Braque du Bourbonnais

✨ Key Takeaways

Quick Facts

Common Names & Variants

Modern aliases

Historical names

⚖️ Pros & Cons

Physical Appearance

Recognized colors

Coat

Other

Ears: Drop, medium length. Tail: Naturally short or absent (bobtail).

🕰 History

A short-tailed pointer painted into the Renaissance record

Few gundogs can point to a Renaissance source page, but the Bourbonnais can: a short-tailed pointing dog from central France appears in the natural-history writing of the Italian scholar Ulisse Aldrovandi around the close of the sixteenth century, described as a quail dog of the Bourbonnais country. That early notice is the reason the breed is so often called one of the oldest of the French braques. It grew up not in a single nobleman's kennel but across the farms and game-rich hedgerows of the historic province of Bourbonnais — the Allier and its neighbours in central France — as the all-round pointing dog of country sportsmen who needed one animal to find, set and retrieve their game. From the start two things marked it out: a fine ticked coat in colours seen in no other breed, and a tail that many dogs carried naturally short or not at all.

The Allier province and an all-purpose farm gundog

The Bourbonnais took shape as a versatile continental pointing dog, the broad family the French call braques — close-working dogs that quarter the ground at a steady gallop, freeze on game scent and hold the point until the gun is ready. Unlike the grand pack hounds bred by the venerie estates, this was a working sportsman's dog, valued for biddability, a good nose and an even, affectionate nature that fitted it for the farmhouse as much as the field. The breed's home country gave it both its name and its identity: Bourbonnais is the old province around Moulins in the Allier, the cradle of the Bourbon dynasty, and the dog that carries the province's name was for centuries simply the pointer of that corner of France. A formal Club du Braque du Bourbonnais was constituted in 1925, the same year the first breed standard was lodged with the Société Centrale Canine, fixing in writing a type that had until then been carried in the heads and kennels of local breeders.

The short tail that became a fixation

The breed's most famous feature — the natural bobtail — also became, in the early twentieth century, the source of its near-undoing. A naturally short or absent tail had always been admired as a hallmark of the true Bourbonnais, and the dog acquired affectionate nicknames in France that fixed on the trait. Early breeders, however, came to treat the short tail as an almost compulsory mark of purity and bred ever more narrowly for it, along with a particular set of head and colour points. That insistence shrank the working population and the gene pool at the very moment when two World Wars were emptying French kennels of dogs and breeders alike. By privileging a cosmetic hallmark over the broad, sound working dog the breed had been, the fancy of the day helped push the Bourbonnais toward extinction rather than away from it.

A decade of silence, then a single man's search

The collapse was real and documented. Between 1963 and 1973 not a single Braque du Bourbonnais was entered in the Livre des Origines Français, the French studbook — a full decade in which, on paper, the breed simply stopped existing. The recovery is owed above all to one man, Michel Comte, who from 1970 set out deliberately to find whatever Bourbonnais blood survived. What he found was sobering: no registered purebred dogs at all, only mixed-bred farm dogs around the Allier that still showed the old type — the size, the shape of the head, the short tail, the distinctive ticking. Working from that thin material, Comte and a small group of breeders began to rebuild. To save the breed at all they had to relax the rigid demand for a short tail that had nearly killed it, accepting full-tailed dogs of good Bourbonnais type back into the programme so that a viable population could be reassembled. The first dogs of the revived line were registered between 1973 and 1975.

Revival, a refounded club and a second home in America

The rebuilt breed needed a rebuilt institution, and in 1981 the Club du Braque du Bourbonnais was recreated, with Michel Comte as its president — a post he held until 2001. Under the refounded club the breed steadied, the studbook filled again, and the Bourbonnais re-established itself as a sound, hunting-bred pointer rather than a fragile rarity. Its second great piece of fortune was geographic: in 1988 the first Bourbonnais reached the United States, where the breed found a population of hunters who wanted a close-working, biddable foot-hunting pointer, and America grew into the second-largest population of the breed after France. Recognition followed the recovery rather than preceding it — the United Kennel Club admitted the breed to its Gun Dog group in 2006, and the American Kennel Club enrolled it in the Foundation Stock Service in 2011, the holding register for breeds working toward full recognition. In its homeland the breed remains under the FCI as Standard No. 179 and is kept by the Société Centrale Canine. The Bourbonnais today is a breed that was genuinely brought back from nothing, and a reminder of how close a beloved old type can come to vanishing when a single trait is prized above the whole dog.

