A Fine Rabbit Hunter
The French have always loved hounds. In fact, more than 30 hound breeds, some of which are now extinct, originated in France.
While they large or small, at least a half-dozen of these French-developed hounds are of the basset, or “low,” type. Hands down, the “cutest” of the six Basset-type hounds is the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, which, in addition to its charming appearance, has an intriguing personality.
But “cute” or “intriguing” doesn’t even begin to adequately describe the PBGV, as these tough little Scenthounds are exceptional rabbit and hare hunters, developed to hunt small game over the rough terrain of France’s western coast. The Vendée region is filled with thick underbrush, rocks, thorns and brambles, something that was quickly discovered by American soldiers and added their discomfort advancing to the south after they landed in Normandy in World War II.
The hunters in this region needed a hound that was hardy, bold, determined and smart, with both the physical and mental stamina to cope with the tough environment in which they had to hunt. In that particular sort of terrain, a good “voice” was also mandatory, and the PBGV was bred to have all these traits. While the breed’s “cuteness” may be what initially attracts many owners, they soon find they have a lot more than a mere interior design ornament in their home.
“I saw my first PBGV at a dog show, and thought they were so cute. They also seemed so happy and loved life,” remembers Vickie Willmann, who then started handling one for a friend in the show ring. “Once I started to work with him, I was hooked on the breed. I found they are capable of excelling in many dog sports because they are very athletic, smart and capable of learning a wide array of skills with the right motivation. Of course, if you asked my PBGVs what they want to do, the preference would always be hunt, hunt and hunt some more. But they also like to do agility, scent work and Fast-CAT.”
Above: Darcy (Ch. Mirepoix’s Can’t Knock the Hussle BN RI MXJ XF DCAT SWA CTCA CGCU TKI CAT CL5- R CL4-S CCSS-L1 MH PCMHX), one of Vickie Willmann’s PBGVs, loves agility and is very fast. Here she chases the lure in Fast-CAT. Below: Darcy can also slow down and do the methodical searching needed for scentwork.
One of Willmann’s younger PBGVs, Darcy (Ch. Mirepoix’s Can’t Knock the Hussle BN RI MXJ XF DCAT SWA CTCA CGCU TKI CAT CL5-R CL4-S CCSS-L1 MH PCMHX), loves to run agility, and she’s very fast: She was agility High in Trial at this year’s PBGVCA regional and national specialties. “I get many comments at agility trials that she looks like she’s having a ball running a course,” she says. “Agility is a good sport for a PBGV because it is fast paced and can keep them excited and engaged. Of course, scent work is also natural for a Scenthound, and Fast-CAT taps into their hunting prey drive.”
In addition to Darcy, Willmann owns Angie (UACH UCD URO1 C-ATCH Ch. Joeley’s Anjolena CGCA CGCU CDX Bn GN RAE2 OA OAJ MXP2 MXPB NF OFP T2BP TKN MH PCMHX RHX8), Bridgett (Uch C-ATCH Ch. Joeley’s Busy Bee CGCA BN RN MXP3 MXPB MJP2 OFP T2BP MH PCMHX RHX9), Cooper (Ch. Douglan’s Créme Caramel at Joeley CGC BN RN NJP MH PCMHX RHX8), Elee (Ch. Joeley’s Elee In The Woods PCSH DCAT) and Etta Mae (Joley’s Etta Mae PCSH).
Above: Angie (UACH UCD URO1 C-ATCH Ch. Joeley’s Anjolena CGCA CGCU CDX Bn GN RAE2 OA OAJ MXP2 MXPB NF OFP T2BP TKN MH PCMHX RHX8), another of Willmann’s PBGVs, has been successful in many sports, but her true love is hunting. Below: Angie’s second favorite activity is chasing the lure in Fast-CAT.
Mary Fluke says she was attracted to the breed because she likes dogs with shaggy faces, but immediately found they were athletic, happy dogs. Like Willmann, she also hunts with her PBGVs and has hunt-test titles on most of them.
“They are very responsive to reward-based training, and they generally get along with other dogs,” she says. “In the field, my dogs are excited about finding the rabbits and following the trails. To them, I’m part of the pack, and an important part because I can see where the rabbits go and direct them to the best spots to catch the scent trail. They have learned to trust me in the field, and that translates to other activities that I do with them, like obedience, rally, scent work and agility.”
Fluke is currently training three of her dogs in rally and scent work, and notes that each needs a slightly different approach.
For example, Daisy (Checkered Flag Daisy de la Chasse RN FCAT SWA RHX3) catches on to everything very quickly. Alder (Alder de la Chasse RHX6) is a bit timid and has to be handled very carefully, with training sessions that are very short and happy to avoid having her shut down. Enola (Ch. Joeley Enola de la Chasse BCAT SWN PCSH) needs to be inspired and jazzed up. “I have to remember that one size does not fit all,” Fluke says, “and meet each of my dogs at their own level.”
In addition to Daisy, Alder and Enola, Fluke’s PBGVs are or were Iris (Ch. Charlen Iris BN RA PCSHX Elite), Oak (Ch. Heart of Oak de la Chasse RHX4), Star (La Vedette de la Chasse PCSH) and Fred (Ch. Charlen Le Voisin RHX).
Mary Fluke has discovered that Enola (Ch. Joeley Enola de la Chasse BCAT SWN PCSH) needs to be inspired and jazzed up when training for either rally or scent work.
