The Chien Français Blanc et Noir is a breed that originated in France, and its name means “black and white French dog.” This breed was developed in the 19th century by crossing the now-extinct Chien de Saintonge with the English Foxhound and other French dog breeds like the Poitevin and Gascon Saintongeois. The Chien Français Blanc et Noir was officially recognized in 1957 and is known for its excellent hunting skills, especially when working in packs to track animals like deer.

In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about the Chien Français Blanc et Noir, including their temperament, exercise needs, and care requirements. Whether you’re an experienced dog owner looking for an active and intelligent companion or simply curious about this rare French breed, read on to find out if the Chien Français Blanc et Noir is the right fit for you.

Breed Overview

These dogs were originally bred as hunters, but they can also be wonderful companion animals. In this article, we will discuss the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir’s history more in-depth, as well as its temperament, trainability, and food, exercise, and grooming requirements. Keep reading to learn more about whether or not this dog is right for you and your family!

Chien Francais Blanc et Noir Characteristics

Chien Français Blanc et Noir Puppies

Since the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir is primarily found in France, if you live in the U.S., you will probably need to pay some transportation costs, as well. If you aren’t set on a purebred like the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir, you could consider adopting a dog from your local shelter instead. There are plenty of dogs waiting to be adopted and waiting to go home to a loving family.

When you welcome a Chien Francais Blac et Noir into your home, be ready to commit plenty of time to your dog. They need a lot of mental and physical stimulation to avoid boredom. Regular training and playing sessions will also be needed for them to burn off all the energy they have.

Temperament & Intelligence of the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir 🧠

The Chien Francais Blanc et Noir is a very intelligent, loyal, and playful dog that is sure to win you and your family over. However, you should know that it does have a stubborn streak, which can make it difficult to train if you are a first-time dog owner. In this section, we will go more into detail about things you should know before buying one of these dogs.

Are These Dogs Good for Families? 👪

The Chien Francais Blanc et Noir is usually a very suitable pet for families with children. They can make great playmates for your kids, especially since they are relatively high-energy. However, you should always teach your kids how to properly interact with your dog and supervise their interactions, especially if they are young. The Blanc et Noir can grow to be fairly large, and it would be easy for it to accidentally harm your children if it gets too excited.

Does This Breed Get Along with Other Pets? 🐶 😽

These dogs are pack animals at heart, which means they tend to get along very well with other animals. In fact, they would prefer the company of your other dogs while you are away from home. Make sure your other dog or dogs are not going to be aggressive with your Chien Francais Blanc et Noir, though; not all dog breeds get along with other dogs. One of the best things you can do to make sure they will get along is to socialize them from an early age. Even less friendly dogs are more likely to get along with a household dog with whom it was raised.

In terms of other pets such as cats and other small mammals, socialization will also help to make sure these pets get along with your Blanc et Noir. However, you should remember that the Blanc et Noir is a hunting dog, which means that its instincts could still take over in the end. If you have small mammals, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend that you purchase a Chien Francais Blanc et Noir for this reason. If you do, make sure to keep them separate, especially if you attempt to introduce them and it doesn’t go well.

Things to Know When Owning a Chien Francais Blanc et Noir:

Food & Diet Requirements 🦴

Choose a high-quality dog food formulated for medium to large-sized dogs when choosing what to feed your Chien Francais Blanc et Noir. Based on its size, a dog that is about 70 pounds should eat around 3.5 cups of dog food per day. Split that amount into at least two meals to prevent any digestive troubles.

The exact amount of food your dog needs depends on its age, ideal weight, and activity level. Talk to your veterinarian to discuss exactly how much and what type of food your Chien Francais Blanc et Noir needs.

Exercise 🐕

Because of its history as a working breed, the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir is a fairly active breed. You should aim for at least 45 minutes to an hour of activity per day to keep your dog happy and physically fit. In addition to long walks, these dogs enjoy accompanying their owners on runs or hikes. If you have a yard, your Blanc et Noir will love running around in it. If you don’t have a yard and you don’t want to take your dog out for a run, consider bringing it to your local dog park where it can go off-leash.

Training 🎾

The Chien Francais Blanc et Noir is a highly intelligent dog, but that doesn’t mean that it is always easy to train! These dogs have a tendency to be stubborn, which can make training them a slow and sometimes frustrating process. Make sure that you approach training your Chien Francais Blanc et Noir with patience and positive reinforcements rather than harsh words. You will also want to make sure you socialize your dog from an early age so that it knows how to interact with people, other pets, and sights and sounds it may encounter while out on a walk.

One thing to keep in mind about the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir is that it has a tendency to bark a lot. You will need to be diligent about training your dog to keep the barking at a minimum. Given how stubborn these dogs can be from time to time if you are a beginner, you may want to invest the time and money in hiring a professional trainer to work with your animal.

Grooming ✂️

Grooming the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir is relatively low-maintenance. These dogs do tend to shed a moderate to heavy amount, so you should plan to brush your Blanc et Noir about twice a week to help mitigate some of the shedding and keep your dog’s coat healthy. You should only bathe your Chien Francais Blanc et Noir as needed so that you don’t deplete its coat of healthy oils.

In addition to brushing and occasional bathing, you should trim your dog’s nails, clean its ears periodically, checking for infection, and brush its teeth about twice a week.

Health and Conditions ❤️

Overall, Chien Francais Blanc et Noir are very healthy dogs with few breed-specific health problems to look out for. However, like all dogs, the Chien Blanc et Noir could be prone to certain health conditions that you should be aware of. Below, we have listed some serious and minor health conditions to be on the lookout for.

Male vs Female

When deciding what type of dog you want to buy, you may also be thinking about the sex of the dog. You should know that overall, dogs are individuals with unique personalities. Therefore, any noted behavioral differences between males and females are usually just generalizations. That being said, dog owners often note behavioral and physical differences between male and female dogs. Many of these differences are distinct sexual behaviors that usually are not present in a dog that is spayed or neutered.

Regarding the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir, there are no known behavioral differences between male and female dogs. Physically, males are larger than females. Ultimately, the only way to know whether or not your dog’s personality will work for you and your family is by spending some time with your dog and, perhaps, its parents.

3 Little-Known Facts About the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir

1. The Chien Francais Blanc et Noir is a rare breed, even within its home country of France.

There are only about 2,000 of these dogs registered with the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.

2. The Chien Francais Blanc et Noir has pre-French Revolution ancestors.

These dogs, called the Saintonge, were hunting dogs whose populations declined and eventually became extinct during the war.

3. The Chien Francais Blanc et Noir is one of three “Chiens Francais.”

The other two breeds are called the Chien Francais Blanc et Orange and the Chien Francais Tricolore.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir can be a wonderful pet, but they are not for everyone. Specifically, they require a moderate to high amount of vigorous activity on a daily basis, so if you think you may be too busy to be able to help your dog meet this requirement, it may not be a good fit. These dogs also aren’t great for apartment-style living because they are fairly large and benefit from having access to a yard or another space where they can run around. Finally, the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir may not be for you if you are a first-time dog owner or if you are inexperienced at training dogs. However, if you feel that you can adequately exercise and train one of these dogs, the Chien Francais Blanc et Noir might just be for you!

Featured Image Credit: slowmotiongli, Shutterstock