Artois Hound

Great Artois Hound, Briquet, Chien d'Artois, Picard

The Artois Hound is greatly appreciated for hunting, and can also become an excellent companion as long as he is given good training and a few hours of exercise per day. His boundless energy must be well spent to facilitate learning and obedience. He is far from being sedentary and much prefers a sports master who can easily follow him in all his daily exercises.

Height 53 to 58 cm
Weight 28 to 30 kg
Life expectancy 12 to 13 years
Home country France

Quick Overview of the Artois Hound

Temperament

  • Calm and balanced
  • Affectionate and gentle
  • Vigorous
  • Independent and stubborn

Appearance

  • Strongly build
  • Tricolor dress
  • Short, flat and thick coat
  • Large long ears

Health

  • Hardy and robust
  • Rarely ill
  • Good health
  • Long life expectancy

Temperament of the Artois Hound

With a better temperament than his ancestor, the Artois Hound is calm, balanced, affectionate, gentle and vigorous.

Although he can make a good companion, he is naturally independent and even rather stubborn.

He is a pointing dog and also a hound. He excels at hunting rabbits and hares, but also deer, foxes and wild boar.

Tenacious and vigorous, his sense of smell and high-pitched bark make him an excellent hunting companion. Nowadays, he is generally used in small packs of six to eight dogs.

Active and vigorous when hunting, he is rather gentle and calm in family.

However, since he is very independent and sometimes stubborn, it is preferable to give him an early firm and adequate training in order to dominate him completely and make him an excellent companion.

The master must really impose himself as the leader of the pack if he wants to obtain an obedient and pleasant companion dog.

He has no real issue with children and is quite gentle with them.

He can adapt to many situations, but since he is an active dog, apartment life does not suit him.

His need for daily exercise, even several times a day, requires his master to devote to him a certain number of hours on a daily basis.

chien d'artois personnalité

Breed Appearance

Artois dog

Naturally strong, the Artois Hound is endowed with a muscular constitution for hunting sessions.

He is not very long, but his strength and energy are obvious.

Massively built, this dog is an outstanding hunter, mentally and physically.

Height

Between 53 and 58 cm (20.87 to 22.83 inches) for the male
Between 53 and 58 cm (20.87 to 22.83 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 28 and 30 kg (61.73 to 66.14 pounds) for the male
Between 28 and 30 kg (61.73 to 66.14 pounds) for the female

Color

His dress is tricolor of a beautiful auburn, on a black and white background, with large spots.

Hair

His hair is short, flat and thick.

Morphology

His head is strong and has a rounded skull. It is generally auburn.

His round eyes are usually dark brown. They are very soft and have a melancholic air.

His large ears are quite long and almost flat.

His nose is black. His strong tail is quite long and carried as a sickle.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 6, section 1 and is #28

Health of the Artois Hound

The Artois Hound is hardy and robust and rarely ill. Generally enjoying excellent health, the breed is not affected by any particular pathology.

The life expectancy of the specimens is also appreciable.

GROOMING

His hanging ears require regular checking and it is best to brush him regularly to maintain a healthy coat.

However, no other special care is required.

History of this breed

Originally from France, more precisely from the county of Artois, the breed, formerly known as the "Picardy Dog", is very old.

He is said to come from the powerful Hound of Saint-Hubert and is also the result of crossbreeding with several types of hounds.

Towards the end of the 15th century, the breed was known as the Great Artois Dog. The latter had a coat that was distinct from that of his ancestor, the Hound of Saint Hubert, but was very similar in size at the time.

During the Renaissance, the dog evolved to reach almost the proportions we know today. He was introduced into royal packs at the beginning of the 17th century and the breed was standardized.

To make the difference with the former Great Artois Hound, he was named Briquet d'Artois and eventually became officially known as the Artois Hound. The Artois Hound is related to the Basset hound.

He is moreover the ancestor of the Beagle and the Normandy Artesian Basset, having been part of the initial crossbreeding that resulted in these two breeds.

During the reign of Louis XIII and Henry IV, the Artois Hound knew his hours of glory in the Bourbon venery. The breed was greatly appreciated and rather regularly sought after. In 1890, in his "Manuel de Vénerie Française", the Couteulx de Canteleu speaks of him with great praise, even though the breed had already begun to decline.

Specialized for hunting in large packs, the Artois Hound has unfortunately lost his place in modern times.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the breed even seemed threatened with total extinction, his numbers having greatly diminished.

In the 1970s, enthusiasts of the breed, including Burgundy, Champagne and Picardy breeders, rescued him and managed to bring back the numbers to such a level that the breed was able to regain a certain notoriety.

The Artois Hound is a hunting dog used to hunt wounded game or to chase it by smell.

This hound is highly prized for hunting and companionship.

However, he prefers daily exercise of hunting episodes and peaceful rest while waiting for the next exercise, rather than family life, as he is very independent by nature.

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