Belgian Griffon

The Belgian Griffon descends from a small rough-coated Brussels dog called the "Smousje" and is also at the origin of the Petit Brabançon and Brussels Griffon. The Smousje was used to guard coaches and hunt rats from the stable. Representations of small rough-coated griffons resembling the Belgian Griffon are made as early as the 17th century. In the 19th century, ruby King Charles Spaniels (red coat) and Pugs are crossed with the Smousje, fixing the current type of small Belgian dogs. The Yorkshire, Affenpinscher and Miniature Schnauzer may have participated in the development of the breed. In 1883, the first small Belgian dogs (Petit Brabançon, Brussels Griffon and Belgian Griffon) were registered in the Saint Hubert Book of Origins (LOSH) managed by the Royal Saint-Hubert Society. They became popular in the early 20th century, notably thanks to the interest shown by Marie-Henriette of Habsburg-Lorraine, second Queen of the Belgians. With 13 registrations in the French Book of Origins (LOF) in 2012, the Belgian Griffon is one of the least-known breeds in group 9 of the International Cynological Federation "Toy and Companion Dogs" and the least well-represented "small Belgian dog."

The Belgian Griffon is described in the FCI standard as a balanced, alert dog, very attached to its master and vigilant. It must be neither fearful nor aggressive. Due to its great liveliness, it is inadvisable for masters with children.

The FCI standard for the Belgian Griffon, although numbered differently for the three breeds of small Belgian dogs, is common to all three breeds. The Belgian Griffon is a small dog with a robust appearance, well-developed bone structure and elegant. The body is almost inscribed in a square. Attached high, the docked tail is shortened to one third. The undocked tail is carried raised with the tip directed toward the back. The limbs are parallel, with good bone structure and adequately spaced. The head represents the most characteristic part of the body. The coat, hard and tousled, is longer above the eyes, on the muzzle, cheeks and chin. Fairly important compared to the body, the head has a very short muzzle whose foreface does not exceed 1.5 cm in length. The broad nose with well-open nostrils is at the same height as the eyes. The tip of the nose is turned back, which in profile places the chin, nose and forehead on the same line. Well apart, the eyes are large and round, dark brown in color. Attached high, the small ears are semi-erect. If the ears are cropped, they are carried erect and pointed. The coat is hard, slightly wavy, with undercoat. The beard and mustaches start below the eye line and cover the muzzle and cheeks well. The longer coat forms eyebrows above the eyes. The coat is unicolor black or black and tan. The tan markings must be well-defined and of bright color. The black may be mixed with reddish-brown, which is admitted, although pure black and black and tan are preferred.

The rough coat of the Belgian Griffon requires regular grooming. The skull, as well as the ears and stop, must be carefully plucked to leave only very short hair, with the beard and mustaches remaining as long as possible. Plucking is recommended rather than clipping, which would tend to soften the rough coat.