The Ariégeois is a French

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 medium-sized

scent hound Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785 Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a Dog type, type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than ...

from the ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'' of Ariège in the Midi-Pyrenées region of southern France. It may have derived from

cross-breeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

of pack-hunting hounds such as the

Grand Bleu de Gascogne The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is a breed of hounds of the scenthound type, originating in France and used for hunting in packs. Today's breed is the descendant of a very old type of large hunting dog, and is an important breed in the ancestry of ma ...

or Grand Gascon-Saintongeois with local Briquet dogs. It hunts either alone or in a pack, and is used both as a

courser The coursers are a group of birds which together with the pratincoles make up the family Glareolidae. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Their most unusual feature for birds classed as waders is that ...

and for driving game to waiting guns. While most successful with hares, it is also used for hunting deer and boar. It does not adapt well to urban life, and is not usually kept as a

companion dog A companion dog is a dog that does not work, providing only companionship as a pet, rather than usefulness by doing specific tasks. Many of the toy dog breeds are used only for the pleasure of their company, not as workers. Any dog can be a compa ...

History

The Ariégeois is a traditional breed of the Midi-Pyrenées, and particularly of the Ariège. It may have derived from

of pack-hunting hounds such as the

or Grand Gascon-Saintongeois with local Briquet dogs. It was officially recognised in France in 1912, and was definitively accepted by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) (English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium. History The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspices ...

in 1954.

Characteristics

The Ariégeois is similar in appearance to the

and Grand Gascon-Saintongeois, but is lighter in build and not as tall. The usual weight is approximately . Dogs stand some bitches about two centimetres less. The skin is close-fitting and without wrinkles; the

mucosa A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is ...

are black. The coat is dense, smooth and short, white or mottled white with clearly-defined black markings; there are tan markings to the face, and tan points over the eyes. The ears are soft and just long enough to reach the nose. The neck is slender and arched slightly. The feet are of long oval shape, like those of a

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...

, with black pads and claws; there are no

dewclaws A dewclaw is a digit – vestigial in some animals – on the foot of many mammals, birds, and reptiles (including some extinct orders, like certain theropods). It commonly grows higher on the leg than the rest of the foot, such that in digit ...

. The tail is slightly curved.

Use

The Ariégeois is a

. It may hunt either alone or in a pack, and is used both as a

and for driving game to waiting guns. While most successful with hares, it is also used to track deer and

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

. It is light and tough, and can work on difficult terrain and in even the thickest brush, but is not particularly fast. It

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

while tracking. It does not adapt well to urban life, and is not usually kept as a

References

{{French dogs FCI breeds Dog breeds originating in France Scent hounds