Great Gascony Blue

The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is the largest of the Gascony hounds — a tall, slow, deep-voiced tracker that gave its blood to several better-known breeds.

History

It is one of the oldest French hound types, associated with the hunts of Gascony and with Henry IV, and was used on wolf and boar. Dogs taken to America contributed to the founding of several coonhound breeds, which is why the ticked blue coat turns up in the American south.

Temperament

The breed is known for being calm, gentle and deliberate, sociable with other dogs and unhurried in everything except a trail, which it works with great persistence.

Care and training

It needs substantial exercise and space; this is a working hound and it is loud. The long ears need routine cleaning, and the short coat needs little.

Health

Known tendencies include ear infections and, in a deep-chested hound of this size, bloat. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.