Temperament & Personality

A close-working gundog that wants to be with you

The Bourbonnais was bred to hunt in partnership rather than independence, and that intent runs through the whole temperament. This is a close-working pointer that quarters within gunshot, checks back to its handler and reads the field as a joint enterprise — the opposite of a wide-ranging dog that hunts for itself. The same orientation toward people makes it, off duty, one of the more affectionate and biddable of the continental braques: gentle, attached, eager to please and happiest in the company of its family. Breeders and owners consistently describe a dog that bonds hard and dislikes being left out, an animal that treats the household as its pack and the hunt as the best day of the week.

Bold in the field, soft at home

That gentleness is paired with real drive. A Bourbonnais on game is energetic, fast and stylish, working at a lively gallop with sharp changes of direction and pointing with a natural authority that needs little teaching. The breed combines a genuine passion for hunting with a notably sensitive, even soft character away from it — a dog that will press through cover all morning and then want to lean against your leg all evening. The sensitivity has a practical consequence: this is not a hound that shrugs off harsh handling. It reads tone and mood closely, can be hurt by rough correction, and gives its best to an owner who works with encouragement rather than force.

Sociable, alert, and no kind of guard dog

With its own family the Bourbonnais is loving and tolerant, generally good with children it has been raised among and sociable with other dogs, carrying none of the same-sex dominance that marks some pack breeds. It is alert and will announce a visitor, but it is too friendly with people to be a guard dog of any seriousness — a stranger is a potential new friend, not a threat. The breed does carry the pointing dog's prey drive toward birds and small moving animals, and a household cat is best introduced early, but its temperament toward humans is open and trusting throughout. The combination that defines the breed is unusual and appealing: a hard-hunting gundog wrapped around a deeply companionable, sensitive house dog, an animal that fails as a watchdog precisely because it succeeds so completely as a friend.

🏡 Living With a Braque du Bourbonnais

An active home that includes the dog

The Bourbonnais lives best where it is treated as part of the family rather than kennelled at a distance, because the trait that makes it such a pleasant companion — its intense attachment to its people — is also what makes isolation hard on it. This is an affectionate, sensitive dog that wants to share the household's day, and it does poorly relegated to a yard alone. It will settle calmly indoors once its needs are met, but those needs are real: a Bourbonnais is a hunting-bred pointer with serious energy, and it expects daily, vigorous activity well beyond a stroll round the block. The ideal home is an active one with access to open space, owned by people who walk, run, hunt or otherwise move for a living rather than for ten minutes a day.

Exercise, a job, and a busy mind

Plan on a good deal of physical exercise — long off-lead runs in safe country, hard walks, swimming, fetch — supplemented by something that engages the dog's nose and brain. A Bourbonnais that hunts is the breed in its element, but the great majority that do not still need a substitute outlet: field-style training, scent-work, tracking, gundog mock-ups or dog sport all give the methodical, point-driven mind a task. An under-exercised, under-stimulated Bourbonnais is a frustrated dog, and the frustration shows up as restlessness, chewing and clinging rather than the calm companion the breed should be. The flip side is that a well-exercised one is genuinely easy to live with: satisfied, settled and content to be wherever its family is.

Children, other animals and a sensitive nature

With children the Bourbonnais is typically patient and fond, especially when raised alongside them, and its sociable streak generally extends to other dogs without the friction some breeds bring to a multi-dog house. Cats and small pets are the usual pointer caveat — the prey drive is real, and early, careful introduction matters — but many Bourbonnais live happily with a household cat they grew up with. The temperament that owners must respect above all is the breed's sensitivity: shouting, rough handling and a chaotic, tense household land harder on this dog than on a thicker-skinned breed, and a calm, warm, consistent home is where it thrives. Give it activity, inclusion and gentleness, and the Bourbonnais is an adaptable, affectionate housemate; deny it any of the three and the same dog becomes anxious and difficult.

🎓 Training & Exercise

Eager, clever and quick to learn

The Bourbonnais is one of the more trainable continental pointers, and the reason is its temperament rather than any special cleverness on tests: it wants to please, bonds closely to its handler and reads instruction as a way of being together. Basic obedience, house manners and lead work come readily to a dog this attentive, and its natural close-working style means it does not have to be taught from scratch to stay in contact — the instinct to check back is already there. Early, positive puppy training and broad socialisation set the breed up well, building the confident, settled adult that the sensitive temperament can otherwise tip toward nervousness if neglected.

