vary.
- Origin
- France
- Group
- 6 - Scent hounds and related breeds
- Section
- 1.2 - Medium-sized hounds
- Height
- Both sexes: 48–56 cm; Tolerance: 2 cm variation; direction not specified for exceptional specimens
- Weight
- Not specified in this standard
The extra 2 cm applies only to exceptional Griffon Fauve specimens. The source does not specify whether the variation is above or below.
Official FCI standard (PDF)
Standard effective from 2003-03-25; checked 2026-10-15





