Porcelaine Breed description: Character & Co
Porcelaine
Facts & Origin
The Porcelaine - noble pack hunter
Its short, white coat shimmers like porcelain. Supposedly this is where its name comes from.
About the Porcelaine breed
The Porcelaine is also called Chien de Franche-Comté. He is assigned by the FCI to group 6, section 1, which are the running dogs. The Porcelaine is a hunting dog, and a pack dog at that.
The history: the rescued breed
Originally, the Porcelaine comes from the French region of Franche-Comté, on the border with Switzerland. Hence its original name, which is no longer very common. It is of the type of a hunting dog of the nobility, which was used in the pack.
After the French Revolution it was almost extinct, the breed was saved by crossbreeding with other hounds. Later also Harrier as well as the Grand Gascon Saintongeois were crossed in, but the typical appearance of the Porcelaine remained.
From 1898 dogs of this breed were shown on exhibitions.
In 1964 the Porcelaine was finally accepted by the FCI.
| Alternate Name | Chien de Franche-Comté |
| Origin | France |
| Life expectancy | 12 - 13 years |
| Care requirements | low-maintenance |
| Activity level | average to high |
| FCI group | Scent hounds |
| AKC group | Foundation Stock Service |
| KC group | not recognised |
Attitude, character and temperament of the breed
The nature: lively, friendly and social
The Porcelaine is a friendly, social dog that gets along well with people and other animals. It submits easily. It is intelligent and learns quickly. Like many hunting dogs, it has a strong hunting instinct and a decidedly strong urge to move. In addition, it is quite greedy.
Training and attitude: if well exercised, the Porcelaine is uncomplicated.
If the Porcelaine is not used for hunting, it must be exercised in other ways - both physically and mentally.
When it is well exercised, he is friendly and easy to train because it learns quickly and is easily subordinated.
However, it should have enough exercise - a bunkhouse is not the right place for it.
Use of the Chien de Franche-Comté
For the fast and agile Porcelaine, activities that exhaust it are especially suitable.
- In France, Switzerland and Italy, the Porcelaine is used for hunting small game, alone or in a pack.
- However, it is suitable by endurance and speed excellently as a companion dog to the riding or to the bicycle.
- Dog sports include tracking, agility and fast sports such as canicross.
Character
Usage
Health and breeding information
Breeding: preferably only to hunters
Breeding is strongly oriented towards health and performance, a performance test is also required. Therefore the Porcelaine is relatively robust.
Many breeders give the Porcelaine only to hunters. In Germany, the breeding is supervised by the Verein für Französische Laufhunde e.V. (Association for French Running Dogs).
The exterior: a coat like porcelain.
The height at the withers is 55 to 58 cm for males and 53 to 56 cm for females. Usually a Porcelaine weighs between 25 and 28 kg.
The coat is short and fine, yet dense and glossy, white in colour with small pale orange patches, especially on the ears.
The head is long and narrow.
The fine, lobed hanging ears hang to the side of the head.
The skin may wrinkle somewhat in the neck area.
The tail tapers to the tip.
Health of the Chien de Franche-Comté
The floppy ears, like droopy ears, are actually always susceptible to infection.
In addition, due to the voraciousness of the Porcelaine, there is a risk of gastric torsion. Otherwise it is very robust.
However, the Porcelaine does not tolerate wet or cold weather well - its coat is simply too thin.
The average life expectancy is 12 to 13 years.
Grooming: the ears are important
For coat care, it is sufficient to brush the coat with a soft brush from time to time.
Special attention should be paid to the ears, as with all dogs with droopy ears. In addition, eyes, paws, and claws should be checked regularly. For the teeth, either provide your Porcelaine with regular chews or brush its teeth with a dog toothbrush.
| Fur length | short |
| Fur | flat coated |
| Ear shape | Floppy Ear |
| Tail | lang |
| Anatomy | slim, dainty, sporty |
| Size ♀ | 53 - 58 cm |
| Weight ♀ | 18 - 28 kg |
| Size ♂ | 55 - 58 cm |
| Weight ♂ | 25 - 28 kg |
| Suitable For | - |
Colors
Other large dogs
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