Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher vs Braque Francais - Breed Comparison

Braque Francais was at first one general breed of hounds in the Gascognes and Pyrenees Mountains areas of France. The one breed became two. Known as the Braque Francais Gascognes and the Braque Francais Pyrenees - two separate breeds of very alike dogs. The Gascognes is a lot less common than his smaller brother. Not very much is known about the beginnings of these two strains of Braque Francais as the breed has been around since at least the 15th century. Because the Braque Francais was exported or taken to so many different countries in the 15th-18th centuries, a lot of the origins of the breeds were lost. A major bloodline search was The conducted in the 19th century and found that these were two very distinct breeds of dog.

It is known that France was the birthplace of this breed and it was developed because of a need for a tracker that could point, flush and retrieve. The Braque Francais Gascogne probably came from the south of France. It is related to the German Shorthair Pointer and the English Pointer as well. Having existed since the 15th century, he was the father of all pointing dogs in France. By the 17th century the breed had grown enough to be called the “old style Braque Francais”,

Though the origin of the breed is not known there are of course several theories about it. The most prevalent belief is that the Braque Francais Gascogne is a descendent of the Chien d’Oysel, a spaniel breed of medium size and white or brown with brown markings. The Chien d’Oysel is an ancient breed used for hunting prior to the 13th century. Hunters crossed the Chien with local dogs on a routine basis.

Braque Francais came out of these breedings. It was probably French Scent hounds that created the larger size of the Gascogne. This also increased the stamina and strength of the Gascogne as opposed to the Pyrenees. There was also a mixing in of the Grand Bleu De Gasgogne and the Petit Bleu De Gasgogne.

The other prominent theory is that this breed the Gasgogne was actually developed from the Portugese, Spanish and Italian pointers rather than the French dogs. These dogs originated not with the Chien d’Oysel but with the scent hounds. From these dogs came the Spanish and English Pointers. All that is truly known is that all of these types of dogs were present in Europe by the fifteenth century and were moved among countries and cross bred regularly. However in the part of France called the Central Pyrenees region and in a small southern part of France the original, old style Braque Francais was pure bred. This aspect of the breed contributed to the development of all of the French pointers and European shorthaired dogs. By the end of the 1800’s today’s breed was developed.

In 1850 the first Braque Francais breed club was established and in the breed standards for both dogs followed in 1880. They were then registered in the French Kennel Club and the International Kennel Club (FCI). The French Kennel Club does not allow dogs with any common ancestors in Generations 1-3 into the Club in order to keep out the practice of inbreeding. In Canada only the Gascogne is recognized and the United States’ United Kennel Club (UKC) recognizes both. The American Kennel Club (AKC) does not recognize either.

With most local regions and countries choosing their local dogs over other breeds, the Braque Francais Gascogne has become fairly rare outside of France where the breed was the most popular gun dog throughout the 1700’s. The Gascogne was mostly a dog of the hunting nobility because of its size and food needs. Following the French Revolution, the breed fell off dramatically, while the smaller Pyrenees continued to thrive. This was because in the Pyrenees Mountains and the Southwestern region of Gascony, the English Pointer never supplanted the Braque Francais.

The Second World War was brutal to the Braque Francais Gascognes and as it recovered it became much less common than its sister breed. Today it is found almost exclusively in France.

The Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is an ancient dog breed and dates back to 1780. It is believed that this dog breed is extinct, but that the German Pinscher of today is family of this dog breed. The dog used to be good on the farm as an all-purpose working dog.

When you look at the history of dogs, there are so many that have come and gone, never to be seen or heard of again. Other animals become extinct because of environmental factors, but with dogs it’s a bit different and most, like the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher, died out simply because it became unfashionable.

Maybe the jobs that this dog was designed to do no longer existed and he died out because he was no longer needed.

The Braque Francais Gascogne is a larger dog than the Pyrenees breed and is a very handsome dog. Both have a deep chest, a solid bodies, strong and slender legs and are well-proportioned. They have padded, round paws and a large brown head with floppy ears. The muzzle is a pointed block and he has a scissors bite, with a black nose and dark or amber eyes. The eyes are very expressive and round. The tail can be straight and long, or it can be docked. They are tall and athletic.