(A brief explanation of many of those acronyms, for those unfamiliar with the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America’s hunt-test program: After a dog earns an HC, or hunting instinct certified title, it takes three qualifying scores to earn the more advanced titles of parent club Junior Hunter, or PCJH; PCJHX; PCSH; PCSHX; PCMH, and PCMHX. Once a dog has earned its parent-club Master Hunter Excellent title, the next step is the RHX, which is Rabbit Hunter Excellent, and for each number after the RHX, the dog has to have 10 qualifying runs. Alder’s RHX6, for example, means she has qualified at least 79 times in the field.)
Phoebe (Fitzcap’s Sonya Silhouette CD MX MXJ AD), Char Allmann’s PBGV, found agility to be her true calling.
Charlotte Allmann started in obedience and then moved on to agility with Phoebe (Fitzcap’s Sonya Silhouette CD MX MXJ AD), her first PBGV after previously owning mainly Dachshunds and a Basset Hound she described as so unruly she couldn’t safely walk him on a leash. The answer was to enroll the latter in obedience, where it turned out he was very willing to do that work and she was able to compete with him in Novice. Phoebe excelled in agility and Allmann assumed that her next dog, a male named Clue (Fitzcap’s Inspector Clouseau VCD OA OAJ RA TD PCHC), would also be an excellent agility dog — which he was.
But agility, it turned out, was not his best work. Clue was outstanding at search and rescue. PBGVs are something of a well-kept secret in the world of SAR, but are actually second only to Bloodhounds in their ability to follow a human trail. So Allman headed in a much different direction with Clue and also with Cindy Lou (Afriel’s Levrier Nain Cindy Lou CD RA TD PCJH), her next PBGV.
“SAR is really challenging for both the dog and their owners,” Allmann says. “Only about 10 percent of the folks who begin training themselves and their dogs for SAR work actually make it to certification or mission-ready status. PBGVs are exceptionally intelligent and independent thinkers, naturally curious, comical, filled with joy and willing to please, but on their terms. If it’s fun, they’ll give you everything they’ve got. Their endurance, stamina and vigor are key to their success in many different dog sports, but mainly, it’s their personalities and sociability that makes them such a joy to work with. It’s impossible to not enjoy anything you do with these guys, but the more action, the better. This makes them good for SAR work, which is my personal favorite.”
Allmann adds that she loves watching the dogs and reading their body language. “It’s almost like being let in on a secret of the universe,” she explains. “The teamwork, the trust and the incredible bond from hours and years of training, plus the value of the work in providing answers for law enforcement or grieving families, are what keep me going in SAR with my dogs. Even when it means getting out of bed in the middle of the night to go out in rain, cold, snow or heat and humidity and putting up with ticks, mosquitoes, sunburn, snakes and steep hills or desert terrain on what may ultimately turn out to be a wild goose chase, a false alarm or, worst of all, have a bad ending, I still enjoy the work with my dogs.”
When Clue (Fitzcap’s Inspector Clouseau VCD OA OAJ RA TD PCHC) and Cindy Lou (Afriel’s Levrier Nain Cindy Lou CD RA TD PCJH) joined Allmann’s PVGB pack, she thought agility would also be their sport. But it turned out they were more interested in search and rescue and hunting. Clue and Cindy Lou are the two dogs on the left in this PBGV SAR team.
In addition to Phoebe, Clue and Cindy Lou, Allmann’s PBGVs are Olivia (Levrier Nain Olivia PCMH), Tilly (Levrier Nain Le Crime Est Notre Affaire PCSH and Chase (Westwinds Trouble Keeps Chasing Me PCJH).
The favorite activity of all of Fluke’s dogs is hunting. Her pack here is on a rabbit hunt, and the dogs, from front to back are: Star (La Vedette de la Chasse PCSH), Oak (Ch. Heart of Oak de la Chasse RHX4), Alder (Alder de la Chasse RHX6), Fred (Ch. Charlen Le Voisin RHX) and Iris (Ch. Charlen Iris BN RA PCSHX Elite).
Fluke notes that her relationship with her dogs always strengthens with any training they do to get ready for competition. “I enjoy the training so much, but there’s nothing like being in the ring and having things go really well,” she says. “It’s such lovely rhythm when doing a rally course, like dancing or playing music. It’s so much fun!”
It is no secret that PBGVs have a great nose, but in some sports, that can be a double-edged sword, Willmann says. “Overcoming a Scenthound’s desire to use his nose can be one of the biggest challenges in doing some of the dog sports, especially obedience. But their great noses can also be an asset in other sports like hunting and scent work. Scent work has become very popular among PBGV owners for obvious reasons. Sometimes, though, with a PBGV you have to pick your battles. They are hounds and tend to live through their nose, so you can’t stop them from using their nose all the time. They get frustrated. It’s also a good idea to move them at a good pace in sports like obedience because the slower you go with a hound, the more time they have to drop their heads and start to sniff.”
Repetition can also be an obstacle when training a PBGV, so training in multiple sports at the same time can make training much more interesting for both a hound and their person, Willmann reminds. “This is a breed that responds best to positive training because you can’t make a PBGV do something. They can lose interest or start to shut down if not trained correctly but with the right motivation, they can be eager learners.” Fortunately, most are quite food motivated. But finding a trainer who understands scent hound behavior and knows how to motivate a dog that was bred to do their job, hunting, with little input or direction from their owner can be hard. “Sometimes it’s necessary to try several trainers before you find a good fit for you and a PBGV,” she concludes, “but it’s well worth the extra effort.”
According to Fluke, the most serious problem facing the breed is low numbers. “It’s time consuming and expensive to breed and raise quality puppies. It’s also getting harder with the pressures on the breeding community,” she says.