Griffon

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

Griffon is a type of dog, a collection of breeds of originally hunting dogs. There are three recognized lines of the griffon type (FCI), the griffon vendéens, the wirehaired pointers, and the smousje (Belgian companion dogs). The griffon type is characterized by rough or wire hair.

The griffon is mentioned as early as Xenophon. The hounds, Canis Segusius, used by the Gauls were griffons. Among the oldest breeds is the Italian Wire-haired Pointing Dog or Spinone Italiano (FCI #165) and the breeds bred by Eduard Karel Korthals originating in the Low Countries (Belgium , Netherlands, northern France) which have a short, bearded muzzle. The smousje, a small dog mentioned since the Middle Ages in the Low Countries known for its firm, even temperament and rough coat, was the initial breeding stock for the Griffon Bruxellois.

Griffon breeds

Notes

External links



Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Saturday March 08, 2008 at 20:25:42 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation