- The ground colour is white with black patches and sometimes speckled but not excessively.
- Two black patches are generally placed at either side of the head, covering the ears, surrounding the eyes and stopping at the cheeks.
- The cheeks are tan, preferably pale.
- Two tan markings placed above the superciliary arches give the eyes a “quatroeillé” (four-eyed) appearance.
- Traces of tan are also found on the inner side of the ears and in speckles along the legs.
- Some fawn hairs may appear on the upper part of the ear but without giving the head a tricolour appearance.
- Sometimes at the base of the upper thigh there is a typical dead-leaf marking called “roe buck mark”
About the Gascon Saintongeois
Origin: France
- Typical life span
- 11-13 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 30-35 kg
- Female
- 26-30 kg
- Height
- Male
- 65-71 cm
- Female
- 61-67 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI groupFCI divides this breed into varieties, and our sources don’t record which one a breeder works. Ask them which variety their line is.
- Scent hounds and related breeds
- Origin
- France
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Gascon Saintongeois?
Large, noble and powerfully built French scenthound with distinctive tricolor coat and elegant appearance. Known for its superb nose, melodious voice, and pack-hunting endurance, this athletic breed was developed for hunting large game in southwestern France.
Gascon Saintongeois history and origins
Developed in the mid-19th century by Comte Joseph de Carayon-Latour, who crossed the last remaining Saintonge Hounds with the Grand Bleu de Gascogne. Originally used for hunting wolves, now used for hunting deer and wild boar. FCI recognized.
Gascon Saintongeois appearance and size
Males typically weigh 30-35 kg and stand 65-71 cm at the shoulder; females 26-30 kg and 61-67 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Great Gascon Saintongeois: Dog used for shooting and sometimes hunting big game but also hare; generally with the pack or alone as a sleuth. Small Gascon Saintongeois: Versatile dog used for shooting. Its origins make it a hare specialist but also a good hunter of big game
- Behaviour and temperament
“Pack hound par excellence, fine-nosed, wide-casting and endowed with a very sonorous voice. Joins the pack instinctively. Calm, affectionate and amenable to orders”
Quoted from FCI standard n°21. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Gascon Saintongeois
What you get with the Gascon Saintongeois
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Great Gascon Saintongeois: Dog used for shooting and sometimes hunting big game but also hare”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Pack hound par excellence, fine-nosed, wide-casting and endowed with a very sonorous voice”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Gascon Saintongeois
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Short and tight
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Measured at 15+ months · Height at the withers (cm)
Size classification
Height at withers, with a tolerance of +/- 1 cm.
505560657075
- Grand65–72 Male, Males: 65 to 72 cm62–68 Female, Females: 62 to 68 cm
- Small56–62 Male, Males: 56 to 62 cm54–59 Female, Females: 54 to 59 cm
- Male
- Female
Height at the withers in cm. Transcribed from FCI standard n°21, read 2026-08-31.
Shortened from FCI standard n°21 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
FCI varieties
FCI divides the Gascon Saintongeois into these varieties, listed in the registry's own words. Depending on the breed they separate colour, coat, size or line — they are not a full list of colours, which no registry we hold publishes. Ask a breeder which variety their line is.
- Great
- Small
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Gascon Saintongeois in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Gascon Saintongeois
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Gascon Saintongeois on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Gascon Saintongeois owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Gascon Saintongeois breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.