Brussels Griffon: characteristics of dogs and breeding

The Brussels Griffon is a charming dog that seemed to have left the pages of the brownie book. This shaggy and slightly awkward bearded man will quickly win the hearts of all members of his host family.

The history of the Brussels Griffons began a couple of centuries ago in Belgium, although there is evidence that dogs were already known in the XV century.

The favorable climatic conditions of the Netherlands allowed the inhabitants of this small country to actively engage in the cultivation of land and the cultivation of crops. All this led to the fact that the barns in which hay was stored became the site of frequent raids by rodents, which were notable for their amazing gluttony - after a dozen such “visits” the Belgian family could completely lose their crops. In order to get rid of pests, and was created a new breed of dogs. These dogs with great ease penetrated even the most inaccessible places and pulled out from there uninvited guests.

Outwardly, these dogs were very different from their modern descendants, but, nevertheless, the similarity is obvious. In the second half of the XIX century, the fate of the dog-rat-catcher changed greatly; it was at that moment that unusual animals attracted the attention of the local nobility. It is known that these dogs were admired even by Queen Maria Henrietta. It was this royal person who played a leading role in the further distribution of the breed in the territory of the countries of the Old World.

In 1882 the St. Hubert Society was formed, bringing together all Griffon breeders. The members of the association immediately began to breed a small breed, and already in 1904 their work was crowned with success - the breed standard was officially adopted, and six years later the animals were added to the register of the American Kennel Association.

In 1945, the first American griffon lovers club was created, and in 1963, the adopted standard was slightly corrected - it still operates in the new edition. Despite all the efforts of the breeders, the breed is still small in number, and nowadays it is a rarity to meet this Belgian griffon. These funny bearded men didn’t gain any significant distribution, but they still conquered the hearts of dog handlers all over the world due to their outstanding appearance and exceptionally friendly character.

The Brussels Griffon belongs to the dogs of decorative breeds. Of course, It can not be called a classic doggy, because these animals can not be described as pretty and docilerather, they are playful shooters, a little awkward, rough, with unruly hair and a truly human expression of the muzzle.

In accordance with the description of the adopted standards, the height of the dog at the withers is: in males - 27-32 cm, and in bitches - 25-30 cm.Weight varies from 35 to 46 kg, males look more stocky, strong and muscular - sex differences are expressed very clearly. The head of the griffon is rounded, with respect to the body it looks large, the occiput and the superciliary arches are relatively invisible. The cranium is large and large.

The muzzle of the Brussels griffons is shortened, slightly turned up, usually does not exceed 2 cm. The transition of the frontal part to the nose is sharp, the nostrils are rather massive, separated by a furrow. Lips tightly to the teeth, have a pronounced edging of dark color. If the mouth is closed, the teeth and the tongue of the animal are not visible. The coat on the face is a couple of tones lighter than the rest of the body. The ears of the dogs of this breed are small, stand high, are located at a significant distance from each other, slightly bent forward.

Eyes widely spaced, are on the same line. Quite large, rounded, but not convex. All people familiar with this breed note the “humaneness” of their gaze, thanks to which even the youngest puppies give the impression of dogs that are wise with life experience. The eyelids fit snugly to the eyes, the eyelashes are long, creating the visual effect of a black border.

The lower jaw has a pronounced U-shape, slightly curved upwards, the incisors are arranged in parallel. The neck of the Brussels Griffon is set high and has noticeable bulges, but at the same time it does not seem to be weighted due to the average length and dry muscular part. The shape of the body, rather, square, with the height of the dog at the withers coincides with the length of the body. Thanks to the highly developed skeleton, it seems that the stern of the pet is protruding. The ribs are rounded, shoulder blades tight.

The back is strong, muscular, smoothly passes into the lower back. The stomach is tucked up, the groin is well-contoured. Griffon is distinguished by a high tail - the dog wears it raised so that the tip invariably “looks” at the back, but it does not touch it and does not twist. The extremities of the animal are characterized by a developed skeleton and sturdy musculature. The front legs are located at a considerable distance from each other, strictly parallel. Hind limbs slightly protrude behind the ischial tubercles, the ribs are distinguished by pronounced muscles. Paws are rounded, hard pads, painted in a dark color.

Due to such features of the limbs, the griffons usually move at a trot: the hind legs make a powerful push, while the front legs are moderately thrown forward. The back when running remains flat and straight. The bristle hair is thick, wire-like - in accordance with the standards, the coarser the wool, the better. On the face, the hairs are longer because they form a mustache, sideburns and a beard.

The following colors are allowed:

• red, combined with a brown “mask”;
• beige with a “mask” of red-brown or black color;
• completely black.

The Brussels Griffon is distinguished by the following character traits.

• Shyness. These animals are very shy and shy, they are afraid of strangers and try to keep contact with them to a minimum. They feel sincere affection and desire to communicate only in relation to their owner.
• Fear of loneliness. Griffons are referred to as companion dogs, which means that for them the constant presence of the host is nearby. If this animal is left alone for a long time, it begins to languish and ache, which can even lead to the premature death of a pet. This animal, like no other, requires stability and consistency - moving to a new place of residence or a change of owner can be a serious stress for him.
• Activity. Dogs of this breed are real sanguines who adore being in the center of attention. These animals are distinguished by curiosity and mobility.
• Dominance. Brusselsians have quite a strong character, because dogs in every way tend to command both members of the host family and other pets living under the same roof with them.
• Courage. The genes of the ancestors-rat-catchers determined the hunting instincts of the dog. As already mentioned above, they shy away from strangers, but if they see that a danger emanates from a stranger in relation to the owner, they will bravely stand up for his defense.

