GRIFFON BELGIAN, BRUSSELS, BRABANT
Griffon is good-natured and cheerful, sociable, energetic and active. This little clown with a monkey face will amuse you 24 hours a day.
Brief historical overview
The history of griffons from Belgium (“ griffon ” in French means “wire-haired”) is quite controversial. The ancestors of the griffons appeared in Europe around 1430. The famous Flemish painter Jan van Eyck depicted in the painting "The Arnolfini Couple" (1434) a small wire-haired dog, with shaggy hair and a flat muzzle. Also, images of very similar dogs are found in the paintings of Albert Dürer and Jacobo de Empoli.
The Belgians claim that Griffons are descended from small, rough-haired dogs that were widespread in Belgium, Holland, and northern France. Similar dogs were widespread at the court of the French and Belgian monarchs. However, having a strong character, courage, quick wit, the griffons were popular not only in high society, but also among ordinary people - they perfectly supported the company, exterminated rats and vigilantly guarded the home of their owners.
The breed was first presented at a dog show in Brussels in 1880, and in 1889 the first Brussels Griffon Breeders' Club was organized. The first standard was adopted in 1905 (updated in 1963).
Griffon character
The Griffon is an ideal home dog. They are obedient, polite, not grouchy, not capricious, they get along well with all family members, they are absolutely not aggressive, they are friends with cats and other pets. Very cheerful, happy to take part in children's games. Children just love it!
Griffon is very observant, quickly learns the routine in the house. He loves to learn and understand the owner. The Griffon has no health problems, he is cheerful and clean.
Hard wool griffons , due to its density, almost does not get dirty. Grooming is simple: just comb once a week and brush. During the molting period (2 times a year), the griffon coat must be renewed, removing the old coat. This simple procedure takes no more than 2 hours, but you will be spared the presence of wool in the house.
His serene pranks will not leave anyone indifferent. This little smart dog very quickly becomes a favorite of the whole family.
Three varieties of the same breed
The Brussels Griffon is a red haired dog. The color should be as bright as possible, and the mustache, beard and eyebrows should be blackened.
The Belgian Griffon is a black or black and tan rough-haired dog ("ash and fire").
Small Brabancon ( Pti - Brabancon ) appeared as a result of the use of black pugs in breeding. A shorter, flattened muzzle was derived from the pug, as well as an adjacent black coat. Since very often, from the mating of two wire-haired dogs, part of the puppies were born with short hair, it was decided to separate them into a separate variety called " Brabancon " in honor of the Belgian province of Brabant.
The main advantage of dogs of this breed is an amazing mind. They are always cheerful, adore their owners and, without exaggeration, love everything living in the house. They are very easy to care for, they do not smell like a dog, and their fur hardly sheds, it only needs to be combed occasionally.
Griffon owners claim that they look more like monkeys than dogs. And it's not just about character. Griffons use their front paws just like their hands. In general , griffons are so beautiful, cheerful, charming, quick-witted that they absolutely cannot leave anyone indifferent.
Griffon breed standard
Approved September 11, 1990.
General form. Small indoor dog - intelligent, energetic, compact, with a strong, short body and confident demeanor, agile, graceful and independent; she attracts attention with her almost human look. There are two types of coat: wire-haired and smooth-haired.
Weight, proportions, addition. Weight - 3.6 - 4.5 kg, should not exceed 5.4 kg. The conformation of the dog is more important than the weight, so a harmoniously built, strong dog of smaller size should not be penalized. A dog of square format (the length of the dog from the shoulder joint to the ischial tuberosity must be equal to the height of the dog at the withers). The constitution is strong, compact, perfectly balanced, with strong bones.
