Artois Hound

The Artois Dog is a direct descendant, in reduced size, of the Saint Hubert Hound with black coat. The first mentions of the Artois Dog date back to the Hundred Years' War (15th century): the king Henry VI of England made an entrance into Paris accompanied by Artois Dogs in 1431. It subsequently evolved during the Renaissance century to reach the proportions it is known to have today. The standardization of the breed was done during its incorporation into royal packs, in the first half of the 17th century. To distinguish it from the old form called "large Artois dog", it was then called "briquet d'Artois", then finally "Artois dog". This breed had its heyday in the venery of the Bourbons, in the time of Henry IV and Louis XIII. It was then highly sought after. Jean-Emmanuel Le Couteulx de Canteleu in his Manual of French venery (1890) still speaks with praise of the Artois Dog, which had already seriously regressed. The contemporary era has left little room for this breed of scent hound specialized in hunting in large packs, in favor of more recent crosses. The numbers of these dogs declined dangerously during the first part of the 20th century. The Artois Dog seemed even to be heading for extinction, after World War II. In the 1970s, the joint efforts of Mrs. Pilat and M. Audrechy de Buigny-lès-Gamaches in the Somme made it possible to save the breed from extinction. Today, the breed is out of danger. It has regained some notoriety in hunting circles.

The Artois Dog is described in the FCI standard as a vigorous and rustic dog, balanced and affectionate. Very intelligent, the Artois Dog can enter a pack from the age of six months. It is a dog considered obedient and of great kindness, although some overly dominant subjects require firm training. It shows particular tenderness toward children. Passionate about hunting and very sociable with its conspecifics, it is inadvisable to make it live in the city. The Artois Dog does not tolerate being tethered.

The Artois Dog is a medium-sized hunting dog, with a sturdy and muscular frame, not too long. Strong and rather long, the tail is spiked (or spiked) and carried in a sickle shape without falling forward. The head is wide and strong. Attached at the height of the eye line, the wide ear is practically flat which distinguishes the Artois Dog from other French scent hound breeds. The rounded end reaches the beginning of the nose. The eyes are prominent, large, wide open and dark brown in color. The coat is short, thick and fairly flat. The coat is tricolored. The fawn is dark, drawing on hare or badger hair. Black forms a mantle or large patches. The head is usually fawn, sometimes dark.

Industrial feeding is perfectly suited to the growth of puppies and adults. Home feeding requires a supplement of vitamins and calcium.