• HISTORICAL SUMMARY:

The Basset was supposedly bred by monks in France in the Middle Ages to hunt in heavily covered terrain, being able to keep its nose close to the ground. Although closely related to the entire French Basset family, the breed was developed to perfection in Great Britain. It is a dog capable of hunting its natural prey, the hare, with persistence and at a relatively slow pace over prodigious distances.

Country of Origin: Great Britain.

GENERAL APPEARANCE L :  Short-legged hound of considerable substance, well balanced, full of qualities. It is important to keep in mind that this is a working dog and must be fit for this purpose, therefore it must be strong, active and capable of great resistance in the field.

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BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT :  A tenacious hound, from an ancient bloodline that hunted by scent, has a pack instinct, and a deep, melodious voice. Placid, never aggressive or shy. Affectionate.
 

HEAD :  There may be a small amount of wrinkles on the forehead and beside the eyes. In either case, the skin on the head should be flexible enough to form slightly marked wrinkles when pulled forward or when the head is lowered.
 

• CRANIAL REGION
   

skull :  Domed, with a prominent occipital bone, of medium width between the superciliary arches and tapering slightly towards the muzzle.
 

Stop :  Moderate.
 

• FACIAL REGION

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Truffle :  Entirely black, except in light-colored dogs, where it may be brown or liver in color. Large, well-opened nostrils that may slightly extend beyond the lip line.

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Muzzle :  The general appearance is that of a slender, not pointed, muzzle.
 

lips :  The upper lip substantially overlaps the lower

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Jaws and Teeth : Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth overlap the lower teeth and are set squarely to the jaws.

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eyes :  Diamond-shaped, neither prominent nor set too deeply. Dark, but can have medium brown tones in light-colored dogs. With a calm and serious expression. Light or yellow eyes are highly undesirable.
 

Ears :  Set low, just below the eye line. Long, reaching only slightly beyond a muzzle of correct length, but not excessive. Narrow along its length and curling well inward. Very flexible, thin and velvety texture.
 

NECK :  Muscular, well sprung and long enough with pronounced but not exaggerated dewlap.
 

• TRUNK

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Back :  Quite wide and level. From the withers to the insertion of the croup, it must not be excessively long.
 

Loin :  May be slightly arched

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chest :  Forechest well fitted between the short legs when viewed from the front. Prominent sternum, but the chest is neither narrow nor too deep. Ribs well rounded and well sprung, without protrusions, extending well back.
 

TAIL:  Well set, rather long, strong at the base, tapering to a point with moderate amounts of coarse hair on the underside. When in motion, the tail is carried well up and curves slightly, saber-shaped; never curled up or cheerful.

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• MEMBERS

PREVIOUS :  Forearm high, angled slightly inward, but not to such an extent as to impede free action or result in legs touching each other when standing or moving. Some skin wrinkles may appear on the lower legs, but this should in no way be excessive.

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Shoulders :  Scapulae well placed back. Shoulders not heavy.
 

Elbows :  Turning neither out nor in, but snug to the sides.
 

Forearms :  Short, powerful and heavily boned

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Metacarpals :  Forming a forward curve is highly undesirable.

Feet: Wide, with good joints and pads. forelegs may point straight ahead or may turn slightly outward, but in all cases, a hound should stay in perfectly; the weight is evenly distributed between the toes and the pads, so that the paws leave the footprints of a large dog, without any unpadded part being in contact with the ground
 

HINDQUARTERS :  Well muscled and firmly planted, giving an almost spherical effect when viewed from behind. Some skin wrinkles may appear between the hocks and feet; a slight pouch may appear behind the hock joint due to loose skin, but in neither case should it be excessive

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Knees :  Well angled.
 

Feet : Wide, with good joints and pads. A hound must “stay” perfectly; the weight is evenly distributed between the toes and the pads, so that the paws leave the footprints of a large dog, without any part lacking the pad being in contact with the ground.

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DRIVE :  Most important to make sure the hound is fit for its purpose. Smooth, powerful and effortless action, with good reach of  Forelegs and hindquarters showing powerful drive, with dog moving correctly both front and back. The hocks and knees can never remain rigid in motion, nor can any finger be dragged.

SKIN :  Flexible and elastic, without any exaggerations
 

• COAT

By :  Soft, short and closed, without being too thin. All contours are smooth and without fringes. Long hair, soft or fringed hair, is highly undesirable.
 

• COLOR:  Usually black, white and brown (tricolor); lemon and white (bicolor); but any recognized hound color is acceptable.

SIZE : 33cm to 38cm
 

• FAULTS  

Any deviation from the terms of this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well being of the dog.

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• DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
   

• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.

• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.  

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• GRADES

• Males must have both testicles, of normal appearance, well let down and accommodated in the scrotum.

• Only clinically and functionally healthy dogs with typical breed conformation should be used for breeding.