Fabulous French dog breeds
Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs were stolen – and recovered! – last week. French bulldogs are one of the world’s most popular dog breeds with puppies costing from $2,000-$10,000. But Frenchies aren’t the only dog that can trace their roots back to France. Let’s have a look at some other gentils chiens et gentilles chiennes (that’s good boys and good girls to you and me).
1. French bulldog / Bouledogue français
Starting with the alphas of the pack, it’s the French bulldog. Who could have guessed that a dog originally bred for bull-baiting would eventually become so popular as a family pet? Likely it’s their comical appearance and good natures that have won out.
Let’s talk about that appearance. They’re also known as “frog dogs” – not due to the French connection – but because they do have a certain amphibious aspect with their wide mouths, bulging eyes and splayed legs. Ironic, really, because French bulldogs can’t swim. Their heads and shoulders are too heavy.
Not the brainiest canine, they are ranked only as the 109th cleverest dog. Tell that to Princess Jacqueline, a French bulldog who is reputed to have been able to speak 20 words in English.
Fun fact: their heads are so big that most puppies have to be born via cesarean section, which goes some way to explaining the high cost of puppies.
2. Poodle / Caniche
Nothing has disappointed me about life in France like the absence of fancy ladies promenading poodles in Paris. It’s one of those clichés that has sadly proven not to be true – or not in the present day, at any rate. Poodles were certainly a favoured pet of the rich in France for centuries, used both as hunting dogs and as lapdogs in their miniature or toy form.
Their 80s power rock appearance means that people often dismiss poodles as frivolous, air-headed beasts. But, as we learnt from Melanie Griffith in Working Girl, underestimating someone because of their sumptuous perm is a mistake. Poodles are second only to collies in intelligence and come in just behind whippets in speed, and as such, poodles are enjoying a resurgance as working dogs. Indeed, their French name – caniche – comes from cane (female duck) that they retrieve in hunting.
They are also popular as a crossbreeding dog, creating adorable teddy-bear dogs that don’t shed fur and have names that are as cute as their appearance: labradoodles, cockapoo and goldendoodle.
3. Bichon Frise / Bichon Frisé
Nevermind poodles, these are the dogs that Parisian ladies prefer – the kind of old ladies who wear real fur coats in winter and have stares that could bring down a Zeppelin. Although the bichons frises may look like they were engineered in a laboratory for maximum cuteness, like a K-Pop band, these wee beasties have a surprisingly long history, dating back to the middle ages when they were kept as lapdogs by the French aristocracy.
More fun facts! Bichon is Old French for “female dog” and is where the word “bitch” comes from.
4. Bloodhound / Chien de St. Hubert
To my mind, bloodhounds are the dog most likely to wear a deerstalker hat in the style of Sherlock Holmes and, as such, should rightfully be British. And – do you know what? – I’m partly right. The exact origins of the bloodhound cannot be known for certain but it’s a breed that has been in Britain and France for a good thousand years so let’s leave it at that.
Bloodhounds are champions sniffers and are regularly used by the police to find fugitives or missing people, with bloodhounds picking up trails hours or even days later.
5. Basset hound
Do the jowly jaws, floppy ears and sad eyes look familiar? Unsurprising because basset hounds are descendents of bloodhounds. The big difference between the breeds is that bassets have short little legs. While this may seem like a flaw, it makes them ideal for hunting on foot with poorer folks who couldn’t afford a horse. The name “basset” highlights this fact as “bass” is French for “low”.
Famous bassets include Droopy, Columbo’s dog and the Hush Puppies logo.
6. Pyrenean Mountain Dog / Chien de montagne des Pyrénées
A zoo keeper once told me that the animal he would least like to be stuck in a cage with is the polar bear. “It would rip you to shreds within minutes,” he told my schoolgirl-self. “It wouldn’t even have to be hungry. They’re killing machines.” I think about that while watching frolicking polar bear cubs in David Attenborough documentaries, wondering whether I would survive a cuddle with a cub.
Thankfully nature has given us a safer alternative in the form of a Pyrenean Mountain Dog (aka Great Pyrenees). Sturdy, statuesque and covered in soft fluffy white fur, this dog is a gentle, cuddly giant and makes a good pet. Hailing from the Pyrenees mountains in between France and Spain, these dogs were originally used to protect sheep from wolves and their white coats were favoured because shepherds could see them chasing wolves away at night.
Their biggest claim to fame is having a starring role in Belle et Sébastian, a heartwarming tale of a small boy and his gigantic dog, Belle, fighting Nazis in the Alps. That’s right, Pyrenean Mountain Dogs fight wolves AND Nazis. What polar bear can say that?
7. French Mastiff / Dogue de Bordeaux
Check out this big lad. Would tell him he’s been a bad boy, or just give him the keys to your car for the sake of a quiet life? A male can weight the same amount as me, and in the olden days they were used to pull carts – something I can’t claim to ever have done.
I’d never heard of a “dogue” before and, when some friends of ours got one, it created quite the confusion.
Husband: “Hugo and Céline got a dog.”
Me: “Aww! What kind of a dog is it?”
Husband: “It’s a dogue.”
Me: “Yes, but what kind is it?”
Husband: “A dogue.”
Me: “What kind of dog?”
Husband: “A dogue. It’s a big dog.”
Me: “A big dog… huh. But what kind is it?”
ET CETERA
8. Papillon
Its name clearly comes from the ears which are a butterfly (papillon) shape but, in all honesty, I think they look more like deely-boppers. I’m not a great one for wee dogs and I look at this guy and fear for my ankles and my eardrums, so nippy and yappy it looks. Apparently, papillons can suffer from Small Dog Syndrome but perhaps excessive intelligence and boredome are to blame for that – papillons are the 8th cleverest dog!
Fun fact! Marie-Antoinette is said to have carried her pet papillon to the guillotine – to be clear, she was executed, not the dog. Is that a “fun fact”? Hmm. That’s probably enough dog talk for now.
Chow chow!
