Braque du Bourbonnais

Breed Profile

The Braque du Boubonnais’ origin can be traced as far back as 1598. For several years, breeders wanted to impose that puppies being born have a naturally short tail. This, however, resulted in no registrations of the breed between 1963 and 1973 due to the reduced gene pool. In 1970, a team of dedicated breeders appointed themselves the task of helping to revitalize the breed and, thanks to careful and selective breeding, they have succeeded.

The Braque du Bourbonnais is an elegant, short haired, muscular, medium sized pointing dog. When hunting, the Bourbonnais is full of passion, cautious, and cooperative. The Bourbonnais is intelligent, easily and quickly trained and remarkably adaptable to the most varied terrain and game. As a family companion, the Braque du Bourbonnais is calm, affectionate and very people oriented. The Bourbonnais also, typically, gets along well with other dogs.

As a sporting breed, the Braque du Bourbonnais needs daily exercise and is not recommended for apartment living. A large yard and hunting family is ideal for this breed who was bred to hunt. However, this is not a dog to be left alone and should be allowed to reside in the home with his family. He requires human companionship and does not do well if kept isolated from his family.

The Braque du Bourbonnais’ coat is short, fine and dense and comes in either liver or fawn with strong to moderate ticking and possible spotting. The nose is the same colour as the coat. The tail is short or naturally absent.
 

Health Issues

The Braque du Bourbonnais is typically a healthy breed. However, like all breeds, the Bourbonnais may be susceptible to certain health problems. Some of the conditions sparingly seen with this breed include: Hip Dysplasia, eye problems including entropion and ectropion, as well as Pulmonic Stenosis of the heart.

If you are considering the adoption of a Braque du Bourbonnais puppy, or any breed, it is very important to be selective in choosing a responsible and reputable breeder. Ensure that the prospective puppy’s parents have all health clearances. Breeding of any dog should not be done until after they have been proven to be free of evidence of significant hereditary diseases. (For more information on selecting a breeder, see the articles on the General Information page.)

Additional Health Resources:

• Health and Nutrition — Growing section of the Canada’s Guide to Dogs website which includes information on several health and nutrition related issues.
• Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) — Providing a source of health information for owners, breeders, and scientists that will assist in breeding healthy dogs. CHIC is a centralized canine health database jointly sponsored by the AKC/Canine Health Foundation (AKC/CHF) and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).
• AKC Canine Health Foundation — Working towards developing scientific advances in canine health.
• OFA – Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER)
• Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA)
• Ontario Veterinary College (OVC)
• University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program (PennHip)
• HealthGene — HealthGene Corporation is the leading provider of veterinary DNA diagnostic services in Canada.
• Labgenvet — Laboratory of Veterinary Genetics is a Canadian diagnostic laboratory that offers a comprehensive service of DNA tests for veterinary genetic diseases.

Training Resources

• Training — For training information, see this growing section of the Canada’s Guide to Dogs website for tips, articles, as well as listings of training centres across Canada.

Additional Information

• Braque du Bourbonnais Information — Available in French and English
• Clubs, Sports & Activities — For information on the many sports and activities you can get involved in with your dog.
• Working Dogs — The Working Dogs section of the Canada’s Guide to Dogs website provides information and listings of organizations that are involved in various dog jobs, such as Guide Dogs, Therapy Dogs, Police Dogs, Protection Dogs, and much more.

*NOTE 1: CHIC – The Canine Health Information Center “is a database of consolidated health screening results from multiple sources. Co-sponsored by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Health Foundation, CHIC works with parent clubs to identify health screening protocols appropriate for individual breeds. Dogs tested in accordance with the parent club established requirements, that have their results registered and made available in the public domain are issued CHIC numbers.” To learn more, visit: www.caninehealthinfo.org

*NOTE 2: The Fédération Cynologique International (FCI) is the World Canine Organization, which includes 91 members and contract partners (one member per country) that each issue their own pedigrees and train their own judges. The FCI recognizes 344 breeds, with each being the “property” of a specific country. The “owner” countries write the standards of these breeds in co-operation with the Standards and Scientific Commissions of the FCI, and the translation and updating are carried out by the FCI. The FCI is not a breed registry nor does it issue pedigrees.