Briquet: Origin, Personality, Training
Group: Scent Hound.
Also Known As: Chien d’Artois,
Picard, Artois Hound.
About
Briquet
Origin and History
of the Breed
The dog’s country of
origin is France. This was formerly known
as Picard. The dog was esteemed as a hunter
since historic times. The superior hare hunting
skills of the Picards have been recorded in
many a place. The Ardennes area of Belgium
was the place from where some of the earliest
of these hounds stemmed.
By the 17th century the d’Artois
dogs had become popular. In 1609 Prince Alexandre
de Gray (France) had expressed his desire
to send a pack of little d’Artois dogs
to the King of England. Thus, the bringing
in of the d’Artois to England may well
have subsequently led to the development of
the Beagle breed of dogs.
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There had developed a fashion among
French hunters to secure the d’Artois dogs
by the 19th century and the increasing demand called
forth considerable crossbreeding. This led to a
deterioration of the pure d’Artois. Finally
the only ‘pure’ breeds of d’Artois
remaining were the packs kept at Chantilly and those
of the Prince de Conde.
Ernest Levair and M. Therouanne
ventured on a twenty-year program to breed the original
d’Artois in the 1880s. This resulted in great
success though the war years that commenced soon
after nearly destroyed the breed. However, the Briquet
dogs did not become extinct altogether and since
1975 their numbers are on the rise. Now there are
around 500 dogs registered in their studbooks.
A General Description of
the Dog
The Briquet is a muscled and well-built
dog. It looks strong and energetic. It has a large
and strong head and a sturdy with wide chest and
medium-length back. The dog has thick skin with
short, thick and flat hair. The coat has patterns
of dark fawn tri-colors. The color of the dog’s
head is also usually fawn with a black overlay at
times. The ears of the dog are flat and are set
at eye level. The eyes of the Briquet are large
and prominent and the lips are thick. The nose is
black.
The forelimbs of the dog are strong
and vertical (lightly oblique). The shoulders are
muscled and the elbows are set properly in the axis
of the body. In case of each hind limb, the point
of the buttock of the dog, the middle of its leg,
the hock, the metatarsal and the foot all lie on
the same vertical line. While the upper thighs of
the hind limbs of the dog are let down and well
muscled the hock joints are strong and angulated
moderately. The metatarsals are short and strong.
The feet of the Briquet are slightly elongated.
They are strong and sufficiently tight with tough
and compact pads that are black in color. The tail
is pointed- long, strong and sickle-shaped and it
never falls forward.
Height: 20-23
inches.
Weight: Between
40-53 pounds.
Personality
Temperament of the Breed
This is a calm and well-balanced
dog. The Briquet is very energetic and has great
endurance levels. It is brave and loyal to its master.
As a scent hound it is quick and independent and
skilled at hunting swift animals like rabbits. The
Briquet loves its owner who cares for it. Having
a powerful sense of smell the dog gets overjoyed
when getting an opportunity to be on the trail of
a good scent.
Activity
Level
How active is the breed?
The Briquet is a hunting dog and
hence it needs to be exercised extensively. The
dog may be taken for long walks everyday. They can
become wonderful companions for joggers and hikers
or health freaks who walk or jog over considerably
distances daily.
Suitable for apartment
living?
Though the dogs can stay fine in
apartments it is advisable to provide a small yard
for them. It is best to keep Briquets with healthy
people who can themselves undertake extensive exercising
along with the dog.
Grooming
The Briquet requires considerable
grooming. The dog has a smooth and shorthaired coat.
This is easy to care for by regular brushing. Rubber,
wire or hard-bristled brushes would be suitable
for brushing purposes. The dogs need to be bathed
from time to time with mild soap. They may be dry
shampooed too. Again, wiping down with a damp towel
can act as a good enough alternative to bathing.
The ears of the dog need to be
checked at all times for signs of infection. The
nails of the dogs ought to be trimmed too in order
to avoid infections arising from unkempt nails.
Health
Problems
The Briquet Dogs have not been
known to develop any health problem that is particular
to their breed. They may be developing health problem(s)
that dogs of many other breeds develop.
A person buying a Briquet puppy
needs to make sure that the puppy does not suffer
from hip dysplasia and OCD (osteochondritis dissecans).
The eyes of the puppy must also be checked for verifying
that they are normal and PRA clear.
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Life Expectancy:
The dogs have a life expectancy of up to 13 years.
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