Ariégeois Breed description: Character & Co

General information about the Ariégeois

The Ariégeois is a French dog breed, which is counted among the running dogs. It is assigned to FCI group 6 and section 1.2, under standard number 20. The hound is still used for hunting and hunting small game. The dogs grow to a height of approx. 50-58 cm, with an average weight of 30 kg. The friendly and persevering hunters have a white coat with black or tan markings. They possess a balanced and gentle disposition, yet they are not suitable as a family dog. These dogs live between 8 and 10 years.

Origin and history

Another name for the Ariégeois is also hare dog. This comes from its use as a hunting dog for par force hunting in France. In addition, this breed was popularly used for shotgun hunting, as is still the case today. Basically, the Ariégeois was created by crossbreeding various running dogs and briquets to optimize the performance of the dogs and to breed them in a selective manner. In the veins of the Ariégeois flow among other things the genes of the Grand Blue de Gascogne and the Grand Gascon Saintongeois. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ariégeois was threatened with extinction, but fortunately a few fans of the Ariégeois found each other and kept the breed alive. They founded the "Club Gaston Phoebus", which ensured the preservation of the breed. Another name for the Ariégeois is also "Chien d'Ariége". Today, the dog breed is still very rare and is bred almost exclusively in France.