Described as a medium sized dog, the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is an extinct variety of the German Pinscher. Like that dog, the Swiss Shorthaired had a muscular, strong square build.

Possibly he also had his ears and tail docked at that time. It is thought that he stood between 40 – 48cm in height and weighed in the region of 11 to 15kg.

He had the typical looks of the Doberman Pinscher with short smooth hair in black and tan, short erect ears and a tail that was traditionally cropped. He was lean and muscular with brown eyes. They were working dogs in their day and were not considered the best dogs to have for the first time dog owner.

Tempeament

These dogs have always been hardworking, brave and fearless. They make good family pets too and get on well with children. They would have been adaptable too to life in the city or the countryside, so long as he got his exercise.

A well bred Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher was alert and a good guard dog, and one wonders why this dog with its good qualities died out.

This is a working breed, but they are nevertheless friendly and loyal to their families. They want to please their people and are usually docile. They love kids and are good as a first ever dog. They are friendly and even-tempered. They tolerate people they do not know but can be shy and are not guard dogs. instead they are loving, affectionate and people oriented. They need to be with their families and never left outside alone. They can develop separation anxiety.

The Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is no longer around but he would no doubt have made a good family pet. He would have wanted to protect his human family.

He was a stubborn, bold dog, and maybe socialization and training didn’t exist then, but he would have benefited from it.

He’s the kind of dog that would have adapted well to life in the city or the countryside, but you could never neglect his exercise needs. In the right environment, this Pinscher would have made a loving, loyal pet.

The Braque Francais is a fairly healthy breed. They are susceptible to certain health conditions that most dogs of their size and working history are susceptible to. These include Patellar luxation which seems to be one of the most common problems for them. They also can have hip and/or elbow dysplasia, aortic stenosis which is a narrowing of the aorta, and some eye issues such as ectropion, entropion, and PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy as well as cataracts.

It is not too sure about the health status of this extinct dog but we can assume that he would have been prone to some of the typical dog illnesses there are.

Hypothyroidismd, bloat, cancer, cataracts, infections and obesity were just some of the diseases this dog would have had to contend with.

Hypothyroidism:

The thyroid glands in the neck produce hormones. These hormones affect the functioning of the body. Hypothyroidism in dogs is usually caused by shrinkage of the thyroid gland or inflammation.The disease occurs more often in Pinscher dogs.

You may notice a dulling or thinning of your dog’s hair, weight gain and reduced activity. Hypothyroid dogs also tend to battle more with ear- and skin infections. Veterinary treatment will become necessary.

Catarats:

It causes a whiteness,cloudiness or opacity on the lens of the eye. It's not painful for a dog but it can cause loss of vision. Surgery can improve vision for the dog.

Feeding

This is a high energy, working dog with a need for a high-quality energy food or raw food that you make up yourself. Be sure to include chicken, beef and fish. Feed him about 3 cups once a day or 1.5 cups twice a day.

Health issues

In addition to the conditions listed above, his long floppy ears can lead to ear infections if not cared for. Wash them out daily. He is also susceptible to bloat so don’t feed him large meals and don’t let him exercise or work right before or right after exercise.

Exercise and games

These dogs have a variety of hunting skills. They are not only pointers but can flush, trail and retrieve. The Gascogne is not as quick as the Pyrenees. They need a lot of exercise daily or they need a hunting job. They would do well with barn hunt, lure coursing and free play in an off leash fenced in area. If they don’t get rid of their energy, they can be destructive. They were bred to hunt and cannot resist the chase,

Diet:

In those days of the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher, maybe commercially manufactured dog foods weren’t available. If the dog were still around today, you would feed him dry kibble for medium sized dogs.

Probably the owners of these dogs fed them from the food they ate. It can be a good idea to feed any dog you have with some homemade food.

This can include things such as boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots. This is the kind of simple food that dogs love.

Being a farm dog in his day, he was probably tossed raw meat occasionally and this would have done him the world of good.

General Care:

Although the short, smooth hair of the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is looked upon as low maintenance, the dog would have needed a good brush twice a week just to keep it shiny and healthy.

After a hard day of work on the farm, the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher would have required a nice warm, dry spot to sleep.