Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen Breed Magazine - Showsight

THE

GRAND BASSET GRIFFON VENDÉEN

1. Where do you live? 2. What do you do “outside” of dogs?

What special challenges do GBGV breeders face in our current economic and social climate? The fact that the general public think of them as fluffy, cute dogs. However they do require grooming and can make great family pets but this is not what they were originally bred for. At what age do I start to see definite signs of show-worthiness? You have to know your pedigrees and how they mature. We can tell usually between six to eight weeks old what they will mature into. They should never be long and long or tall and square. The most important thing about the breed for a new judge to keep in mind? First and foremost, they are not a variety of their distant cousins the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. As the family Dezamy, who wrote the French standard, stated, “Overall balance is the most important thing when judging them—not size.” The best way to attract newcomers to my breed and to the sport? Education by far. Our ultimate goal for the breed? To share their noble, rustic per- sonality with the general public as well as protect them as we move forward as a well balanced healthy breed for future generations. Our favorite dog show memory? Being the first American Breed- ers to win an Excellent Ticket at the Nationale d’Elevage in France with a bitch we bred. To all breeders looking to begin their breeding program. This is a breed that you cannot tightly line breed. If you do, this can cause health issues. Remember they have a gene puddle, not a gene pool. Their line breeding co-efficiency is recommend to be no more than 5%. As we know breeding out-crosses will produce litters that are not consistent. However in the long run healthier in this breed.

3. In popularity, GBGVs are ranked #177 out of 192 AKC-recog- nized breeds. As he’s one of the “newer” breeds, do you feel the average person on the street knows what he is? 4. Few of these dogs really “work” anymore. Although “cute” is most often used to describe him, he’s a tremendously hard- working dog with great stamina. How has he adapted to civil- ian life? What qualities in the field also come in handy around the house? 5. Any Hound requires a special household to be a perfect fit. What about the breed makes him an ideal c ompanion? Drawbacks? 6. What special challenges do GBGV breeders face in our current economic and social climate? 7. At what age do you start to see definite signs of show-worthi- ness (or lack thereof)? 8. What is the most important thing about the breed for a new judge to keep in mind? 9. What’s the best way to attract newcomers to your breed and to the sport? 10. What is your ultimate goal for the breed? 11. What is your favorite dog show memory? 12. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? Please elaborate.

BRENT HUMPHREY & COREY BENEDICT

“These are scent hounds and bred to track boars, roe deer and other prey at bay until the hunter arrives. THEY CAN MAKE WON- DERFUL PETS BUT NEED THEIR OWNERS TO BE THE PACK LEADER.”

We live in Lady Lake, Florida on 40 acres with our dogs and horses. We also show, breed and train Tennessee Walking Show horses. Corey is the Northeastern Area Manager for Nestle Purina Pet Care’s Breeders Enthusiasts Team and Brent is President/CEO of Baird Home Corporation. Do we feel the average person on the street knows what the breed is? No. People all the time ask if they are a mixed breed. When you say it’s a Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen they either dig deeper or feel intimidated when they can not repeat their French name. Then we tell them they can just say Grand or GBGV. What qualities in the field also come in handy around the house? In France they are still primarily used as hunting dogs. You can take the hound out of the field but never the field out of the hound. Being a pack hound, GBGV’s have a very endearing personality and love to be with their owners and other dogs. I would say their noses help them find toys in their homes! What about the breed makes them an ideal companion? These are scent hounds and bred to track boars, roe deer and other prey at bay until the hunter arrives. They can make wonderful pets but need their owners to be the pack leader.

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