Porcelaine Dog Breed - Facts and Information

AppearanceThe Porcelaine dog is very elegant, unique and athletic dog breed, showing top quality in all details of its structure. The average height should be between 21-23 inch, which is 54-58 cm and weight is typically between 55-62 pounds, which is 25-28 kg. The female tend to be slightly smaller than males.
The breeds hallmark is definitely the shiny, almost luminescent white coat. The base color is white with roundish orange spots on his body and ears. Orange ticking on the ears is highly characteristic of the breed. The coat is very short and fine.

The Porcelaine has black nose with pretty wide nostrils and round black eyes, which gives expression of intelligence and sweetness. Ears are settled slighlty below the line of their eyes, long, rotated inward and pointed at the ends.


Temperament
The Porcelaine was bred for hunt and even today, they are still sometimes used for this purpose. And they are great at it! These dogs are highly energetic, brave, independent and they have very strong nose and are able to easily pick up the scent of prey and track it over rough terrain.

But when they are not hunting, they are very social dogs who love their family, their pack. They thrive for our attention, are very affectionate and playful, they can live with other dogs and they are good playful partners for older kids. But of course, you should never leave any dog breed alone with a very young child.

Because of their hunting heritage, they have higher prey drive, so smaller household pets like rabbits or hamsters might be problematic. It is also important to mention that these dogs are quite vocal, but their voice is pretty melodious and musical.

Just like most of hunting dog breeds they have higher energy level and need daily physical exercise. They enjoy outdoors, exploring and sniffing and daily longer walks are must to satisfy this breeds exercise needs. On the other hand, they tend to be pretty calm indoors

These dogs are bright, intelligent and eager to please their owners, which makes them fairly easily trainable. fOverall, the Porcelaine is a great family companion for active people who like outdoors and know how to properly train and socialize the dog.


Interesting fact
The breeds name is derived from white shiny coats, through which their skin, marbled with numerous black spots, is faintly visible, which is similar as if you would put porcelaine plate against the source of light and put the hand in between the source of light and the plate. You will be able to see the hand through the Porcelaine plate. Sometimes they are also named as Chien de Franche-Comté, which is after a French region next to Swiss borders, which played an important role in the breeds history.


History
It is believed, that the Porcelaine is the oldest of all French hound breeds in existence. Just like with all old breeds, it is hard to say what are the exact ancestors or exact place and time of origin of this breed.

First mentions about this French breeds are from 1600s. They were developed for flushing and hunting hare, deer, and wild boar. These dogs were quite popular hunting companions in these days, but they were associated with French aristocracy and after the French Revolution, their numbers declined a lot. The breed almost dissapeared after the Revolution, but the breed was revived. The major role in the breeds reestablishment was played by monks from the French-Comté area.

Today, the breed is not on the verge of extinction anymore, but it is still rare, especially outside France. Their popularity is slowly raising and today they can be found in Italy, UK, Poland and some other European countries and USA.


Health and grooming
The Porcelaine is usually a very healthy dog breed with average lifespan between 12-13 years. Just like all dogs, they can suffer from some typical dog health issues, especially at older age. These include hip dysplasia or infections, but they do not suffer from any of these as much as other dog breeds.

The Porcelaine has a short single coat which is very easy to maintain. The grooming needs are minimal and even without any brushing, the coat will remain in good condition. You can brush them once in a while to remove the dead hair and dirt. The bathing is also needed only when its really necessary. Just like with all dogs, you should regularly check the dogs eyes, ears, teeth and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.
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