Reward, not pressure

The single most important rule with this breed is to train kindly. The Bourbonnais is soft and sensitive, and heavy-handed correction, raised voices or harsh methods do real damage — the dog shuts down, loses confidence and learns to dread the very sessions meant to build it up. Reward-based handling, patience and consistency get far more out of it, and short, upbeat sessions suit its eager nature better than long, repetitive drilling. An owner who keeps training positive will find the breed willing almost to a fault; one who tries to force it will meet a dog that withdraws rather than rebels, which is harder to read and harder to fix.

Natural pointing and the work it was made for

In the field the Bourbonnais needs less making than many gundogs. The point is largely instinctive and shows early, the close range is built in, and a young dog of good breeding will often begin pointing birds with little formal teaching, leaving the trainer to refine steadiness, retrieving and gun manners rather than instil the basics. This is a versatile pointer expected to find, point and retrieve, and structured field training that channels those instincts is the most satisfying work an owner can give it. For non-hunting homes the same instincts are best directed into scent-work, tracking and gundog-style games, which keep the methodical mind occupied. Recall deserves steady attention, as with any bird dog whose prey drive can pull it onto game, but the Bourbonnais's close-working bias and desire to stay near its handler make reliable recall an achievable goal rather than the running battle it can be with wider-ranging breeds.

✂️ Grooming & Coat Care

A wash-and-wear field coat

The Bourbonnais wears one of the lowest-maintenance coats in the pointing world. It is fine, short and dense, lying close to the skin and built to work — it sheds dirt and water, dries quickly and asks for no clipping, stripping or professional grooming whatsoever. A weekly going-over with a rubber curry comb, a hound glove or a firm-bristle brush lifts the dead hair, spreads the skin's natural oils and keeps the distinctive ticked coat looking its best. The breed sheds modestly year-round and a little more heavily during the seasonal moults of spring and autumn, when brushing every couple of days keeps loose hair under control in the home. Bathing is occasional — when the dog is genuinely dirty or smells of the field — using a mild dog shampoo that does not strip the coat's natural weather resistance.

Ears first, every week

The real grooming priority is not the coat but the ears. The breed's moderately long, close-lying drop ears trap warmth and moisture in the canal, and a Bourbonnais that hunts wet cover or swims is exposed to that risk repeatedly, so otitis externa is the predictable problem to head off. Inspect both ears weekly for redness, discharge or a yeasty smell, clean the outer canal gently with a veterinarian-approved cleaner on a cotton pad — never pushing anything down into the canal itself — and dry the ears carefully after swimming, bathing or wet work. Persistent head-shaking or ear-scratching warrants a veterinary visit rather than continued home treatment. Catching trouble early is what keeps a minor irritation from becoming a chronic, painful condition.

Nails, teeth and the post-field check

Nails need checking about monthly. A dog worked or walked on hard ground may wear them down naturally, but one exercised mostly on soft going will need trimming before the nails grow long enough to alter its gait. Dental care matters as much here as in any breed: regular tooth-brushing with a canine toothpaste is the most effective defence against the periodontal disease that is otherwise near-universal in middle-aged dogs, supported by appropriate dental chews. Because the breed works in cover, a hands-on check after every outing belongs in the routine — running the hands over the coat and skin, feeling between the toes and under the earflaps for grass seeds, ticks and thorns, and glancing at the eyes — which together with the weekly brush and ear check is essentially the whole of a Bourbonnais's grooming life.

🍖 Diet & Nutrition

Feeding an active medium-sized gundog

The Bourbonnais is a lean, athletic, energetic dog, and its diet should track both its build and its real activity level. A good-quality complete dog food matched to the dog's life stage — puppy, adult or senior — and to how hard it is working is the sensible baseline. A Bourbonnais hunted regularly or exercised hard will burn considerably more than the same dog living a quieter life, and the amount fed should rise and fall with the workload rather than sit at a single year-round ration. The feeding guide on the bag is a starting point, not a prescription; hands-on body-condition scoring is the more reliable everyday measure. A Bourbonnais in good condition has ribs that are easily felt under a thin covering, a waist clearly visible from above and a tuck-up behind the ribs from the side — this is a breed that should always look athletic, never blocky.

