Italian Greyhound vs Braque Francais (Gascogne Type) - Breed Comparison

The Italian Greyhound is an ancient breed, a purebred originating in Italy but with evidence to suggest it was also to be found in Turkey and Greece.

It's a small breed dog that became popular with Italian royalty in the 16th century. Over the centuries, the dog's appearance has remain unchanged, although breeders tried to make it even smaller, leading to problems with the health of the dog.

Towards the end of the 1800s, it was fortunate that breed fanciers implemented breeding programs to restore the dog's look's and strength. The American Kennel Club registered the Italian Greyhound in 1886. Today the dog is a wonderful companion dog.

The Braques Français – Gascogne – is a hunting dog from southern France’s Gascony region. Known also as the French Gascony Pointer, this dog has descended from Spanish and Italian Pointers. The dog was saved from extinction at the turn of the 20th century.

There are actually two breeds of Braque français, with the other being somewhat smaller and known as Braque français, type Pyrénées. Whichever one you have, they are popular hunting dogs in France. The first breed club was established in 1850.

The sweet Italian Greyhound is much like the regular Greyhound, just smaller but every bit as sleek, elegant and fine-boned. He stands at between 33 and 38cm at the withers and weighs just 3 to 7kg. He is slender and elegant.

He has long, fine-boned legs and his short, smooth coat makes him easy to groom too. The coat comes in a number of colors such as fawn, tan, grey, reddish, chocolate and black.

Temperament.

Described as sweet, intelligent and playful, the Italian Greyhound adapts easily to life in the city or to country life.

He is easy to train too, and even though he is small and amicable, it is still a good idea to have him trained and socialized as he is just a simple pleasure to have around then. He just loves the company of his human family and becomes a gentle friend to other dogs, to children in the home and to the elderly.

He is a frail toy dog, and he needs to be constantly watched over that he isn’t handled roughly by disrespectful children or from bigger pets. He is an active breed and will love to be played with and join you on your walks. Even though he is such a frail, fragile looking dog, he has a feisty, stubborn, defiant side to him and that is why training and socialization becomes important. He will be reserved around strangers.

Looks:

The Braque Francais is a dog which looks much like the German Short-haired Pointer. The Braque Francais (Gascogne) is a large breed dog, standing roughly 56 – 69cm. Weight is most times dependent on height, but the average weighs between 35 and 55 pounds. The dog is attractively lean and muscular and the tails have always been docked, although rules and regulations see the breed with a long tail these days. The natural tail of the Braque Francais is medium length. The eyes of this breed are brown or yellow and the ears are medium in length and floppy. The coat of the Gascogne is short and dense and in two colors – white and chestnut patching and mottling.

Temperament:

The dog is a keen tracker and is an excellent game and gun dog with some of them requiring more training than others. Training and socialization makes the Braque Francais an excellent, obedient pet who is eager to please and he is considered to be easily trainable, learning quickly. He loves his human family and is noted for his gentle, friendly nature, and he therefore makes and excellent family pet where there are children and other pets.

If you’re looking for a sweet, gentle canine friend, the Italian Greyhound promises to be just that. They just crave human companionship and are eager to please.

He isn’t the ideal playmate for children, simply because he is frail and can get hurt easily in rough play.

Small he may be, but he is intelligent and alert, and he will bark to warn you of strangers. They are essentially indoor dogs, and when you bring one of them into your home, you’ll be rewarded with a devoted, loving and loyal canine friend.

The attractive Braque Francais is a calm, contented dog who is also affectionate, social and intelligent. He is already a well mannered dog but will do even better with training and socialization. However, Braque Francais don’t take well to aggressive training and done the wrong way, the dog can end up being timid and confused.

Wanting to please and being an intelligent dog, training should be fun, lighthearted but firm. In exchange you’re going to have an awesome friend from this wonderful, loving dog breed.

