Braque Francais Gascogne puppies

About the Braque Francais Gascogne

The Braque Francais, Gascogne type, is the larger of the two French Pointing Dogs, the small Pyrenean type being the other. Both come from the south west of France and the central Pyrenees, where they were kept close to their original form. This is a big, noble pointer with strong bone and loose supple skin, standing 58 to 69 centimetres, in chestnut brown or chestnut and white, often heavily speckled. The Canadian Kennel Club recognises the breed in the Sporting group.

Before anything else these are hunting dogs, described as docile, sociable and gentle indoors and coming alive on scenting ground, so long road walks are a poor substitute for real work. Grooming is minimal, a rub over with a hound mitt keeps the thick short coat in order. They suit an active or shooting household with space to run. Their calm at home is easy to misread, so keep their exercise generous and never let it slip.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Braque Francais Gascogne puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Entropion and ectropion, which the breed standard treats as disqualifying and which a vet identifies on eye examination
• Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock can be x-rayed and scored for before mating
• Ear infections under medium length drop leathers, found by checking and drying the ear after work in wet cover
• Missing teeth and bite faults, which the standard asks breeders to check by examining the mouth, since the dentition must be complete
• Cuts, thorn injuries and pad damage from hard ground work, found by handling the dog over after every outing

Your Braque Francais Gascogne puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Braque Francais Gascogne.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 24 to 32 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 42 inch (42 x 28 x 30 in, 107 x 71 x 76 cm) for an adult of up to 32 kg; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

Previous: Braque du Bourbonnais · Next: Braque Francais Pyrenean

Sources

• fci.be for adult weight and height, coat type, country of origin and health notes
• fci.be for life expectancy
• ckc.ca for energy, grooming and the temperament ratings
• Health notes from Braque Francais Gascogne breed information at https://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/133g07-en.pdf. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

No published figure for life expectancy, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.

Photo: Pleple2000, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.