History

A Long long time ago there was….

A Basset d’Artois. From wich our French Basset has descended. This hound lived in the north and the centre of France. The word ‘Basset’ comes from ‘bas = low’ and ‘set = set’. In the second half of the 19th century there were two breeders. Each developped his type of Basset d’Artois: Henri Count Couteulx de Canteleu and Mr Louis Lane.

Around the year 1900, Mr Leon Verrier succeeded to unite the best of the two types. His Bassets had more nobility and their head resembled the head of the ‘Chien Normand’, a high rise huntinghound. The Bassets of Verrier were named: Basset Artésien (meaning: from the region Artois) Normand (from the region Normandy). Since 1938 Mr Verrier’s female Belette formed the basis for the formal standard of our Basset.

Centuries ago, and even now, French people have huntingpacks. In the beginning mainly the noble men had their own pack, mostly high rise hounds such as the Poitevin or the Anglo-Francais. But the nobles also loved the Bassets. You can still see castles in France where the kennels have remained untouched. For example Chateau Frémont where breeder Count de Peufeuillou had his pack around 1910.

Today during the ‘fêtes de chasse’, held in the summer, you can see packs of Bassets Artésien Normand. They are shown to the audience before the hunting season starts.

Appearance

Characteristics of the breed of French Basset.

The Basset Artésien Normand is a low, solid hound with a long body-structure. Mostly they are tri-coloured: black, white and brown. He has a beautiful noble head with striking eyes and long pliable hanging ears. He shows power and at the same time elegance. A hound full of style. His height of the withers is between 30 and 36 cm. An adult Basset weighes around 18 kg. The features of his appearance is formally described in the breeding standard.

The hunt

‘Chasse à courre’

Even though most Bassets Artésien Normand are familydogs, enjoying a good walk every day, it is necessary to emphasise that the Basset Artésien Normand has excellent hunting qualities. As the French say, it is a ‘workinghound’, from the type ‘Chiens Courants’.

He is fit for the hunt by foot. He can take the initiative to find the traces of game, so called ‘quêter’, to drive the game out of the bushes, ‘lancer’and to persuit the game, ‘mener’. They can hunt individually or in a pack, consisting of 4, 6, 8 and more hounds depending on the terrain and the game to hunt. An ideal pack is composed of hounds with different talents: The ‘chien de tête’, the hound that takes the initiatives; the ‘chien de centre’ the one just in the middle to follow and the ‘chien de chemin’ that carefull seeks not to forget a single trace.

Finally a ‘creanceur’ the hound with the ideal quality to stay on track, regardless what game is crossing. It is a magnificent view to see a pack of French Bassets hunting, the more when you hear their “musique’. Their bark that expresses their emotions.

Character

What a character!

At first you see his cheerfull, lively and devoted nature. The Basset Artésien Normand is a real familydog, fond of children. He will do his utmost to please his owner. Submissive obedience can not be expected. He is a litle stubborn, because of his talent to seek for game independently. He is certainly never nervous. His soft character suits an owner who handles his Basset with patience, consequence and charm.

Education of the Basset

His soft and cheerful character, together with his curiosity, demands a consequent and patient education. The French Basset is intelligent and learns without effort. In this way he becomes quite an obedient friend. Soon there will be a close relationship with the owner and his family. Before the puppy arrives we advise to agree within the family what is allowed and what not. Things are easy to learn but hard to unlearn. Puppy training is a good possibility with a trainer who has experience with and feeling for handling “chien

Contact

Contact

You want more information, please do not hesitate and contact us.

Kennel de Bérénice

Marion Maas

Telephone +31 (0) 657561995

email:info@bassetartesiennormand.nl