The Český Fousek is a Czech

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of versatile hunting dog that was traditionally and currently used to hunt, point, and retrieve. This refers to the dog's natural ability in tracking, pointing, and retrieving

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

. The name is in Czech, in which ''český'' means ''Czech'' and ''fousek'' is derived from ''vousy'' (facial hair) or ''vousky'' (whiskers). While the name is used for both sexes, Český Fousek specifically refers to a male dog while the female is traditionally called Česka Fouska. The breed is part of the griffon hunting dog family and have the beard and moustache ("facial furnishings") common to wirehairs. There is a large difference in size between the females and males of this breed, with the weight difference being up to .

Description

Appearance

A medium-sized breed with a coarse coat, the Český Fousek is an athletically built dog with a wiry, muscular body. Their most noticeable trait is their distinguishing facial fur. Their soft, bushy eyebrows, mustache, and beard are what make them so recognizable. Their velvety ears hang loosely to the side of their face, while their endearing almond-shaped eyes are deep-set, and can be amber or brown color.

Size

Mid-sized dog. Height for males , for females . Weight for males , for females .

Temperament

This breed is a hunting dog able to adapt to any sort of terrain and type of hunting. Can be used for pointing and retrieving upland game and waterfowl retrieval. Where allowed by law, can be used for tracking large game or finding wounded and down big game. Fantastic family dog as well as an excellent hunting dog.

History

The Český Fousek is a much newer wirehaired versatile hunting dog in relation to many other European or Continental breeds, with written standards first established in the nineteenth century and FCI recognition in 1964. The breed nearly became extinct in the 1920s, and was saved by dedicated breeders in Czech Republic by breeding with other versatile hunting breeds, such as the German Shorthaired Pointer and German Wirehaired Pointer. This caused problems for acceptance of the breed by the FCI as the German Kennel Club ( Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen) opposed it based on being nearly genetic identical to the

Stichelhaar The German Roughhaired Pointer, the Deutscher Stichelhaariger Vorstehhund in German, is a medium-sized breed of pointing dog developed in Germany. History In the early 19th-century there were several varieties of rough-haired pointers found thro ...

. Separately, this happened again in the US in the 1980s and 1990s with infusion of the Český Fousek into the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, causing a split among members and the forming of two new and separate clubs, the Cesky Fousek North America (formerly Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Club of America) and the American Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Association. The Český Fousek was used in the creation of the foundation stock of the

Slovak Rough-haired Pointer The Slovak Rough-haired Pointer is a gundog breed developed after World War II in Slovakia. It is known by many confusingly similar names in English, including the Slovak Wirehaired Pointer,

References

External links

Website of Klub Chovatelů Českých Fousků, the main breeding organization of the breedCesky Fousek North America
(formerly "Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Club of America") is the U.S. breed club.
Cesky Fousek Smugmug Gallery
An extensive photo gallery of the Cesky Fousek maintained by the U.S. breed club. * Tracing genetic resurrection of pointing dog breeds: Cesky Fousek as both survivor and rescuer
Breed Profile: Cesky Fousek
* {{Czech dogs FCI breeds Dog breeds originating in the Czech Republic Gundogs Pointers