TRAITS OF A GOOD ONE
Physical. The Braque Francais is not recognized by the AKC, and the breed's aficionados prefer it that way. There is no such thing as a "bench Braque"--all Braques are field Braques. To date, the major registry for the breed on this continent has been the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). The other primary registry on this continent is the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). Neither organization has a published breed standard. In France, the breed is registered with the Societe Centrale Canine (SCC).

As long as we're talking about registration, there is one major pitfall that potential buyers should be aware of. The SCC will not register any dog with common ancestors in the first three generations of its pedigree. In other words, the SCC prohibits linebreeding.

This would have no relevance to North Americans, except for the fact that the CKC will not register any imported dog that cannot be registered in its native country. And failure to acquire CKC registration may create difficulty in gaining registration with NAVHDA. Therefore, be cautious when importing dogs, since unregistered dogs have thus far exhibited a greater tendency toward genetic health problems. By the way, none of the North American registries impose such pedigree restrictions on dogs born in North America. The only requirement is that their parents be registered.

The only detailed breed standard is published by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI), of which neither the United States nor Canada is a member. Generally, the FCI standard is informally accepted on this continent as the de facto standard for the breed.

The FCI standard calls for the Pyrenees dog to stand 18 to 23 inches at the shoulder. This results in a dog weighing 39 to 53 pounds, depending on gender and individual heredity. Phil Knape's dogs were all 40 to 45 pounds--including males. At the Boisens' kennel, the females ranged from 39 to 45 pounds, with males weighing a shade over 50.

Regardless of size, dogs should be taut-skinned, well-muscled and lean, with a short coat that feels slightly silky to the touch. Brown- and-white and brown roan are the acceptable color patterns. Although the standard states the tail is usually docked, it also allows for naturally short or full-length tails, provided that they are "well carried."

Nourrie, an eight-month-old Braque Francais owned by Brad Boisen, points a pheasant on a Minnesota preserve.

When I first saw the Boisens' dogs, my initial thought was, "Hey, it's a German shorthaired pointer shrunk down to Brittany size." I'm sure this wasn't the first time the Braque has been mistaken for a GSP, nor will it be the last. The similarities to the GSP are striking, with the most obvious physical difference being size.

Phil Knape noted another physical difference from the GSP. "A Braque's head is shaped more like an English Pointer--not as 'houndy' as the GSP," Knape said.

Thus far the breed has enjoyed relative freedom from genetic health defects. Hip dysplasia and eye defects are quite uncommon, but patella problems have surfaced among a few unregistered dogs. Undershot teeth have also been observed on rare occasion.

Temperament. Brad Boisen describes a proper Braque Francais temperament as "friendly, sociable, gentle and submissive." To illustrate the point, he told an anecdote about his first hunting trip with Cinsault (pronounced SIN-so), an imported male Braque which he acquired in 1994.

"It was my first outing with Cinsault, and I had my two German shorthairs along too," Boisen recalled. The shorthairs took off, running wild, while Cinsault hunted closely and under control. The shorthairs just ignored me as I began to yell at them in progressively louder tones. That's when I noticed Cinsault cowering at my feet. He thought I was mad at him!"

Phil Knape echoed this sentiment. "Most dogs these days are bred to withstand the harsh program that pros use to break strong-willed dogs. That's not what the Braque is bred for."

Nourrie delivers a pheasant.

Julie Boisen noted that the dogs "know their place in the family--you don't have pecking-order problems with them." The Boisens have two children under five years of age, and the dogs take orders from the kids. During our interview, three Braques calmly dozed in various corners of the living room. Brad Boisen mentioned the natural calmness of the breed as a major selling point. "This is a house dog that you can sell to your wife," he said. He speaks from experience.

The breed's sensitivity demands care in training. This is perhaps the primary difference between the Braque Francais and its look-alike counterpart, the German shorthair. The GSP, like most other versatile pointing breeds, has considerable resilience to stern correction. They bounce back quickly from episodes wherein the boss lost his cool. But the Braque requires a more gentle approach.

"Don't bellow at a Braque, or you'll make him a croucher," warns Brad Boisen. He advises that the breed responds better to a "soft hand" approach than to strict discipline.

Phil Knape also notes that Braques mature earlier than other breeds. He said, "I had Braques that were trained and ready to hunt at seven months of age. I had an eight-month-old dog that I used as a guide dog on a hunting preserve. In fact, I could get Braques to do at one year what it took setters two or three years to learn." Nevertheless, it bears reemphasis that these dogs were not brought to such early maturity through accelerated training programs, but through gentle encouragement of their natural responsiveness. Michel Gelinas warns that the breed simply won't tolerate roughness.

For this reason, a word of caution is in order. Although registered and tested primarily with NAVHDA, the Braque Francais probably will not respond well to some of the methods outlined in that organization's famous "Green Book" of training. Although the program in this "NAVHDA Bible" has worked well for generations of wirehairs, pudelpointers, shorthairs and other breeds, it employs rather strict disciplinary measures. Don't try these with a French Pointer.