The Poitevin, also known as the Chien de Haut-Poitou, is a

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 French

scenthound 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 province of

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

, this predominantly pack hound was created in the 17th century to hunt wolves.

Characteristics

The Poitevin is a refined, athletic hound with

sighthound Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are a type of dog, hounds that hunt primarily by sight and speed, rather than by scent and endurance as scent hounds do. Appearance These dogs specialize in pursuing prey, keeping it in sight, and overp ...

features. In appearance it looks like a mixture of a

foxhound A foxhound is a Dog type, type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usuall ...

and a

greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

. The Poitevin typically stands at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

and weighs . They have a flat, gently sloping skull; a long, narrow tapering muzzle; a slender, well-muscled neck; long, straight, heavily boned legs and a long tail. The Poitevin's short coat is usually tricolour; all other breeds of tricolour hounds are sometimes described as having Poitevin heritage. The Poitevin is renowned for its speed, stamina, scenting abilities and melodious voice whilst hunting. Packs have been known to reach speeds of and to hunt for up to seven hours. In his book ''La Vénerie'', Pierre de Cossé Brissac, 12th Duke of Brissac said of the Poitevin "He is able to chase the quarry more than 7 hours. Because of his speed, the Poitevin's nickname is 'Greyhound among the French hounds'." While not shy, the Poitevin is known to be more aloof than many other hound breeds and does not adapt well when not kept in a pack environment.

History

Poitevins descend from 12 English Staghounds that were gifted to the

Dauphin of France Dauphin of France (, also ; french: Dauphin de France ), originally Dauphin of Viennois (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word ''dauphin' ...

in 1692. Some of the offspring of these hounds were given to François de Larrye, Marquis of Haut-Poitou, who crossed them with local hounds. The offspring of this crossbreeding resulted in strong, athletic tricoloured hounds that the Marquis used to hunt

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

, the first examples of the breed. In addition to the Larrye pack, two other packs of Poitevins were bred, both named after their owners, the Montemboeuf and Céris. These two packs were distinguished from the Larrye hounds in being bicoloured (orange and white), and both were considered inferior to the Larrye hounds. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, the fortunes of Poitevin suffered greatly. The then-Marquis de Larrye was beheaded in 1793 during the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First French Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public Capital punishment, executions took pl ...

, and the Larrye pack was dispersed and the breed almost disappeared. After the Revolution, two brothers, Emile and Arthur de la Besage of Montmorillon who lived in Poitou, sought to revive the breed. They collected whatever remaining Poitevins they could, including two from the Larrye pack, and reestablished a pack. In 1842, disaster struck the de la Besage hounds, with an outbreak of

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, ...

in the kennels nearly destroying the pack. The breed was revived by the importation of

English Foxhound The English Foxhound is one of the four foxhound breeds of dog. It is a cousin of the American Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent. Description Appearance The breed standards' guidelines for showing English Foxh ...

s, a carefully considered crossbreeding program was implemented, and within three generations the Foxhound influence was barely perceptible within the pack. The breed suffered greatly during the First and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

s, and at the end of the Second World War further outcrossings to English Foxhounds were necessary to reconstitute the breed.

Modern use

Whilst the Poitevin was originally created to hunt the

, several packs are still maintained in France but today are used to hunt

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 ...

and

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

in the traditions of the 'Grande Vénérie'. The Poitevin was central to the development of the two most popular of France's packhound breeds, the Grand Anglo-Français Tricolore and Chien Français Tricolore, as well as the Anglo-Français de Petite Vénerie.

References

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

Characteristics

History

Modern use

See also

References