​1) Origin
Hunting with scenthounds have a long tradition in France. There are many different hunting breeds that were developed in this European country. One of them is the Grand Bleu de Gascogne, which is the main ancestor of the Petit. The Petit Bleu de Gascogne was developed several hundreads years ago, possibly around 1500s, by voluntary reduction in size of the Grand Bleu de Gascogne. Hunters wanted slightly smaller scenthound than the Grand, which would be able to efficiently hunt smaller game, such as hare, so they decided to select the smallest individuals of the breed in the attempt to develop a new breed, the Petit Bleu de Gascogne. And after few generations, they were succesfull.

​2) Not a small dog
Even though they are named Petit and they were developed by reducing size of another breed, the Petit Bleu de Gascogne is definitely not a small dog. And even the word „petit“ in their name is not only reffering to the fact, that they are smaller version of the Grand Bleu de Gascogne, as it may also reffer to the French expression for hounds used for smaller game. And what is the average size of these dogs? Well, the height is typically between 20-23 inch, which is 50-58 cm, and weight between 40-50 lbs, which is 18-23 kg.

3) Name
Overall, the breeds name is very descriptive. You already know, why they are named Petit, but what about the rest of their name. Bleu is reffering to the blue like coat color and de Gascogne is reffering to the geographical region of the breeds origin, which is Gascogny in France. So the breeds name can be literally translated as Blue colored small game hunter from Gascogny region. BTW, there are three other hunting breeds from this region, the Grand Bleu de Gascogne, Griffon Bleu de Gascogne and Basset Blue de Gascogne.

4) Hunting
The one main utilization of the Petit Bleu de Gascogne is hunting. And they are excellent hunters. It is a skilled gun dog, but they can also be used for coursing. They truly love the hunt, they are absolutely passionate about it and they are happiest if they can do it. Their main weapons on the hunt are their excellent sense of smell, high chasing instinct, great endurance, speed and agility, loud voice and intelligence. They are mainly used to hunt hare in packs, but they can adapt to hunt other, even larger game, as well.

5) Companions
Of course, the Petit Bleu de Gascogne is not only a hunter, but also loving and loyal family companion. It is a lively breed that will be happiest with an active owner. They are very affectionate, always ready for any adventure, friendly with strangers or other dogs. It is a pack animal so they typically have no problem with other dogs in the family, but of course, other household pets like hamsters or rabbits might be a problem due to the high prey drive of this breed. The Petit Bleu de Gascogne can also live with kids in the family, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised. This is highly intelligent, but also strong willed dog breed, which means they are not total pushovers to train, but they are capable of easily learn all the basic obedience commands.

6) Exercise
As you can probably expect, the Petit Bleu de Gascogne is pretty energetic dog breed, especially if they are not used for hunting. They will need daily longer walks, jogs, hikes, vigorous playtime or fun training sessions to stay healthy and happy. If they are provided with enough exercise, than they are typically quite relaxed and calm indoors. On the other hand, without proper exercise, they might develop some unwanted behaviour, such as excessive barking.

7) Coat and color
The Petit Bleu de Gascogne has a short, semi-thick and dense and profuse coat in blue color. Well, it is not actually blue, the colour is white mottled with black, giving a slate blue overall appearance. There are typically black patches on the head and they can have black patches on the body as well. It is also very typical for this breed to have tan markings above the eyes, which is creating the eyebrows look.

8) Maintenance
Speaking of the coat, lets mention the grooming and maintenance as well. And luckily, this is low maintenance breed. They do shed, slightly more during the shedding seasons and you should brush these dogs regularly in order to remove the dead and loose hair and to redistribute natural oils all over the coat. No other grooming is required. Just like with all dog breeds, you should regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

9) Rarity
If you are not living in France, there is a big possibility, that you never heard about this breed before. It is because they are pretty rare. Just like with all French dogs, the numbers of the breed rapidly declined during the two world wars and these dogs were never exported to other countries in large numbers. They are recognized by the FCI and UKC since the 1990s, but they are not recognized by the AKC to this day. And as you could expect, most of these dogs live in their home country, in France and its neighboring countries, like Spain. Overall, this is very very rare dog breed.

10) Health
There are no unusual health problems related to the Petit Bleu de Gascogne. The life expectancy is somewhere around 13 years. Of course, just like all medium or large sized dog breeds, they might have some problems with joints, like hip dysplasia, they can have some eye problems like entropion and they can suffer from various infections and allergies, but none of these health problems should not be very common in this breed and the Petit Bleu de Gascogne is generally healthy and hardy breed.

We all know Dachshunds, Basset Hounds and Corgis. These lovable dogs share one main distinctive characteristic, and that is their long body and short legs. Such dogs are also known as Chondrodystrophic dog breeds. Today, i will show you a list of 10 different short-legged dog breeds.

1) Welsh Corgi (Cardigan and Pembroke)
Lets start with possibly the most famous shortlegged breed, the Welsh Corgi. It is important to say, that it is not only a one breed, as there is the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Even though they both share the same cute body type, there are slight differences between them, mainly in their size, tail and temperament.

