| Gascon Saintongeois | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Grand Gascon Saintongeois | |||||||||||||
| Common nicknames | Virelade Hound | ||||||||||||
| Origin | France | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Notes | Two varieties of one breed, Grand (large) and Petit (smaller) | ||||||||||||
| Dog ( domestic dog ) | |||||||||||||
The Gascon Saintongeois is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, recognised in two varieties, Grand (large) and Petit (smaller than the Grand, but not a small dog). Originating in France, the breed is used for hunting in packs and descends from the old Hound of Saintonge type of large hunting dog.
The breed is a very typical French hound, with a lean and muscular body, long legs, long drop ears and pendulous flews (lips). The size for the Grand is 65 to 72 cm (25.6 to 28.3 ins) at the withers, females at total 24 to 26 inches; the size for the Petit is 56 to 62 cm (22 to 24.4 ins) at the withers, making it still a fairly large dog; females are slightly smaller. Grands weigh 66 to 71 pounds.
The eyes are dark chestnut. It has an elongated head. Its black nose is well-developed and the lips are pendent. It has a deep chest and a strong back. The tail is elegant and saber.
The colour of the coat is white with black patches, sometimes speckled or ticked with black. Ears and face around the eyes are black and the cheeks are tan, but there should not be a tricolour appearance. Two tan markings are above the eyes, and sometimes a tan marking is found on the base of the upper thigh, which is called the "roe buck mark". Faults, which indicate the dog should not be bred, include lack of substance, weak back, deviated tail, cow-hocked, or legs that are too angulated or straight, which would impede running ability, as well as being off-colour, overly aggressive or overly shy. [1]
The breed is noted for its good nose, excellent voice and beautiful gallop, important attributes in a hunting dog. It is instinctively a pack dog. [1]
Only three old Saintongeois hounds survived the French Revolution, two dogs and a bitch. Count Joseph de Carayon-Latour in the mid-19th century crossed the last of the old Hound of Saintonge with a few of the remaining old-type Grand Bleu de Gascogne. The hounds that were white with black ticking were retained and later given the name Gascon Saintongeois. [2]
In the middle of the 20th century, hunters in the southwest of France selected smaller dogs from litters of Grand Gascon Saintongeois for hunting hare and other small game. These became the Petit Gascon Saintongeois. [2]
The Grand Gascon Saintongeois is used for hunting big game, including wild boar, roe deer and sometimes gray wolf, usually in a pack. The Petit Gascon Saintongeois is a versatile hunter, usually used on hare and rabbit, but it can also be used for big game. [1]
A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey.
Scent hounds are a type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than sight. These breeds are hunting dogs and are generally regarded as having some of the most sensitive noses among dogs. Scent hounds specialize in following scent or smells. Most of them tend to have long, drooping ears and large nasal cavities to enhance smell sensitivity. They need to have relatively high endurance to be able to keep track of scent over long distances and rough terrain. It is believed that they were first bred by the Celts by crossbreeding mastiff-type dogs with sighthounds. The first established scent hounds were St. Hubert Hounds bred by monks in Belgium during the Middle Ages.
The Serbian Hound, previously known as the Balkan Hound, is a breed of scent hound from Serbia.
The Bluetick Coonhound is a breed of coonhound originating in the United States. The Bluetick Coonhound is known for its friendly personality, cold nose, and deep bawl mouth. It is most commonly used as a raccoon hunting dog, but is also kept as a pet.
The Chien Français Blanc et Noir is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France. The breed is used for hunting in packs and descends from the old Hound of Saintonge type of large hunting dog.
The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is a breed of hounds of the scenthound type, originating in France and used for hunting in packs. Today's breed is the descendant of a very old type of large hunting dog, and is an important breed in the ancestry of many other hounds.
The Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, or PBGV, is a breed of dog of the scent hound type, bred to trail hares in bramble-filled terrain of the Vendée district of France. The breed is known in the United States as "Petit" or "PBGV," in England as "Roughie," and in Denmark as "Griffon" or "Petit". The PBGV is one of six types of "basset"-type breeds recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI).
The Ariégeois is a French breed of medium-sized scent hound from the département of Ariège in the Midi-Pyrenées region of southern France. It may have derived from cross-breeding of pack-hunting hounds such as the Grand Bleu de Gascogne or Grand Gascon-Saintongeois with local Briquet dogs. It hunts either alone or in a pack, and is used both as a courser and for driving game to waiting guns. While most successful with hares, it is also used for hunting deer and boar. It does not adapt well to urban life, and is not usually kept as a companion dog.
The Grand Anglo-Francais Tricolore is a breed of dog used in hunting as a scenthound, usually in packs. It is one of the Anglo-French hound breeds which were created by crossing French scenthounds with English (Anglo) Foxhounds.
The Anglo-Français de Petite Vénerie is a medium-sized breed of dog used in hunting as a scenthound, usually in packs. It is one of the Anglo-French hound breeds which were created by crossing French scenthounds with English foxhounds. The name Petite Vénerie does not mean that dogs of the breed are petite or small, but rather that it is used to hunt small game.
Anglo-Français and Français hounds are a general dog type of hunting dog that include ancient French hounds and breeds created by mixing the French dogs with English (Anglo) Foxhounds. There are seven dog breeds that are described as Anglo-Français and Français hounds.
The Slovenský kopov is a medium-sized breed of hunting dog of the scenthound type. The breed originated in Slovakia, in Central Europe, and is bred for deer tracking and boar hunting. The name Black Forest Hound seems to have been created in North America for marketing purposes, since the breed has no connection with the Black Forest. The German name for this breed is Schwarzwildbracke which translates to Wild Boar Hound and not Schwarzwaldbracke which would be Black Forest Hound.
The Chien Français Blanc et Orange is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France. The breed is used for hunting in packs and descends from the old Hound of Saintonge type of large hunting dog.
The Grand Anglo-Français Blanc et Noir translated into English as the Great Anglo-French White and Black Hound, is a breed of dog used in hunting as a scenthound, usually in packs. It is one of the Anglo-French hound breeds which were created by crossing French scenthounds with English (Anglo) Foxhounds.
The Grand Anglo-Français Blanc et Orange translated into English as the Great Anglo-French White and Orange Hound, is a breed of dog used in hunting as a scenthound, usually in packs. It is one of the Anglo-French hound breeds which were created by crossing French scenthounds with English (Anglo) foxhounds.
The Petit Bleu de Gascogne is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France and used for hunting in packs. Today's breed is the descendant of a large hunting dog. The Petit Bleu de Gascogne is not a small (petite) dog, the name comes from its use on small game.
The Griffon Bleu de Gascogne is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France, and is a versatile hunting dog, used on small and large game, in packs or individually. The Griffon Bleu de Gascogne has a speckled, rough coat.
The Griffon Nivernais is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France. It is a versatile hunting dog, used on small and large game, in packs or individually. Today's breed is a reconstruction of an ancient type of dog from the Nivernais region.
The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, rabbits, and since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, le chien de Saint-Hubert.
The Greek Harehound is a rare breed of dog that only comes in a black and tan color, originally bred as a scenthound for tracking and chasing hare in Southern Greece.