The billy dog breed has not very ancient origins. In fact, it is mentioned at the end of the nineteenth century, when a passionate dog lover Hublot du Rivault, in an estate near Poitiers, in France, in order to recreate a dog breed now extinct of the great white dogs loved by Francis I, Henry IV and Louis XIV, crossed three breeds now disappeared: the race céris, the montaimboeuf and finally the larye. The intent was to create a hound with exceptional qualities.
The billy in fact, is an excellent hound. Perfect in the hunt of the hare, it doesn’t spare itself during a hunting outing in search of wild boars. In every occasion it is able to give the best of itself. Unfortunately, this breed is little known outside of its area of origin, so those looking for a specimen of this breed can only find it in the north of France. It owes its name to the town of Billy in Poitou, place of residence of Hublot du Rivault, creator of the breed.
Character of the billy dog breed
As already mentioned, it is an excellent hunting dog, but it is also an affectionate family dog. It becomes very attached to its owner, but also to the other members. He is patient with children as long as they respect him. It is not a dog to be left alone for a long time, it suffers from loneliness in a particular way. In fact it can become destructive because of frustration, and anxiety due to the distance from its master.
It is not suitable to live in an apartment, both for its size, which is large, and for its need for movement. He loves the outdoors and can run, effortlessly, for miles. It is a hard worker and a dog with a highly developed sense of smell. It can approach wild animals well and can follow a trail perfectly. A safe garden is ideal for this dog, as long as it has the opportunity to stay at home with its family, of which it feels an active member.
He is very sociable with everyone, even with people who are strangers to him, which is why he is not suitable for guarding. Thanks to its intelligence, its training does not take much time. It is therefore also suitable for those who are at their first experience with dogs. It is however necessary to work on socialization and recall.
Friendly with everyone, but not with other dogs, with whom it does not like to work; it works much better in solitude, and in spite of socialization it does not get along well with dogs and not even with cats, in which it sees a prey.
He needs a lot of physical exercise, a hunter owner would be ideal for him, but if this is not possible it is necessary to take him out several times a day to let him discharge his energy and vitality.
Appearance of the billy dog breed
The billy is a large dog, the male can reach 70 centimeters at the withers with a weight of 35 kilograms, the female usually a little less. It is a very elegant and refined dog, a very well built breed, strong and light. Like the other hounds it has a well defined and proportioned body. The legs are long and slender, the muscles are particularly developed in the hindquarters. Perfectly aligned and with strong, closed feet, the dog has excellent stability on the ground. It has a light and elastic gait. Its preferred gait is the gallop. The tail is long, strong, sometimes slightly fringed.
It has a fine, dry head of medium length. The muzzle is rather square. The truffle is well developed, black or red-brown. The ears are placed a little higher and not at eye level as in other hounds, and are quite large and slightly flat at the bottom. The eyes, alert, well open and dark, bordered with black or brown, quite large and very expressive.
The hair of the coat is short and hard, very adherent to the body. The color goes through the various layers of white: from standard, to coffee and milk white or even a shade approaching that of lemon.
Health and Care of the Billy Dog Breed
The Billy dog breed lives an average of 12 to 15 years. It is a disease resistant dog, but genetically, being a icrocio with different breeds, very rare and difficult to find outside its territory of origin, it can have some problems that can compromise its health.
It is very tolerant of low temperatures and resistant even on rough terrain. It can live outdoors, but in winter it should be provided with a heated shelter, especially if you live in the mountains.
As for the care of the coat, it does not need special attention, if not a brush every now and then, a bath if necessary and the normal care regarding ticks and fleas.
Nutrition is normal, daily rations must take into account daily activity, age and weight.
High quality kibble specifically for working dogs is recommended. Veterinary monitoring is necessary to ensure good growth of the billy puppy.
