Griffon Fauve de Bretagne puppies

About the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

The Griffon Fauve de Bretagne is a rough coated hound from Brittany and one of the oldest French scent hound breeds, recorded in packs as far back as the fourteenth century. They hunted wolves, and when the wolves disappeared these hounds very nearly went with them until enthusiasts rebuilt the breed in the mid twentieth century. The coat is harsh, rather short and fawn, running from golden wheaten to red brick. Adults stand 48 to 56 centimetres and the Kennel Club places the breed in the Hound group.

By hound standards this one is manageable. The Kennel Club puts exercise at up to an hour a day and grooming at once a week, and the harsh coat wants dead hair stripped out rather than clipping. The breed is sociable, equable and affectionate with people, and they hunt with real conviction, so a fenced garden and steady recall training matter from the start. Newcomers expect a scruffy coat to mean a low effort dog and then meet the hound drive underneath it.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Griffon Fauve de Bretagne puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Ear infections under pointed leathers that reach the end of the nose, found by checking and drying the ear each week
• Skin irritation and matting under a harsh coat, spotted while stripping out dead hair during grooming
• Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock can be x-rayed and scored for before mating
• A small United Kingdom gene pool, which the Kennel Club asks breeders to manage by prioritising genetic diversity, since no breed specific DNA panel is offered

Your Griffon Fauve de Bretagne puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Griffon Fauve de Bretagne.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the Not published adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

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Sources

• fci.be for adult weight and height, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings and coat type
• fci.be for life expectancy and country of origin
• royalkennelclub.com for health notes
• Health notes from Griffon Fauve de Bretagne breed information at https://www.royalkennelclub.com/search/breeds-a-to-z/breeds/hound/griffon-fauve-de-bretagne-imp/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

No published figure for adult weight and life expectancy, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.

Photo: Markus Seim, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.