“A devil in the country, an angel in the house”: this is how the FCI standard begins its account of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen’s purpose. It describes a passionate hunter that must learn obedience from puppyhood. Enthusiasts usually shorten the long name to PBGV.
| FCI | Group 6 (Scent hounds and related breeds), Section 1.3 Small Hounds, Standard No. 67, with working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | France |
| Height at the withers | 34 to 38 cm, tolerance 1 cm above or below (no distinction by sex) |
| Weight | Not specified in the FCI standard |
| Life expectancy | Median 13,7 years in a pooled British group also including Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen and Basset Fauve de Bretagne (McMillan et al. 2024) |
| Coat | Harsh but not too long; never silky or woolly |
| Colours according to the standard | White and black, black with fawn or sandy markings, white and orange, tricolour, fawn or sandy with black overlay, also with white patches; solid black or white disqualifies |
More than a shrunken Grand
For a long time, small and large Vendée Bassets shared one standard. The small dogs had partly crooked legs and weighed as much as the large ones, so Abel Dezamy wrote a separate standard for them. Since then, the PBGV has been considered a Basset harmoniously reduced in every proportion. The FCI granted definitive recognition on 4 May 1976. Its larger-built relative is the Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen.
What the standard says about legs
Small, lively and energetic, with a slightly elongated body: crooked or partly crooked limbs disqualify it, while movement should be very free and light-footed. The requirement is therefore for a low but straight-built dog. Genetically, it is nevertheless a short-legged breed. An extra copy of the FGF4 gene on chromosome 18 is associated with the short-legged build of the Dachshund, Corgi and Basset Hound (Parker et al. 2009). All PBGVs tested in that study carried two copies (according to Mhlanga-Mutangadura et al. 2025).
A stubborn streak beneath the beard
Obedient but wilful and passionate, courageous and in love with brambles: this is how the standard sums it up. It listens well as long as its nose has found nothing more exciting. Tracking and long walks on a long line keep it content. Brush the harsh coat weekly, checking beard and eyebrows more often.
Eyes and seizures: the figures
Of 366 PBGVs examined at British breed-club screening days, 10,4 per cent had open-angle glaucoma with elevated pressure inside the eye, with first signs from three years of age (Bedford 2017). The cause is a recessively inherited change in the ADAMTS17 gene. Among 233 dogs measured, 9 per cent were affected and 37 per cent were carriers; affected dogs were on average 1,4 cm shorter. The authors suspect selection for small size has made the mutation more common (Jeanes et al. 2019). Ask for both parents’ genetic test results. In Denmark, epilepsy prevalence was 8,9 per cent, clustering in particular litters (Gulløv et al. 2011). The median of 13,7 years in McMillan and colleagues’ study is shared with the Grand Basset and Basset Fauve, making it only a guide for this breed alone.
Who it suits, and who it does not
It suits active families with humour and patience for a little stubborn character, and hunters seeking an agile hare hound. It is less suited to people who want instant obedience. An angel indoors, a devil outside: both are part of the dog.
The breed quiz can help you decide whether a bearded, wilful companion fits your everyday life; our book offers greater depth: “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). For those first weeks with a puppy, try our free Puppy Starter Pack. Its tousled face looks at home in a downloadable digital artwork or among our dog portraits from your own photo.
Further reading
- Dachshund: its back shapes its entire life
- Beagle: a nose with a dog attached, and what that means day to day
- Puppy biting: teaching bite inhibition without spoiling the fun
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI-Standard Nr. 67 (fci.be, German version dated 15.10.1999, original language French, Originalstandard publiziert 09.01.1999) and FCI breed page; McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024; Bedford PG, Veterinary Ophthalmology 2017; Jeanes EC et al., Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 2019; Gulløv CH et al., Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2011; Parker HG et al., Science 2009; Mhlanga-Mutangadura T et al., Veterinary Sciences 2025.
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