Bird hunters have always cross-bred dogs with the hopes of
creating better four-legged companions. The Braque Français is a
perfect example of this process. In Craig Koshyk’s superb book
Pointing Dogs: Volume One, The Continentals, he explains how
hunters modified this breed and developed two types of pointing
dogs with a shared ancestry and the same first name. Back in the
early days of bird dogs, the Navarre region of Franch/Spain was
ground zero for some of the earliest Braque Français pointers.
These dogs were big bodied and short haired, with large ears,
loose skin, and a hound-like look overall. They hunted close, at
a trot, and were known for their all-day stamina in the field.
Of course some people thought these dogs could be improved.
These hunters developed a smaller, quicker line of Braque
Français, with a wider range and more athleticism. Soon fanciers
had a dilemma: which dogs were the true Braque Français? To
solve the problem, the Braque Français club established two sub
categories: the Braque