Keeping a working dog lean

The commonest feeding mistake with any sporting breed is to keep feeding at the working rate once the work eases off, and a hunting Bourbonnais whose season ends is an easy candidate for it. During hard-working months the dog needs a generous intake to sustain its output; in quieter periods the ration must come down to match, or weight creeps on before anyone notices. Carrying extra weight is more than cosmetic in a breed prized for its athletic, galloping style — it dulls the work, stresses the joints and shortens a long potential lifespan. Measured meals rather than free-feeding, restraint with table scraps, and counting any training treats inside the daily ration rather than on top of it are the habits that keep a Bourbonnais in the trim, hard condition the breed is meant to carry.

Schedule, water and field practice

Adult Bourbonnais are usually fed twice a day, morning and evening, rather than in one large meal; splitting the ration steadies the dog and is a sensible everyday precaution against digestive upset. Fresh water must always be available, and demand climbs sharply on working days and in warm weather, when a hard-running dog dehydrates faster than its owner expects. As ordinary field practice, a dog should not be given a heavy meal immediately before vigorous work — a gap of an hour or two between a full meal and hard exercise is the standard, widely-followed precaution. On a long hunting day, a light feed well before the start, water through the day and the main meal given after the dog has cooled and rested suit the breed better than a single large pre-work meal. Puppies need more frequent, smaller meals appropriate to their age, transitioning to the adult pattern as they mature.

🐶 Buying & Adopting a Braque du Bourbonnais

A rare breed best found through its clubs

The Bourbonnais is an uncommon breed, and a prospective owner should set expectations accordingly: this is not a dog one finds advertised on a whim. France remains the heartland of the breed and holds the largest population, with the United States the second-largest, so most serious buyers work through the breed's clubs and the small network of dedicated breeders rather than through general listings. In its homeland the Société Centrale Canine and the Club du Braque du Bourbonnais are the natural first contacts; in the United States the breed's club and the AKC Foundation Stock Service connect enquirers to the handful of breeders working with the line. Litters are not numerous and good ones are spoken for, so a buyer should be prepared for a waiting period rather than an immediate puppy, and for the possibility that the nearest ethical breeder is a long way away.

What a responsible breeder looks like

Because the breed came back from so narrow a base, the integrity of the breeder matters more than in a populous breed, and the questions to ask are specific. A responsible Bourbonnais breeder hip-tests breeding stock and shares the results, manages the relatedness of matings to keep the coefficient of inbreeding sensible in a small gene pool, and is candid about the health and temperament of the parents and grandparents. Expect a good breeder to ask as many questions as they answer — about the buyer's activity level, hunting or sport plans, fencing, experience and ability to give a sensitive, energetic gundog the inclusion and exercise it needs. Be wary of anyone offering a Bourbonnais on demand at a casual price, breeding solely for the short tail or other cosmetic points, or unwilling to discuss the relatedness of a litter, since over-fixation on a single trait is precisely the error that nearly destroyed the breed once already.

Adoption, suitability and an honest fit

Breed-specific rescue is effectively non-existent for a breed this rare, and a Bourbonnais turning up in general rescue is unusual, though not impossible — usually a dog placed because an under-prepared home could not meet its real needs, which is exactly the mismatch a careful buyer aims to avoid. Whether buying or adopting, the honest question is the same: can you give an affectionate, sensitive, hard-hunting pointer the daily vigorous exercise, the mental work, the gentle handling and the family inclusion it requires? For an active household — ideally one that hunts or does field sport, but at least one that genuinely moves and wants the dog at its centre — the Bourbonnais is a sound, healthy, devoted and rewarding companion. For a sedentary or frequently-absent home, or one expecting a low-energy lapdog or a serious guard, it is the wrong dog, and recognising that before the purchase spares both owner and dog the disappointment that otherwise follows.

📜 Breed Name Etymology — iDogNames original research

Braque -- the French word for a pointing dog

The first half of the name places the breed squarely in a family. Braque is the French term for a short-haired pointing gundog of continental type — the close-working dogs that find game by air scent, freeze on point and hold it for the gun — and France has a whole cluster of them: the Braque Francais, the Braque Saint-Germain, the Braque d'Auvergne and others. The word itself is generally traced to an old verb meaning to point or to aim, fitting for a dog whose entire art is to lock on game and indicate it. To call this breed a braque is therefore to say what it is before saying where it is from: a pointing dog in the continental mould, one of a recognised national group of them.

