Great Gascony Blue (Grand Bleu de Gascogne)

Print my Pet · 20. October 2026 · 3 min čítania·Aktualizované 20.10.2026

Grand Bleu de Gascogne als Wandbild im Stil Kohle-Sketch, Raum: blaues Arbeitszimmer

In the 14th century, Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix, hunted wolf, bear and wild boar with packs of this dog. The FCI standard tells that story, placing the Great Gascony Blue alongside the Saint Hubert Hound in time. The name reflects the slate-blue sheen of the coat and Gascony.

FCI	Group 6 (Scent hounds and related breeds), Section 1.1 Large-sized Hounds, Standard No. 22, with working trial
Country of origin	France
Height at the withers	Males 65 to 72 cm, females 62 to 68 cm
Weight	Not specified in the FCI standard
Life expectancy	No reliable study figure found (N/A)
Coat	Short, fairly thick and very dense
Colours according to the standard	Entirely black-white mottled with a slate-blue sheen, with or without black patches; two black head patches with white between, often containing a small black oval; tan spots above eyes and tan traces on cheeks, lips, legs and beneath tail

Ancestor of southern scent hounds

The standard calls this the source of all scent-hound breeds of the Midi, southern France. The family includes the Gascon Saintongeois, into which Bleus were crossed in the 19th century, and the smaller namesake, the Small Gascony Blue (Petit Bleu de Gascogne). Definitive FCI recognition of the Grand Bleu dates from 1963.

Quiet power, deep voice

The impression should be imposing, of quiet power and great nobility. A very fine nose, thorough hunting and a deep howling voice. The standard describes a calm dog, readily directed and instinctively fitting into a pack. Outdoors, the dog works persistently and reluctantly abandons a trail.

What such a large hunter needs

Used in shooting hunts, sometimes mounted pursuit of large game and also hare hunting, usually in a pack or alone as a tracker. Without hunting, provide long daily sniffing walks and tracking or mantrailing. Up to 72 cm at the withers makes a large car essential. Discuss the deep howl with neighbours beforehand.

Ears beyond the nose tip

The short, dense coat needs little: weekly brushing, more during shedding. Thin, folded ears extend beyond the nose tip under the standard; lips hang markedly, a dewlap sits at the neck and cheeks form one or two folds. Check ears and folds regularly and keep clean.

Take gastric torsion seriously

No reliable lifespan figure exists; McMillan and colleagues do not list the breed. The 2004 British pedigree-dog survey offers a warning. Evans and Adams placed the Grand Bleu de Gascogne among breeds at highest risk of gastric-torsion death, with only the Bloodhound (Chien de Saint Hubert) ranked ahead. For survived torsion cases, the breed ranked first. Across all breeds, the condition accounted for 2,5 per cent of reported deaths (Evans and Adams 2010). Ask your vet early about warning signs and preventive gastropexy.

For experienced people

Hunters with hunting ground or a pack, and experienced rural owners with space and ample daily scent work.

Less enjoyable

In an upstairs flat, without a car for a large dog, or where the voice causes nightly household trouble. A dog from Gaston Fébus’s packs needs to track, not merely look handsome.

To see whether a large, deep-voiced pack hound fits your life, try the breed quiz, with a more thorough answer in our book “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). For a young Bleu at home, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. The slate-blue sheen looks lovely on a magazine cover on canvas, with further formats among our dog portraits.