The Braques Français are

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

s, from a very old type of

gun dog Gun dogs (gundogs) or bird dogs are types of hunting dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game, typically various fowls that are shot down on the wing (in flight). The term hunting dog is broad and includes all breeds and s ...

used for

pointing Pointing is a gesture specifying a direction from a person's body, usually indicating a location, person, event, thing or idea. It typically is formed by extending the arm, hand, and index finger, although it may be functionally similar to othe ...

the location of game birds for a hunter. There are two

breeds A breed is a specific group of breedable 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 seve ...

of Braque Français, both from the south of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the Braque français, type Gascogne (French Pointing Dog – Gascogne type, larger size) and the Braque français, type Pyrénées (French Pointing Dog – Pyrenean type, smaller size) They are popular hunting dogs in France, but are seldom seen elsewhere.

History

Over the centuries, the dogs were taken to other countries and were crossed with other breeds. When a search was made at the end of the nineteenth century to find the original dogs, two separate regional varieties were found. The first

breed club Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members ...

was formed in 1850, and the

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

for both breeds were written in 1880. It is recognised by the

Société Centrale Canine The Société centrale canine (), officially the Société Centrale Canine pour l'Amélioration des Races de Chiens en France and abbreviated SCC, is a French kennel club founded in 1881. It is made up of regional clubs and breed clubs, and coord ...

in France, and world-wide by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

. The S.C.C. prohibits inbreeding or linebreeding and will not register any dog with common ancestors in the first three generations of its pedigree. Of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world, only the

Canadian Kennel Club The Canadian Kennel Club (or CKC; ), founded in 1888 and chartered under the Animal Purebred Act, is one of the national kennel clubs of Canada. It maintains breed registries services for those purebred dogs approved for its control by Agricultur ...

in Canada and the

United Kennel Club The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to indivi ...

in the U.S. recognise them. The Canadian Kennel Club recognises one breed, the Braque Français (Gascogne) in its Sporting Dogs Group and the United Kennel Club recognises both breeds, in its Gundog Group, with the names Braque Français De Grande Taille and Braque Français, De Petite Taille - ''petite taille'' (smaller size) means the Pyrenean is smaller than the Gascogne, and does ''not'' mean that it is a little dog.

Hunting use

The Braque Français breeds are not just pointers, but versatile hunting dogs that can retrieve, flush, and even trail game in all sorts of terrain. The Pyrénées is a quick dog that can move fast without sprinting, while the Gascogne is a slower moving dog.

Appearance

Both breeds of Braque Français are of medium to large size, with long legs and long drop ears. The

coat A coat is typically an outer garment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners (AKA velcro), ...

is short, and chestnut brown or white speckled with brown in colour, often with one or more large brown spots. The head is usually brown. The Gascogne type is about taller at the

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

than the Pyrenean.

Differences

*The Braque Français, type Pyrénées, stands about at the withers, females slightly smaller, giving the impression of "a

German shorthaired pointer The German Shorthaired Pointer or is a German breed of continental pointing dog of Braque type. It originated in the nineteenth century in what is now Germany. It is of medium size, and is an all-purpose gun dog suitable for hunting and retrie ...

shrunk down to

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

size".Braque Français, The French Pointer In North America, by Chad Mason, ''Gun Dog Magazine'', August, 200
online
The larger ''Braque français, type Gascogne'' dogs are (females smaller) *The coat of the Gascogne is thick, while that of the Pyrénées is shorter and finerBreed standard, Braque Français, type Pyrénées
The Pyrénées is usually more mottled brown on the body. *The head of the Pyrénées is slightly broader, and the ears are not as long. On the Gascogne, if the ears are pulled forward, they reach the tip of the nose. The Gascogne has slightly pendulous lips, making the muzzle appear square; the Pyrénées muzzle looks more narrow.

History

Hunting use

Appearance

Differences

References

Further reading