Porcelaine puppies

About the Porcelaine

The Porcelaine is a French pack hound, often called the oldest of the French scent hounds, named for the glossy white coat that gives the skin a porcelain sheen under orange marked ears. It stands 56 to 58 cm and weighs 24.9 to 28.1 kg, lightly built for long days on the trail of hare and roe deer, and it typically lives 12 to 13 years. Away from the hunt it is gentle and even tempered, sociable with other dogs and easy to handle for its size.

This is a high stamina hound that needs long daily exercise and does poorly in a flat. A secure fence and a lead are not optional, because a fresh scent will take it miles. Grooming is a weekly brush over the short coat, plus regular ear checks and nail trims. It is quiet enough at home, though the hunting voice carries. It suits rural, active owners who walk or run, and it is generally sound with children and other dogs given supervision.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Porcelaine 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 it will need a job to do long before it needs 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 it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.

Health worth knowing about

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

• Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock should be x-rayed for
• Ear infections, caught by checking and drying the drop ears each week
• Skin sensitivity and sunburn on the thinly coated white areas, spotted by routine skin checks

From Porcelaine breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/porcelaine/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Your Porcelaine 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 Porcelaine.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 24.9 to 28.1 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Other large breeds

Previous: Poodle (Toy) · Next: Portuguese Podengo