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The rough-coated Vendeen Hound is the only type in France to be produced in four different sizes: the Grand, Briquet, Grand Basset and Petit Basset. Grouped together, they comprise the most popular hound in France today.

There are two versions of the Basset Griffon Vendeen, Petit (small) and Grand (large). Both are popular and they are part of the show and hunting scene in almost every European country, and both are used in Europe for hunting hare and rabbit in chasse-a-tir as well as in chasse-a-courre. The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen has been introduced to both The United States and Australia where the breed is growing in popularity.

The French Hound expert, George Johnston, believes that the Chiens Segusiens of Gallo-Roman times were the ancestors of the now-extinct Gris de St. Louis and various other strains of rough-coated hounds. These breeds were crossed with the smooth-coated Chiens de Poitou to produce the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen. According to Johnston, the breed became popular in the Vendee, where it was used for hunting all types of game in the dense undergrowth typical of the area.

The first standard for the Basset Griffon as a show dog was adopted in 1898. The Club du Basset Vendeen was founded in 1907 and the standard for the breed further developed. In 1909, a new standard was written which recognized the Petit only by its smaller size, although it was also acknowledged that it sometimes had slightly crooked legs, while the larger version always had straight legs. It was not until the 1950’s that a new standard was written and the Societe de Vénerie recognized the Petits and the Grands as two separate breeds, and since 1975 they have not been allowed to interbreed.