Blue Picardy Spaniel

The Blue Picardy Spaniel is a French gun dog from the Somme, and its blue-grey speckled coat comes from English setters that arrived to shoot there.

History

English sportsmen came to the Somme estuary for the wildfowl in the late nineteenth century and brought English Setters with them; those crossed with the local Picardy Spaniels, and the resulting blue-mottled dogs were bred on and recognised as a separate breed in 1938. It is one of the few breeds whose origin is a documented consequence of tourism.

Temperament

The breed is known for being calm, gentle and biddable, affectionate at home and steady in the field, easier to live with than most pointing breeds.

Care and training

It needs substantial exercise and work for its nose. The feathered coat needs regular brushing and the drop ears want checking after wet work. Training suits gentle consistency.

Health

Generally sound, with hip dysplasia and ear infections among the known tendencies. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.