2) Swedish Vallhund
A close relative to the Corgi, and most likely one of its ancestors, is the Swedish Vallhund. This breed looks extremely similar to Corgi, but it most often comes in wolf grey color, which is why they are sometimes nicknamed as „Wolf Corgi“.

3) Lancashire Heeler
Another Corgi relative, the Lancashire Heeler, is believed to be a descendant of the Welsh Corgi and Manchester Terrier and you can see some similarities with the Corgi on the first sight. Originally it was a versatile farmdog capabale of ratting and herding the cattle. It is a very lively, playful and curious breed.

4) Shortlegged terriers (Scottish, Dandie Dinmont, Skye, West Highland White, Cairn)
Many terriers were also bred to have short legs, which would make it easier for them to go under the ground when they are chasing the prey. Especially the terriers from Scotland are known to have relatively long body and short legs. The list include the Scottish, Dandie Dinmont, Skye, West Highland White and Cairn Terrier.

5) Dachshund
Not surprisingly, the Dachshund also makes it to our list of short legged breeds. It is superb hunting dogs and next to their excellent hound personality traits, it is the low body, long back and short legs that makes them superb hunters.

6) Alpine Dachsbracke
Most likely the rarest of all dogs you will see today is the Alpine Dachsbracke. These medium sized dogs have a slight resemblance to a Dachshund, which is not a coincidence. The Alpine Dachsbracke was most likely developed in 19th century by downsizing larger hunting dog breeds by crossing them with the Dachshund.

7) Basset Hound
The Basset Hound is a dog breed with extremely large ears, super small legs and extraordinary sense of smell. Definitely one of the best scenthounds in the world. They were originally bred to hunt hare, but today, they are most often living the life of spoiled companion pets. Their name, Basset, is derived from French and it is literally meaning „low“, reffering to their short legs and low body.

8) Basset Griffon Vendéen
And the Basset Hound is not the only Basset we have. There are 6 different Basset breeds and here you can see the Petit and Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen. They share similar body type with the Basset Hound, even though they are little bit more athletic and they have the distinctive shaggy and rough coat.

9) Entlebucher Mountain dog
The smallest of the four Swiss Mountain Dogs is the Entlebucher Mountain dog and even though still relatively large dog, they have on the first sight pretty short legs and long torso. Especially the front legs are short. It is a versatile working dog breed, most often used as livestock guardian.

10) Tibetan Spaniel
The last dog in our list is the Tibetan Spaniel. It is a small companion dog with fluffy coat, curled tail and, well, short legs. Many other companion dogs, such as Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, or French Bulldog have short legs as well.

​Most of the short legged dog breeds get their distinctive appearance due to a cartilage development abnormality called chondrodysplasia and it is important to mention, that the short legs and long spine can be a cause to some specific and serious health issues, such as Intervertebral disc disease and Limb deformities.
The best way how to prevent these problems is to buy the puppy from reputable breeder and keep the dog in healthy shape. Slim body will be much lesser load on their back and limbs and it will help prevent these problems. ​

1) Designer dog breed
The Dorgi is not purebred breed and it is not recognized by any major kennel clubs. It is a so called designer dog breed, which is just another term for a crossbreed, in this case the Welsh Corgi and Dachshund.

​2) Royal history
Most crossbreeds have unknown history and no one really knows who started the intentional breeding. That is not the case with the Dorgi. The breed started on the British royal court, when one of the Queen Elizabeths Corgi mated with a one of the Dachshunds of Princess Margaret. Over the time, there were many more Dorgis developed by the royal family and over the years, Queen Elizabeth has had at least 10 different Dorgis. Of course, no one knows on 100% if it was really Queen Elizabeth who was first to bred Corgis and Dachshunds intentionally, but it is the first documented breeding.

3) Companion
Even though an ancestor of a hunting and herding dog breeds, the Dorgi is typically not used for any real work and they almost exlusively live as a typical companion pets. On average they are lively and playful companions who like kids, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised. Dorgis can also live with other dogs without problems, especially if socialized together from the puppyhood. These dogs love to be in centre of attention, they are loyal, affectionate, curious and alert. They love chasing things on the yard, but also good nap in your lap. Overall, the Dorgi is amazing companion pet.

4) Exercise
Do not be fooled by the Dorgis appearance, this is not a coach potatoe. It is true, that they are not hyperactive dogs neither, but they definitely need daily longer walks, some playtime or fun training session to stay healthy and happy. For their small size, they do require relatively high amount of exercise, so do not be surprised with that, when considering Dorgi as your future pet!

5) Training
The Dorgi is capable of learning almost all the commands you can imagine, but it is not a total pushover to train. It is because they are, on one hand, very bright and intelligent, but on the other, quite stubborn and independent. This means that they will understand the command quickly, but they will not always obey them. It is important to be very consistent and patient during the training, do not be harsh on the dog, but be firm and kind. Use positive reinforecement during the training and give the dog big praises and favourite treats for doing good job.

