History of the Basset Hound Breed

The term “basset” (coming from the French word “bas” meaning “dwarf”) dates all the way back to 1585 in reference to a short, stout dog that was used for hunting small game, specifically badger. However, the term was given to ANY dog that fit this description, not just one particular breed. The breed as it is known today had not been established yet, although these dogs would have been the very early ancestors of the modern day basset hound. The word “basset” has French origins. Selective breeding was used by friars of the French Abbey of St. Hubert to produce a dog that was shorter and slower, so that horseback riding was not necessary to follow it. Plus, they wanted a short dog that could follow scent under bushes and through brush. In fact, this short stature actually comes from a genetic disorder intentionally bred into the dog’s bloodline. These early dogs bred by the friars would come to be the direct descendents to basset hounds of today.

By the 18th century, basset hounds were common across the whole of France. They looked slightly different, depending on the part of the country you happened to be in. They were a favorite among the French upper-class, whose sport of choice happened to be hunting. They were used to hunt wild boar, squirrels, pheasant, wolf, rabbits, raccoon, and opossums.

It wasn’t until the French Revolution that the basset’s numbers dropped in France. However, the breed survived. The basset was exported to England in the 1800’s, but English basset owners kept very poor records when the breed was first introduced. Because of this, very little is known about their numbers or early role in the English society. We do know, however, that in England, the breed came from only a handful of dogs. The breed did not come into wide acceptance until 1874. In 1882, it was accepted by “The Kennel Club”, the oldest kennel club in the world to accept all breeds of dogs. “The Kennel Club” is more or less the English equivalent to the American Kennel Club, or AKC.

By the 19th century, bassets were exported to the United States where even presidents used them for hunting. The basset was first accepted by the AKC in 1885; however they were common in the United States before then. Although in other countries, they were primarily used for hunting badger (which is one of their original uses), in the States they were (and still are) mainly used for hunting rabbit. Although there is an American breed standard (accepted by the AKC in 1964), there are actually two types of basset hounds, the French basset, and the English basset. The French basset is not recognized by the American Kennel Club, therefore that breed is relatively rare in the United States. In 1928, America embraced the basset hound after it made an appearance on the cover of Time magazine.

It is interesting that the basset hound is only one of six types of bassets found today. It is possible that they all have roots going back to the early bassets of the 1500’s.