Grand Bleu de Gascogne

The Bleu de Gascogne is an ancient breed resulting from crosses between the Saint Hubert dog and other hunting dog breeds. In the fourteenth century, the first dogs typical of blue Gascony are described in the Book of the Hunt by Gaston Fébus for hunting wolves, bears, or wild boars. Very widespread in the south and southwest of France, particularly in Gascony, the Grand Bleu de Gascogne is at the origin of all hunting dog breeds of the Midi. There are four breeds of Bleu de Gascogne: the Petit Bleu de Gascogne, the Basset Bleu de Gascogne, and the Griffon Bleu de Gascogne. The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is one of the most widespread. This breed is also an important ancestor of the Bluetick Coonhound, a dog breed from the Deep South of the United States; the Marquis de Lafayette gave George Washington several of these Gascon dogs in August 1785. Other French people fled the French Revolution 20 years later and brought more to Louisiana. This is why the American breed shows a remarkable resemblance to its parent, except for its morphological size and a more active character.

The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is a breed described as calm in the FCI standard. It is a gentle, docile dog, even with children. Obedient and attached to their master, the breed is tolerant with other dogs.

The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is a large hunting dog of French type for the shape of the head, coat, and expression. The rather large tail reaches the point of the hock and is carried like a sword blade. The head is endowed with a slightly rounded skull and not too wide with a marked occipital protuberance and a slightly accentuated stop. Oval in shape, the eyes are brown in color. With a narrow attachment, the thin and wavy ears end in a point and exceed the tip of the nose. The coat is short and fairly thick. The coat is entirely mottled black and white, giving a slate blue reflection. It can be marked with more or less extensive black patches. Two black patches are generally placed on each side of the head, covering the ears, surrounding the eyes, and stopping at the cheeks. Two tan marks are placed above the eyebrow ridge, at the cheeks, lips, inner surface of the ear, on the limbs, and under the tail.