Dogs of this breed do not tolerate obsessions at all, because they are not suitable for living in a family with small children. These animals do not like loud cries and brutal treatment, but they do not accept familiarity either. If someone from the owners accidentally or intentionally hurt him, the griffon can respond and bite.

As for other pets, the griffons get along well with their relatives, but they are especially loyal to cats. The only exceptions are rodents - if the house has decorative rats, hamsters or guinea pigs, then they can become the object of hunting from the pet.

If you are determined to become the master of a griffon puppy, then before buying it is necessary to create conditions for its comfortable existence. Therefore, the first thing that the future owner should buy is beds, bowls, water bottle and toys, as well as all the necessary dog ​​hygiene products.

There are not so many kennels involved in breeding dogs of this breed. Be sure to gather as much information as possible about the sellers - you must be sure that you have met bona fide breeders who, under the guise of a healthy puppy, will not give you a sick and weakened animal with psychological problems.

Decide in advance what gender you need a dog. Keep in mind that males are more aggressive, but bitches, on the contrary, are loyal and submissive. However, during heat women may become a source of discomfort - during the walk you will have to repel the attacks of the "suitors" who have escaped from all the neighborhood gateways.

The optimal age for purchase is 6-8 weeks, if you tear the baby away from the mother earlier, in adulthood such a dog will differ in poor socialization. When choosing, be sure not to look at one puppy, but all the litter - if you notice that all the dogs in it are timid or, on the contrary, behave aggressively, it is better to give preference to another canine family.

An important characteristic will be the mood of the puppy - normally, the pet should be curious, cheerful and playful. Do a little test - take a rattle or a bunch of keys in your hand, and stretch it to the young griffon. If he immediately grabs the toy, then you have a healthy dog, which gladly draws attention to the new taste, color and smell.

In reliable nurseries, each animal has the entire set of documents: pedigree and veterinary passport. Be sure to find out in what conditions the puppy was kept, and how it was fed - it is not recommended to change the diet for the period of adaptation of the animal. Brussels Griffon puppies will be expensive - for example, a healthy animal with excellent pedigree costs about 40 thousand rubles. With hands you can buy a puppy much cheaper - for 15-20 thousand, but in this case you can not be sure of the strong immunity of the dog and its stable mental state.

For a compact griffon, a separate corner is usually given in the house, although the animal itself prefers to spend time on the master's sofa or in an easy chair.

The dog does not need professional grooming, but there are some rules for grooming.

• On the face and in the paws there are long hairs, so they require frequent combing.
• Short and hard coat on the body must be combed with a furminator to remove the undercoat.
• In the spring, and also in the fall, all bristle hairs that have died off over several months are subject to mandatory plucking. Usually, the dog is trimmed with a special thumb and knife. Periodic trimming of the beard and eyebrows of the animal is allowed, but the dog should not be completely trimmed, since in this case the correctness of the back hair growth is disturbed.

Every two weeks it is necessary to trim the claws of the pet with special clippers, but keep in mind that you only need to remove the tip of the nail, and the living part of the plate should not be touched. Because of the long and thick eyebrows, the animal's eyes are often inflamed, because they must be wiped every day with cotton pads dipped in chamomile infusion or a weak furatsilina solution. Once a week you can bury anti-inflammatory drops for the prevention of diseases. Every 7-10 days you need to scan your ears - use veterinary lotion or boric acid to clean them.

It is very important to provide griffon with high-quality oral care. The fact is that an environment favorable for the reproduction of pathogenic bacteria has been created there, so it is necessary to teach a pet to clean plaque from an early age - this should be done at least once a week. If the dog is on dry food, then the frequency of processing can be reduced to once a month - dry and solid feed pellets themselves contribute to the removal of plaque.

Griffons are dogs that are quite fastidious in all that relates to food, to please such a pet is very difficult. It is best to keep the dog on special premium and super premium food such as Royal Canin and Pro Plan. Such products have a balanced composition, include all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

If you prefer feeding naturalka, then keep in mind that 70% of the diet should be lean meat: beef, rabbit, veal, lamb or chicken. A couple of times a week it is allowed to replace one feed with offal, the remaining 30% is accounted for by cereals, it is best to add buckwheat, rice or corn to the mash, as well as vegetables (carrots, pumpkin and cucumbers). Once a week it is allowed to include eggs (chicken or quail) and low-fat cottage cheese in the menu.

Bear in mind that the bite feature of the animal is such that when chewing large pieces of food, the griffon may have difficulty, because the products must be boiled to a soft state and crushed. An adult dog consumes about 500 grams of food per two runs per day. Puppies up to three months are preparing liquid mash cones based on milk formula, the recommended frequency of feeding is every 3-4 hours, and the portion size should not exceed 150 ml.

When training the Brussels Griffon, you should know that this dog categorically does not tolerate frequent repetition of the same team - the owner can shout it at least a day away, but the animal in any case will go its own way. These dogs must be stimulated, since it is impossible to make them execute the command in a different way.

About who the Brussels Griffon is and how to raise it, see the next video.