6) Size
The Dorgi is, just like its parents, small sized dog breed, with average height between 10-12 inch, which is 25-31 cm and weight between 18-26 lbs, which is 8-12 kg. Females tend to be slightly smaller than males.

7) Coat
The coat of Dorgi can wary quite a bit and it depends a lot what is the coat type of the parent Dachshund, since they can have either short, rough or long silky coat. The Dorgi can also have all kinds of coats, but the most typical is medium long, dense and slightly wiry coat. But keep in mind, that this is a crossbreed and there is no guarantee when it comes to their appearance and coat type.

8) Color
Just like the coat type, even the color can wary a lot and the Dorgi comes in huge variations of colors. The most common colors include brown, black, chocolate, red, and white and combinations of those.

9) Maintenance
Speaking of the coat, it is important to mention the grooming as well and luckily the Dorgi is typically not a heavy shedder. They do require some brushing from time to time, but that is all you need to know, other than brushing, there is no other grooming needs associated with the Dorgi. Just like with any other dog breed, you should regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clean them or clip them if needed.

10) Health
The Dorgi is predisposed to the same health issues as its parent breeds, the Corgi and Dachshund and those health problems are mainly related with their long spine and short legs. These health problems include spine problems, patellar luxation, hip dysplasia or Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. The average lifespan of the Dorgi is between 12-15 years.

The Schweizer Laufhund, also known as Swiss Hound or Chien Courant Suisse is an enthusiastic hunter and lively, gentle and loving companion dog breed, which exists in four different varieties.

The four varieties are Bernese Hound, Jura Hound, Lucerne Hound and Schwyz Hound. All the four types have the same size, body type, face type or apperance and the only thing that separates them apart is their coat and skin color.

All four types have short, smooth and dense coat, which is fine on head and leathers. The Bernese Hound is white with black spots or black saddle, rarely with light speckles.

The Lucerne Hound has a blue color, which is a result of a combination of black and white hairs, heavily speckled together, with black patches or black saddle.

The Jura Hound is in tan and black coloration, sometimes with small white patch on the chest and rarely with grey or black ticking.

And last, but not least, the Schwyz Hound is, just like the Bernese, white dog, but they have orange patches or orange saddle, instead of black one. Slight speckles are also permissible.
now.

The Swiss Hound has athletic body, which is indicating strength and endurance, lean head, pretty long muzzle and very long majestic ears.

It is important to say, that there is also a dog breed known as Small Swiss Hound, also known as Schweizerischer Niederlaufhund. This breed evolved from the Swiss Hound and it comes in the same four varieties, but the difference is, that it is smaller, „basset“ like version of the Swiss Hound, but other than that, they are extremely similar.

And what about the temperament of the Swiss Hound? Well, it is a hunter, they have extremely good sense of smell and strong passion for hunting and chasing. They are very endurant and they are able to hunt the game for hours without tiring. The breed is described as steady on the trail and hunting with melodious cry. Overall, this is excellent hunter for all kinds of game, such as hare.

But when they are not on the hunt, this is pretty sensitive dog that is attached to its owner and family, and that wants to spend all time with them. It is pretty docile dog, that can easily learn all the basic obedience commands. They can live with other dogs in the family, especially if socialized together from the puppyhood and they can make good playful, lively and gentle partners for kids as well, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised. Other household pets might be problematic due to the Swiss Hound higher prey drive.

As you can expect from an active and endurant hunting breed, the Swiss Hound requires quite a lot of daily exercise to stay in good shape, both physically and mentally. Daily long walks, jogs, hikes, vigorous playtime or fun training sessions are essential for this dog breed. This is definitely not a coach potatoe, quite the opposite. Without daily exercise, these dogs will become bored and possibly develop some unwanted behaviour, such as excessive barking.

Now lets mention the history of this breed. And it is actually pretty old dog breed with long history. As the official breed standard mentions, the Swiss Hound presence in times of the Roman Helvetia is certified on a mosaics, discovered at Avenches, by the representation of packhounds corresponding to the varieties of Swiss hounds.

The breed was highly valued by Italians as early as the 15th century and French hunters started using this breed in 17th century. It is believed, that it was French mercenaries, who brought this breed to Switzerland and the original line of this breed was most likely influenced by other french scenthounds, like Petit Bleu de Gascogne, Porcelaine and Ariégeois. The official breed standard for Swiss Hound was finally written in 1933.

The last point will be the maintenance and grooming needs of the Swiss Hound. All four varieties sheds some deal of fur all year long, but they are very low maintenance. Brushing the coat once or twice a week is enough, to keep it in great condition, to remove all the loose and dead hair and to residistribute natural oils all over the coat. No other grooming is required.

This dog is known as very clean. They take care of themselves. You should definitely pay attention to the ears and clean them and dry them, so they do not develop any infections. This is very typical for all the long eared dogs. You should also regularly check their eyes, ears and nails and clean them or clip them if needed.