Collection: Personalised Basset Fauve De Bretagne Gifts

This short-legged hunting dog loves to be kept busy and involved in its owner’s adventures. It’s a cheerful breed and will show affection to its favourite humans, making it the ideal household pet.

It tends to be of a single coloured coat because, historically, patches of colour were deemed undesirable: a dog less able to camouflage itself meant it was more visible to its prey.

‘Bretagne’ is French for the city of Brittany, where this breed originated. Its parent breed, the larger Grand Fauve de Bretagne, is now extinct. Until the French Revolution in 1789, restrictions meant that only the ruling aristocratic class could own the breed. Their popularity boomed once they became accessible to the peasantry because of their ability to sniff out prey and because they were much cheaper than horses.

The French pooch arrived in Britain in the 1800s, where it is treasured as a domestic pet and show-dog. Its popularity has slowly increased, with roughly 100 Bassett Fauves registered each year in Britain.

As is typical with hound dogs, the Basset Fauve de Bretagne isn’t the most obedient. They often become absorbed in their surroundings, and they will run off if they smell something interesting, despite you commanding them not to. Stubbornness isn’t intheir character, though, and early obedience training can help. When around roads with your pooch, you must be extra vigilant, as their instinct to run after what they can smell can make them blind to oncoming traffic!

Even though they can be mischievous and disobedient, this French pooch has a friendly and affectionate side. They adore playing games with their owner, and will become increasingly anxious if left alone for too long.