Griffon Nivernais Dog Names

The Griffon Nivernais is a very rare breed and there are only a handful of breeders worldwide with most of them found in France. Patrick and Yves Husson of du Val de Saone Kennels are dedicated to preserving this ancient breed. The Hussons are working hard to educate the general public about the Griffon Nivernais breed and mentor other breeders interested in these French scent hounds. Their current Griffon Nivernais male, Garou, has been used exclusively for the du Val de Saone females; however, the Hussons are open to allowing other breeders to use him at stud. Garou’s last litter was born in September of 2018 and all the puppies remained within France. He was bred to Gella, or Gella of the Hauts du Val de Saone. The Griffon Nivernais has been recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and the United Kennel Club (UKC). The American Kennel Club (AKC) has not recognized the Griffon Nivernais since there are too few of them within the United States.

The Griffon Nivernais is believed to have descended from Gallic hounds that were used by the Gauls. Their history can be traced back to the 1200s when they were companions of farmers and shepherds used to keep wild boar and wolves from becoming a nuisance. The Griffon Nivernais was a favored hunting dog for about 200 years up to the reign of Louis XI. They were then completely removed from royal packs by Francis I because he preferred only white hounds. The breed seemed to completely disappear around 1789 but was then rediscovered about a hundred years later. Some researchers claim the Griffon Vendeen, Otterhound, and Fox Hound helped to revive the Griffon Nivernais, however, there are other researchers that claim the Griffon Nivernais helped in the creation of these breeds. The national breed club for the Griffon Nivernais was founded in 1925 but there is not enough evidence to properly research the breed, leaving people to come up with theories regarding the century when the Griffon Nivernais disappeared from history. It cannot be disputed that the Griffon Nivernais is the oldest hound breed that originated in France.