Bourbonnais -- the province that named the dog

The second half fixes the dog to a place. Bourbonnais is the historic province of central France centred on Moulins in the modern department of the Allier, the homeland in which the breed was developed and the country whose farmers and sportsmen shaped it. The province takes its own name from the town and lordship of Bourbon, the seat of the family that became the Bourbon dynasty of French and Spanish kings, so the dog's name carries, at one remove, an echo of one of the great names of European history. In everyday French the breed is simply le Braque du Bourbonnais — the pointing dog of the Bourbonnais — and the construction is purely geographic, naming the breed for its native region exactly as the Braque d'Auvergne is named for the Auvergne next door.

The English name and the breed's nicknames

English-speakers mostly keep the French name unchanged, since there is no neat native equivalent to translate, though the breed is also known in English simply as the Bourbonnais Pointer or Bourbonnais Pointing Dog — the form the FCI standard itself uses. In its homeland the breed picked up affectionate nicknames built on its famous short tail and ticked coat, the kind of fond, descriptive bynames that working dogs accumulate in the field; these are folk names rather than official ones, but they show how completely the bobtail and the lie-de-vin colouring define the dog in the French mind. Whatever the language, the name's two halves tell the whole story in four words: a pointing dog, from the Bourbonnais.

Name forms at a glance

🏛 Naming Traditions — iDogNames original research

French names for a French braque

The Bourbonnais is so thoroughly a French country gundog that owners reaching for a fitting name turn most naturally to France itself. Traditional French given names suit the breed's gentle, old-fashioned character — Gaston, Aimé, Margot, Colette, Hugo or Manon sit easily on a dog whose whole identity is rooted in the farms and fields of the Allier — while the homeland offers its own vein of place-names: Allier and Moulins for the breed's native country, Bourbon for the dynasty whose province gave the dog its name, and Loire for the great river of central France. French sporting words fit a working pointer too, from Chasse (the hunt) to Fusil and the calls of the field.

The breed's two famous colours give the richest naming seam of all, because no other dog wears them. The standard's own poetic colour names translate straight into dog names — Lilas for the faded-lilac liver shade, Pêche for the peach-blossom fawn, and the evocative French colour words Cannelle (cinnamon), Noisette (hazelnut) and Roux (russet) for the ticked brown and fawn coats. The short tail that defines the breed offers a playful third direction, from the affectionate Bouchon (cork, for a stubby tail) to plain English bynames like Stubby or Nub. Whichever way an owner leans, the strongest Bourbonnais names are those that reflect what the dog actually is: a wine-and-peach-coloured, bob-tailed French pointer of the Allier country.

🐾 Themed Names for Your Braque du Bourbonnais — iDogNames original research

French heritage and place names

• Allier -- the central French department that is the breed's homeland
• Bourbon -- the dynasty and lordship that gave the province its name
• Moulins -- the historic capital of the Bourbonnais province
• Loire -- the great river of central France
• Gaston -- a classic, warm French male name
• Margot -- a traditional French female name
• Colette -- a literary French name with rustic depth
• Hugo -- a strong, old French name for a country dog

Coat-colour names (lie de vin and peach blossom)

• Lilas -- French for "lilac", for the faded-lilac liver shade
• Pêche -- French for "peach", for the peach-blossom fawn coat
• Cannelle -- French for "cinnamon", for the warm ticked brown
• Noisette -- French for "hazelnut", for a soft fawn-ticked dog
• Roux -- French for "russet/red-brown", for the ticked coat
• Cerise -- French for "cherry", echoing the wine-dregs liver
• Praline -- a sweet, fawn-toned name for a peach-blossom coat
• Rosé -- the pale wine shade, for the lie-de-vin colouring

Short-tail and field-trait names

• Bouchon -- French for "cork", an affectionate name for a stubby tail
• Stubby -- plain English for the breed's natural bobtail
• Nub -- a fond byname for a short-tailed dog
• Pixie -- a light name for a neat, bob-tailed dog
• Mouchette -- French for a little speck, for the ticked coat
• Pepper -- for the fine ticking flecked through the coat
• Speckle -- plain English for the breed's hallmark ticking
• Domino -- a playful name for a flecked, spotted coat

