Chien d'Artois: French follow-up breed, specialized for deer and wild boar

IThe Chien d'Artois is a French following dog that, over the centuries, has known the most varied uses in hunting: deer, wild boar, roe deer, hares, wild rabbits and even wolves.

The Chien d'Artois is a breed born through the crossing between a "Bracco" and a "Hound of St. Uberto", the latter present in most of the French following breeds. At the beginning of the selection, the Chien d'Artois was a larger dog than the current standard.

This was due to the fact that this breed was also used for wolf hunting, for which a dog was needed that could compete with this fascinating animal. The Chien d'Artois was used to compose the great royal packs used for hunting large game, such as those of King Henry IV and Louis XVIII, who considered this breed to be the best and most elegant in the hunting field. He was in fact much admired for his skill in hunting furred game. Until a few years ago the breed experienced a dangerous decline, but through the work and expertise of some French breeders, the Chien d'Artois has been rediscovered, gaining new spaces and trust among European and French hunters in particular. according to the FCI classification, the Chien d'Artois belongs to group 6 of bloodhounds and dogs for blood trail. The morphological characteristics will give the reader more information about this breed; finally we will describe both the use and the character of Chien d'Artois. Its height is between 52 and 58 cm, with a weight that varies between 18 and 24 kg. The chest is quite broad and normally low, with somewhat rounded ribs. The back has a medium length and is well supported, as it is endowed with a good musculature, in particular near the shoulders. The loins are also broad and muscular, but slightly rounded, with very full and deep hips. The croup is well attached to the loins, broad and slightly sloping.
The head of the Chien d'Artois is rather large, wide, but short and slightly square in the terminal part. The muzzle is also broad, straight and slightly elongated, with fairly thick lips. The nose is black, large and well opened. The dentition is complete in number and development. The morphological peculiarity of the Chien d'Artois are the ears, since the latter are a little thick, wide, almost flat, but quite long and attached at eye level. The eyes express all the intelligence of this breed, as they are large and wide open. They seem to show a bit of melancholy, but looking at them closely they express great sweetness. The forelegs are large, with correct aplombs and fairly long pasterns, while the thighs are low and full with angled hocks. The sturdiness of the limbs allows the Chien d'Artois to sustain long walks, a great characteristic of this breed. Its gait consists in fact in supple, marked and calm movements.

It must be said that the Chien d'Artois is not a particularly fast dog, but it makes up for this lack with stamina. The rather long tail, spiked and carried like a sickle, the rather thick skin and the short hair, thick and rather coarse with a tricolor coat with large hare-colored spots, badger and dark fawn, complete the physical structure of the Chien d ' Artois. The time has now come to describe the use of this breed and its behavioral and character characteristics.

The Chien d'Artois is a very energetic, lively, cheerful, playful and very intelligent dog, and for this reason it is extremely easy to train. His resourcefulness and courage make him an excellent hunter. Although considered an excellent hunting dog, the Chien d'Artois has also proved to be a good companion dog, adapting to home life and being very friendly to the people around him. As with all hunting breeds, this also requires constant and daily physical exercise in large spaces. At home he does not need special care because he always remains very calm and respectful of his master. He is very indifferent to people he does not know. Since its inception as a breed, the Chien d'Artois was used as a hunter of roe deer, deer, wild boar and an excellent hunter of hares and wild rabbits. It is a pointing dog, a follower and a blood trail dog, therefore its versatility allows it to adapt very well to the different needs of its owner in the hunting field.

Many expert breeders consider him so intelligent that he can learn from his mistakes during training by shortening the training time. Equipped with an excellent sense of smell and able to find game even in the most senseless and hidden places, it demonstrates an intelligent and scrupulous behavior even in the forests, managing to move the deer to the most suitable place for its killing. Originally, the Chien d'Artois was also used as a wolf hunter, but over time other characteristics and skills in hunting have been favored. Smell and intelligence allow this breed to coordinate the hunt together with its owner in an efficient way. In fact, game is found even in the most apparently senseless places. The recovery of the breed in terms of breeding and diffusion has made this dog famous in France again. We will not be surprised that the Chien d'Artois will spread even more on the European continent.