french spaniel
region France
cut female: 55-59 cm male: 56-61 cm
weight approx. 24-25kg
hair flat, silky, long and full. Short and thin on the head.
dress white and brown coat with medium spotting. The chestnut varies from cinnamon to dark liver. All the external mucous membranes are brown without depigmentation, especially on the nose and eyelids.
head medium length and width
eyes dark amber, quite large and oval in shape
ear set back on the line of the eye, rather wide and rather long
tail long enough
behaviour Balanced, frank, gentle, docile, playful, eager to hunt, sociable. Excellent pointing dog, intelligent, obedient (if well educated), determined, endearing.
federation FCI nomenclature group 7 no. 175
introduction
Health It is a rustic, robust dog which lives very long but it can suffer from eczema if it is forced into a sedentary life. Average life expectancy: around 13 years Living conditions It can live both indoors and outdoors, but it needs plenty of physical exercise and it should not get fat. Remarks and advice This dog is not widespread outside of France and it is even quite difficult to find puppies in our country. It is however a very good race which deserves to be discovered.
origins
It is the direct descendant of the Chien d'Oysel mentioned by Gaston Phoebus in his "Livre de la Chasse". Thus, its origins go back at least to the 13th century, a time when it was especially appreciated as a hunter of game birds. Since then, we prefer the English Setter who is much faster than him. In the last century, this breed almost died out and was only able to recover thanks to Abbé Fournier.
temper
It is a pointing dog adapted to all terrains and all types of game: its specialty remains however the snipe. Slow and methodical, it alternates trotting and slow cantering, holding its nose high and against the wind. It is a very good protractor, including in the water, and it does not fear the most freezing temperatures. Docile, easy to train, the French Spaniel is intelligent and very precocious: some subjects stop at three months. He is a very gentle companion dog, easy to train, very sociable, perfect with children.