The Anglo Français de Petite Venerie Dog Breed

The origins of the anglo francais de petite venerie dog breed are not known very well, because the breed was developed before the documentation found, but for the French it is typically French.

That is, it originated in France hundreds of years ago, from the crossbreeding of French hounds and English hunting dogs. The result of these Anglo-French crosses was a dog with the traditional colours and body of the English hound, but with a muzzle, head, and details much more similar to those of French dogs.

This breed is descended from various crosses between different breeds including the petit blu de Gascogne, the petit gascon saintongeois, the harrier and the beagle. The French have distinguished these matings into three breeds, two medium-sized and one small.

In France it is mainly used for fox hunting, in Italy, on the other hand, they are mainly bred in the Maremma area of Tuscany, where they are used in moult for wild boar hunting. It is a perfect hunting dog, able to do its job on any terrain, whether marshy, in the woods or on slopes.

It belongs to the hound class and therefore possesses all the natural characteristics of this species. In fact, it has well-developed olfactory skills, even compared to other hunting dogs, and is very hardy, so much so that it can withstand many hours even at a fast pace.

The anglo française de petite vénerie has a very strong character, proving to be quite a combative and energetic dog: for this reason it is also used by many hunters for wild boar hunting, which requires dog breeds that know how to deal with such dangerous prey.

It is certainly not an indoor dog, it needs a lot of fresh air and it also needs a lot of exercise. A safe garden where it can run and spend many hours of the day would be ideal for this dog, although its ideal would be a hunter owner.

Character of the anglo francaise de petite venerie dog breed

The anglo francaise de petite venerie is a tirelessly obedient and also cunning dog. It has always been bred as a working dog in a pack and, given its character, it adapts very well to this role. It is not typically a companion dog, but it is by no means aggressive, and many specimens are affectionate and outgoing while others are calm and reserved. Therefore it would be better to use the petite venerie as a working dog rather than keeping it indoors.

It is suitable for rural farms where it has plenty of space to play and exercise. It prefers to be outdoors, but it is advisable to keep it indoors for the night, especially in winter. It loves to live in contact with its owner and seeks his company. It is affectionate and docile and is also suitable for children, although it prefers to work and make itself useful. Mansueto with people he knows is a little wary of strangers.

As far as its training is concerned, this breed of dog is quite stubborn, so you need to start when it is a puppy and also have some experience in dog training.

It is therefore not a dog suitable for the inexperienced or those who are new to dog training. It is often at the beginning of training that it is not very easy to get him to carry out commands, but once this stage has passed, the dog does not disobey and does not tend to be aggressive. Only if left alone too much does he become particularly sad and almost to the point of depression.

He gets along well with other dogs, as he was born to hunt in packs and seeks their company very much. With cats, on the other hand, it is not very easy; unless it has grown up with them, it tends to see them as prey.

Appearance of the anglo francaise de petite venerie dog breed

The petite venerie is a small to medium-sized dog, its height at withers ranges from 48 to 56 centimetres and its weight from 16 to 20 kilograms. Its bones are decidedly well structured, and it has a graceful, harmonious and elegant profile. It closely resembles a beagle. Its musculature is well developed and evident, and its gait is supple, sure and lively.

The legs are muscular, long and straight, the tail is of medium length and carried straight or slightly curved, garnished with thick fur.

The head is proportionate to the rest of the body and is tapered. The muzzle is long in relation to the skull and ends with the upper lip protruding from the lower one, the truffle is large and black. The eyes are large and brown, very expressive, the ears wide, long and drooping in a V-shape.

The coat is short, smooth and dense. The length of the coat is the same over the whole body, but it may be slightly shorter on the legs, ears, muzzle and head. As far as coat colour is concerned, there are three different colours: orange and white, black and white, and black and white with orange-brown spots. Many specimens have the characteristic black saddle on their back, typical of many English hounds.

Care and health of the anglo francais de petite venerie dog breed

The petite venerie is not prone to any particular genetic diseases, which breeders have almost completely eliminated over the decades. However, it may suffer from a disease that affects its parent breeds, such as elbow or hip dysplasia, demodicosis and cataracts. Its average life expectancy is 12 - 15 years.

The long, pendulous ears need to be cleaned regularly to ensure that bacteria do not develop an infection.

As far as coat care is concerned, it is sufficient to brush it occasionally to remove dead hair; during the moult, however, it must be brushed almost daily as it tends to lose a lot of hair.

As far as his diet is concerned, there are no problems, a balanced and controlled diet according to the movement he makes is enough to keep him in good health.