Hunting and gundog names

• Chasse -- French for "the hunt", the breed's reason for being
• Fusil -- French for "shotgun", a sporting name for a gundog
• Caille -- French for "quail", the bird the breed has hunted for centuries
• Perdrix -- French for "partridge", classic gamebird quarry
• Ranger -- plain English for a dog built to quarter the field
• Scout -- for the methodical, close-working scenting style
• Comte -- a nod to Michel Comte, who saved the breed from extinction
• Pointer -- plain English for the breed's defining art
• Hunter -- a straightforward name for a born field dog
• Rusty -- an easy English name echoing the russet ticked coat

More French heritage names

• French Trail - best for a Braque du Bourbonnais name rooted in France rather than generic style
• Bourbonnais province, the Allier and central France (around Moulins) Ridge - best for a regional landscape cue tied to the Braque du Bourbonnais story
• Local Line - best for a name that respects local breed history
• Old Route - best for migration, trade, field or pastoral routes behind the breed
• Heritage Note - best for a page where origin should be treated as context, not decoration
• Village Path - best for rustic, local or landrace-style background
• Working Home - best for a dog whose name should remember versatile close-working continental pointing dog (braque) bred by the farmers and sportsmen of the Bourbonnais
• Country Mark - best for a concise country-of-origin cue

More work and purpose names

• Field Note - best for a Braque du Bourbonnais whose name should point to versatile close-working continental pointing dog (braque) bred by the farmers and sportsmen of the Bourbonnais
• Soft Mouth - best for a retrieving dog expected to carry gently
• Search Cast - best for quartering fields or cover in a controlled way
• Reed Fetch - best for water-edge retrieving or marsh imagery
• Feather Find - best for bird-dog heritage without overstating modern use
• Steady - best for a gundog learning calm around birds and movement
• Check Cord - best for careful field training in open places
• Partner - best for a cooperative handler-dog working relationship

More coat and build names

• Liver-brown Ticked Roan -- The Shade The Standard Names Lie De Vin (wine Dregs) - best for a Braque du Bourbonnais whose color or markings deserve a simple call name
• Fine, Short And Dense Coat - best for the fine, short and dense coat type on this breed
• White Blaze - best for a clear face or chest marking
• Dark Mask - best for a dog with a strong muzzle or face marking
• Weather Coat - best for outdoor or working-dog coat context
• Strong Frame - best for a dog whose build is part of its function
• Bright Eye - best for an alert expression
• Ground Step - best for a name tied to movement and body type

📋 Breed Standard at a Glance

FCI Standard No. 179 -- general appearance and size

The Bourbonnais Pointing Dog is classified by the FCI in Group 7 (Pointing Dogs), Section 1.1 (Continental Pointing Dogs, type Braque), under Standard No. 179, with France as country of origin. The standard describes a medium-sized, rustic, compactly built braque — well-muscled and close-coupled, giving an impression of strength and stamina without heaviness. The build is nearly square to slightly longer than tall: body length equals or slightly exceeds the height at the withers, and the chest reaches to or just past the level of the elbow. Males stand 51 to 57 cm at the withers and females 48 to 55 cm; weight runs roughly 18 to 25 kg in males and 16 to 22 kg in females. The whole impression is of a sturdy, balanced field dog made to gallop and quarter all day rather than a tall or rangy pointer.

The signature coat, colour and tail

Two features set the breed apart from every other braque. The first is colour: the coat is fine, short and dense, and it comes in just two breed-specific patterns, each so particular to the Bourbonnais that the standard gives them poetic names. One is a heavily ticked liver-brown roan the French call lie de vin — wine dregs — also rendered as a faded-lilac shade; the other is a ticked fawn the standard names fleur de pecher — peach blossom. In both, the closely intermingled coloured and white hairs produce the dense ticking that is the breed's hallmark, with patches permitted and a little black ticking tolerated. The second signature is the tail: the standard states the Bourbonnais must in principle have the tail naturally short, either absent altogether or naturally short to a maximum of about 15 cm — a natural bobtail produced by a dominant gene, not by docking, and one of the breed's defining traits.

Head, ears, movement and working requirement

The head is pear-shaped seen from above, with a slightly rounded skull, a faintly marked stop and a muzzle of good length; the eyes are large, expressive and hazel to dark amber depending on coat colour. The ears are set at or just above eye level, of medium length, falling naturally along the cheek with only a slight curl — the typical carried-but-not-heavy ear of the continental pointer. Movement is the test of the breed: a supple, energetic gallop with sharp, lively changes of direction, covering ground efficiently while keeping within working contact of the gun. The standard's emphasis throughout is on a functional, close-working hunting dog of robust rustic build, judged for the field work it was made to do rather than for ornament.