Head with human eye expression. The eyes are wide apart, very large, black, bulging, round. Eyelashes are long and black. The ears are small and set high. You can stop or show the dog in its natural form. Uncropped ears are semi-erect. The skull is large, round, with a convex forehead and a deep transition from the forehead to the muzzle. The nose is jet black and extremely short. Nostrils are large. Lips with a black border, dry, close fitting. Bite - undershot: the incisors of the lower jaw extend beyond the upper incisors. The lower jaw is rather wide, protrudes forward and slightly upwards. When the mouth is closed, the tongue and teeth are not visible.
Vices: skewed lower jaw.
Disqualifying faults: "Dudley-nose" or nose-"butterfly"; under-bite, the tongue is visible when the mouth is closed.
Neck, back line, body . The neck is of medium length, slightly arched. The line of the back is short and straight. The body is strong and short. The chest is wide and deep, the ribs are convex. The tail is set high and carried vertically. It is docked at two thirds of the original length.
The forelimbs are of medium length, straight, well-muscled, set wide apart. Seen from the front, straight. Pasterns are short and strong. The paws are round, small, arched, without spreading or clubfoot. Black pads and nails.
Hind limbs set correctly. The thighs are strong and muscular, the angle of the hock joint is pronounced, the hocks are low pubescent, turned neither in nor out.
Wool cover . Wirehaired: wiry and dense, the coarser and harsher the better. Wool should in no case be soft either in appearance or to the touch; there should be no silky hair. It should not be excessively long so that the dog does not look unkempt and shaggy. The head is covered with coarse hair, which is slightly longer around the eyes, nose, cheekbones and chin, thus forming the framing of the muzzle (eyebrows, mustache, beard, sideburns). Coarse wool is trimmed by hand and should never look unkempt. The coat on the body must be of sufficient length to determine its texture.
Faults: wool trimmed with scissors or a machine. Smooth Coat: Straight, short, close fitting and shiny, but not wiry.
Color . Allowed: 1) red with a reddish-brown mask, interspersed with black hair, including moustache, sideburns and beard. 2) beige with a mask of mixed reddish brown and black hair or pure black including mustache and sideburns. 3) black and tan - black with a well-placed characteristic reddish-brown tan under the chin, on the legs, above the eyes, along the edges of the ears and under the tail. 4) black. There may be frost on the muzzle in adult dogs (age graying).
Flaws: the presence of white hair.
Disqualifying faults: a white spot on any part of the body or a blaze on the head.
The movements are straight. Confident trot with moderate reach in the forequarters and drive in the hindquarters. At the same time, the back remains straight and even.
Temperament . Smart, agile and touchy dog. Full of self-confidence, reaching the point of excessive conceit.
Disqualifying defects "Dudley-nose" or nose-"butterfly" (spotted or not fully pigmented nose). Undershot. When the mouth is closed, the tongue is visible. A white spot anywhere on the body or a blaze on the head.
Griffon Care
Griffons come in two varieties: rough-haired and smooth-haired. In rough-haired dogs, the coat is coarse, wiry, thick, not very long. On the head, coarse hair frames the muzzle and forms sideburns, beard, mustache and eyebrows.
Smooth-haired Griffons have a short, straight coat that lies close to the dog's body and is shiny. The color of the griffins is red, red-brown, black. In adult dogs, gray hair is allowed on the muzzle.
The griffon 's coat is very tough and, due to its density, it almost does not get dirty and does not get wet. Caring for her is quite simple: it is enough to comb once a week and clean with a bristle brush. During the molting period, the coat must be updated (trimmed, plucked). This is a relatively simple procedure, but before the next molt, you are guaranteed to get rid of the abundance of wool in the house.
Griffon trimming starts from the withers along the back, pulling out the hair in the direction of hair growth. The tail, limbs and chest of the dog are treated in the same way. You can use scissors to cut skirts. Also, with their help, excess hair on the dog's muzzle is removed: at the same time, the adorning hair on the cheekbones and beard is cut off in an arc not too short.
Show Griffons are trimmed 10-12 weeks before the show to give their coat a great look. Griffon haircut to correct overgrown hair is done 7-10 days before the show.
