Gascon Saintongeois

Great Gascon Saintongeois

In spite of all the beautiful qualities of this superb canine specimen, the Gascon Saintongeois is mainly only used for the crossing of other breeds of hunting dogs. The breed is therefore greatly threatened with extinction.

Height 62 to 72 cm
Weight 25 to 35 kg
Life expectancy 12 to 13 years
Home country France

Quick Overview of the Gascon Saintongeois

Temperament

  • Gentle and loving
  • Hard worker
  • Sociable
  • Patient with children

Appearance

  • Beautiful physical build
  • Silhouette that combines strength and elegance
  • Tight and short coat
  • Thin ears

Health

  • Hardy and rather solid
  • Very good health
  • No particular pathology

Temperament of the Gascon Saintongeois

Hardy, fast, calm, gentle and affectionate, the Gascon Saintongeois, regardless of the variety, is a hunter at heart and hard worker. He is sociable and patient even with children.

He is naturally obedient but his education must be firm and adequate.

Both varieties are mainly used for hunting. Even if he is an excellent companion dog, the Gascon Saintongeois is a hunting dog in his profound nature, and it is preferable that his master practices this discipline.

On the hunt, he is a hardy, tenacious and very courageous dog. He has a beautiful throat and fine nose, making him a command dog par excellence.

In the family, he's friendly and very gentle. He has lots of patience with children and is not aggressive in any way. However, despite his good family temperament, he prefers hunting episodes to anything else.

Not a city dog, he prefers wide open spaces where he can hunt and run as he pleases. Life in an apartment is therefore to be avoided in his case.

Breed Appearance

Saintongeois gascon

Both varieties of the breed have a beautiful physical build. The silhouette of the Gascon Saintongeois combines strength and elegance, as well as a very well proportioned constitution.

His gait shows great physical strength and stamina for work. His general appearance is of a very "French" type as much for the head, dress or expression.

Height

Between 65 and 72 cm (25.59 to 28.35 inches) for the male
Between 62 and 68 cm (24.41 to 26.77 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 25 and 35 kg (55.12 to 77.16 pounds) for the male
Between 25 and 35 kg (55.12 to 77.16 pounds) for the female

Color

His dress is a white background speckled with black. There are usually two white spots on each side of the head. Red markings are also placed below the eyebrow arches reaching to the cheeks. There are also reddish colored markings on the inside of the ears and along the limbs. Sometimes, a typical "dead leaf" color mark called a "deer mark" can be found at the base of the thigh.

Hair

The hair of his coat is tight and short.

Morphology

His head has a domed skull and a slightly accentuated stop.

His brown eyes are oval shaped. His ears are fine and reach the tip of the nose.

His broad nose is black. His tail, tapered at the tip, almost reaches the point of the hock, and is carried elegantly in the shape of a sabre blade.

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

Gascon Saintongeois puppies near me

Health of the Gascon Saintongeois

Hardy and rather solid, the Gascon Saintongeois is generally endowed with very good health.

As the breed is not affected by any particular pathology, the specimens also enjoy a good life expectancy.

GROOMING

Even if the coat is short, it is necessary to brush it regularly to maintain a healthy coat.

No other special care is necessary for either the Grand or Petit Gaston Saintongeois.

History of this breed

There is one breed but two varieties, the Grand Gascon Saintongeois and Petit Gascon Saintongeois.

Originally from France, the "Grand" category was the first to emerge in mid-19th century.

Due to the decline of the breed of Chien de Saintonge, Count Joseph de Carayon-Latour wanted to regenerate him by uniting the last descendants of the lineage with the Bleu de Gascogne.

It was then that the Gascon Saintongeois was born but the Chien de Saintonge disappeared at the same time.

Also coming from France, the "Petit" version was born in the middle of the 20th century when a few hunters from the South West of France selected the smallest subjects from the litters of Grand Gascon Saintongeois to fix a small variety of the Gascon Saintongeois to be used mainly for hunting hare.

The Great Gascon Saintongeois is used for hound hunting, as well as for big game gun hunting but also for hunting hare in packs, or sometimes individually as a bloodhound.

The Small Gascon Saintongeois is a versatile hunting dog also used for gun hunting. Basically specialized in hare, he is also effective in hunting big game such as deer but also fox and wild boar.

Both varieties are hounds that can easily chase unwounded or wounded game by smell. They are both hunting dogs at heart and remain so throughout their lives.

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