🏆 Recognition

Other registries

Breed clubs

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Braque du Bourbonnais like?

The Braque du Bourbonnais is an affectionate, sensitive and biddable gundog that combines a real passion for hunting with a notably gentle, people-oriented character at home. It is a close-working pointer that wants to stay near its handler, bonds hard to its family and is happiest included in their day; it is generally good with children it is raised among and sociable with other dogs, without same-sex dominance. It is too friendly with strangers to be a guard dog. The key thing owners must respect is its sensitivity -- it responds to kind, reward-based handling and is damaged by harsh correction -- and its real need for daily vigorous exercise and a job, since a bored or isolated Bourbonnais becomes restless and anxious.

How big does a Braque du Bourbonnais get?

The Braque du Bourbonnais is a medium-sized pointing dog. Under FCI Standard No. 179 males stand 51 to 57 cm at the withers and females 48 to 55 cm, with weight roughly 18 to 25 kg in males and 16 to 22 kg in females. It is a sturdy, compact, well-muscled braque -- nearly square in build and made for an all-day galloping field style rather than a tall or rangy frame.

What colours does a Braque du Bourbonnais come in?

The breed has a fine, short, dense coat in just two colours, each so particular that the standard gives it a poetic name. One is a heavily ticked liver-brown roan the French call lie de vin -- wine dregs -- also described as a faded-lilac shade; the other is a ticked fawn called fleur de pecher, peach blossom. In both, coloured and white hairs are closely intermingled to produce the dense ticking that is the breed's hallmark, with patches permitted and a little black ticking tolerated. No other breed wears these two named colours.

Why does the Braque du Bourbonnais have a short tail?

The short tail is natural, not docked. The breed carries a dominant gene that produces a tail that is either absent altogether or naturally short, to a maximum of about 15 cm, and the FCI standard states the Bourbonnais must in principle have the tail naturally short. The bobtail has been a hallmark of the breed for centuries. It also became a trap: in the 20th century breeders over-fixated on the short tail and bred so narrowly for it that they helped push the breed toward extinction, and the revival from 1970 had to accept full-tailed dogs of good type back in to rebuild a viable population.

Are Braque du Bourbonnais good family dogs?

For an active household, yes -- the Bourbonnais is one of the more companionable pointers, affectionate, gentle and devoted, typically good with children it is raised among and friendly with other dogs and people. The conditions are real, though: it is an energetic hunting breed that needs daily vigorous exercise and mental work, it is sensitive and needs calm, kind handling rather than a tense or harsh home, and it dislikes being isolated or frequently left alone. Its prey drive means cats and small pets need careful early introduction. It suits an active, involved family far better than a sedentary or frequently-absent one, and it is a poor guard dog. The breed is also rare, so acquiring one usually means a waiting list through the breed's clubs.

How much exercise does a Braque du Bourbonnais need?

A Braque du Bourbonnais needs exercise that matches its history and build. Plan for daily movement, training and mental work connected to versatile close-working continental pointing dog (braque) bred by the farmers and sportsmen of the Bourbonnais. The right amount depends on age, health and individual temperament, so owners should balance activity with rest rather than relying on a one-size routine.

📚 Sources & Further Reading

Every load-bearing factual claim on this page is anchored to one of the sources below. iDogNames does not synthesize from secondary aggregators.

• fci standard pdf FCI Standard No. 179 -- Bourbonnais Pointing Dog — Fédération Cynologique Internationale (1998)
• breed club official Bourbonnais Pointing Dog -- FCI Nomenclature Entry, Standard No. 179 — Fédération Cynologique Internationale (2024)
• breed club official Société Centrale Canine -- national kennel club of France — Société Centrale Canine (2024)
• wikipedia Braque du Bourbonnais -- Wikipedia — Wikipedia
• wikidata Braque du Bourbonnais -- Wikidata entity Q1814862 — Wikidata
• breed club official Braque du Bourbonnais -- breed standard and history — United Kennel Club (2006)
• akc breed page Braque du Bourbonnais -- Dog Breed Information — American Kennel Club (2024)
• veterinary org Otitis Externa in Dogs -- overview and management — Merck Veterinary Manual (2024)
• veterinary org Hip Dysplasia -- evaluation and screening — Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (2024)

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