Bassets are a sub-

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

scenthound Canton_of_Bern.html" ;"title="Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Canton of Bern">Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785 Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a Dog type, type of h ...

deliberately bred with short legs, that are used for hunting where the hunters accompany the hunting hounds on foot.

History

Bassets were originally developed in France from where they spread throughout Europe and the world. The name basset is derived from the French word ''bas'' which means low, a reference to their stature. It is believed bassets were bred from Saint Hubert-type hounds, with breeders taking advantage of a genetic mutation resulting in short legs to develop smaller statured, deep scenting hounds. These short-legged hounds were deliberately bred to allow hunters to accompany the hunting hounds on foot, as opposed to following hunt from horseback; their smaller stature making them slower and so easier to keep up with on foot. The first description of bassets was in the 16th century by Jacques du Fouilloux in his work ''La vénerie'', stating they were found in the regions of

Artois Artois ( , ; ; Picard: ''Artoé;'' English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities include Arras (Dutch: ...

and

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

. Du Fouilloux described two types of bassets; the first were short-coated with crooked forelegs and were used to hunt above ground as well as to pursue game below ground; the second were often rough-coated with straighter forelegs and only pursued game above ground. Hunting game on foot with bassets experienced a rapid increase in popularity in France after the French Revolution in the late 18th century, when hunting with large hounds from horseback was almost eliminated in France as it was traditionally the preserve of the nobility.

Description

Bassets have a strong resemblance to larger, longer-legged hound breeds, particularly the

Bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, rabbits, and since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is ...

, despite their much smaller stature. Bassets’ forelegs tend to be either crooked or straight, depending upon the breed; the coat types and colours seen within different basset breeds reflect those seen within the broader scenthound type, with short, long and wiry coats all found.

Use

Bassets hunt in packs and traditionally are used to hunt in two ways; in the first the hounds trail their quarry noisily to waiting hunters with guns who shoot the game; in the second the hounds pursue the quarry until they catch it. Packs of bassets are still used to hunt various quarry, particularly

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

and rabbit, but they are also used to flush

gamebird Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are ofte ...

s in a similar manner to

spaniel A spaniel is a Dog type, type of gun dog. Spaniels were especially bred to flush game out of denser brush. By the late 17th century, spaniels had been specialized into water and land breeds. The extinct English Water Spaniel was used to retriev ...

Breeds

Recognised

breeds A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

of basset include the French

Basset Artésien Normand The Basset Artésien Normand (''Norman Artesian Basset'') is a short legged hound type dog developed in France. The word ''basset'' refers to short-legged hounds. History The Basset Artésien Normand and the more familiar Basset Hound share a ...

Basset Bleu de Gascogne The Basset Bleu de Gascogne (), also known as the Blue Gascony Basset, is a long-backed, short legged Dog breed, breed of dog of the hound type. A French native breed, it is rare outside its homeland. It is recognized internationally by the Féd ...

Basset Fauve de Bretagne The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is a short-legged hunting breed of dog of the scent hound type, originally from Brittany, a historical duchy of France. Description Appearance The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is a smallish hound, built along the same li ...

Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen The Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen or GBGV is a dog breed from France. History The Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen is derived from the Grand Griffon. The first selections were made at the end of the 19th century by the Comte d'Elva who was loo ...

and

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen The Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen (), or PBGV, is a breed of dog of the scent hound type, bred to trail hares in bramble-filled terrain of the Vendée district of France. The breed is known in the United States as "Petit" or "PBGV," in Engl ...

and the

Basset Hound The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of scent hound. The Basset Hound was developed in Great Britain from several now-extinct strains of France, French basset breeds. It was bred primarily for hunting rabbit and hare on foot, moving slowly en ...

from Great Britain. Other non-French origin breeds often considered basset-adjacent include the

Alpine Dachsbracke The Alpine Dachsbracke () is a small breed of dog of the scent hound type originating in Austria. The Alpine Dachsbracke was bred to track wounded deer as well as boar, hare, and fox. It is highly efficient at following a trail even after it has g ...

from

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, the Berner Niederlaufhund, Jura Niederlaufhund, Luzerner Niederlaufhund and Schwyzer Niederlaufhund from Switzerland, the

Drever The Drever is a breed of dog, a short-legged scenthound from Sweden used for hunting deer and other game. The Drever is descended from the Westphalian Dachsbracke, a type of German hound called ''Bracke''. The breed name ''Drever'' was chosen th ...

from Sweden, and the

Westphalian Dachsbracke The Westphalian Dachsbracke is a small, short-legged scenthound, a breed of dog originating in Westphalia, a region of Germany. The Westphalian Dachsbracke was used in Sweden to develop the Drever. Appearance The Westphalian Dachsbracke (''We ...

from Germany.

References

{{Hounds Scent hounds

History

Description

Use

Breeds

See also

References