Grand Bleu de Gascogne

Grand Bleu de Gascogne

Grand Bleu de Gascogne
Origin	France
Traits Height Male 65–72 cm (26–28 in) Female 62–68 cm (24–27 in) Coat Short and thick Colour Mottled black and white Life span Over 10 years
Classification / standards FCI Group 6, Section 1.1 Scenthounds: Large #22 standard KC (UK) Hound standard UKC Scenthound Group standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Grand Bleu de Gascogne (FCI No.22) 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 very old type of large hunting dog, and is an important breed in the ancestry of many other hounds.

The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is an imposing large dog, a typical hunting pack hound of the oldest type, with a lean and muscular body, long legs, slightly domed head, long drop ears, and drooping lips. Size is 65 to 72 cm (25.6 to 28.3 ins) at the withers, females slightly smaller. Dogs of this breed should show an attitude of calm strength and nobleness.

The colour of the coat is white mottled with black, giving a slate blue overall appearance. There are black patches on either side of the head, with a white area on top of the head which has in it a small black oval. Tan "eyebrow" marks are over each eye. Faults are deviations in appearance that have an effect on the health and working ability of the dog, as well as an absence of expected features of colour, structure, and size, indicating that a dog with such faults should not be bred. Faults include aggression or fearfulness, anatomical malformation, and lack of type.

Although these are large dogs, "Grand" does not necessarily refer to the size of the dogs. "In most cases it is simply a label for a pack that is used for larger game". Today. the breed is used in hunting boar, deer, and other game. The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is a very large dog weighing 80-120 lbs

No unusual health problems or claims of extraordinary health have been documented for this breed. Temperament of individual dogs may vary.

The Grand Bleu de Gascogne may descend from dogs left by Phoenician traders, its ancestors were contemporaries with the St Hubert Hound and English Southern Hound,Comte de Foix kept a pack in the 14th century and Henry IV of France kept a pack in the late 16th & early 17th centuries.

The Grand Bleu de Gascogne has a long history in the US, the first dogs were bred there in the 18th century, there are now more Grand Bleu's in the US than France.General Lafayette presented a pack of seven Grand Bleus to George Washington in 1785, who compared their melodious voices to the bells of Moscow.