Your small Italian Greyhound isn’t a sickly dog breed, and in fact, with the right care, he can live to be between 10 to 14 years of age.

As with any dog breed however, there will be some more common conditions to watch for in the Italian Greyhound. Some of these are epilepsy, hyperthyroidism and periodontal disease.

Epilepsy:

There are different types and causes of seizures, and there are actually no definitive tests for epilepsy. One seizure isn’t enough to make a diagnosis and more than one seizure is usually recorded before a diagnosis can be made and treatment prescribed.

These treatments don’t cure Epilepsy but rather control the symptoms and keep the dog seizure-free so that they can have a normal life.

Seizures are not all the same – some are life-threatening and advice from the internet can’t be looked upon as adequate. With a dangerous disease such as epilepsy, excellent and qualified veterinary help will be required.

Periodontal Disease:

Gum disease can be terrible for your pet. Apart from bone loss and loss of teeth, your pet will experience pain. Periodontal disease may well be common in dogs, but it can be prevented.

Once an animal has eaten food, particles of food, saliva and bacteria form plaque over the teeth and this doesn’t only cause damage to the teeth but to the entire immune system.

This disease can cause inflamed gums and loss of teeth. It is important to brush your pet’s teeth with special canine toothbrush and toothpaste.

The truth is, periodontal disease can cause more problems than just tooth pain which is bad enough. Dogs with gum inflammation may be at higher risk for heart- and kidney disease too. If you’re worried about your dog, take him in to your vet for an oral examination and teeth cleaning.

You won’t find many health issues with this active breed but nonetheless hip and joint issues will need to be watched. If you are considering a Braque Français puppy, you’ll want to be selective in choosing a responsible breeder. A healthy puppy with the right environment, can get to up to 15 years of age.

Ectropion and entropion in dogs affect their eyelids. Ectropion is where the eyelids roll outward, whereas entropion is where the eyelids curve inward, irritating the eye. Because visual and skeletal problems occur in this breed, it can be recommended that owners have their pets tested by both the Canine Eye Registration Foundation as well as the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.

Grooming:

The Italian Greyhound has a short, smooth, satin-type coat which is easy to maintain. Gently brush him once or twice a week, being careful not to press down hard as he has frail, bambi-like legs.

He also sheds little, making him a low maintenance breed. Because of the short coat, take particular care of him in the Winter and don’t allow him to become overly cold.

Diet:

Your Italian Greyhound will require a diet rich in nutritional value, and if your particular dog is quite active you will need to feed him about 450 calories a day and sometimes more.

Each dog is an individual and will have different dietary needs. If you feed your pet a top quality commercially manufactured food, read the packaging for guidance on food portion sizes.

Speak to your vet if you are unsure how to feed your dog so that his food and the amounts you feed him contribute to his good health. He must always have access to fresh, cool water.

Grooming:

Brushing the coat twice a week will get rid of loose hairs and maintain the sheen of the coat. Also, as a floppy eared breed, attention should be given to the ears to prevent infections. He will also need to have his teeth brushed with dog toothpaste and brush to prevent the build-up of damaging plaque and his nails will also require a clipping if they don’t manage to wear down naturally.

Exercise:

Daily activity will be needed for this dog and he will want a walk every day. He certainly isn’t a dog you can leave indoors or outside in your backyard day after day. Any activities that require physical exertion will be good because they are exceptional athletes. If you are a cyclist or a runner, take him with you – he’ll love it.

Diet:

Your Braque Francais loves energetic activities and for this he will require an excellent nutrient-rich diet. Nutrient-rich dog foods are higher in protein and fat and lower in carbohydrates. It’s important to check out the carbohydrate content in commercial dog foods to avoid those one high in carbohydrates.

Your vet can always advise you on a good quality food and you can always give him your own home-prepared foods which include rice, vegetables and meat. Certainly include some raw meat into his diet every now and then to avoid skin problems. Fresh, cool water must be available to him night and day.