Base colour
White with jet black markings with well defined outlines
- sometimes mottled.
- Presence of quite pale tan on the cheeks and above the eyes
About the Ariegeois
Origin: France
- Typical life span
- 10-14 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 25-30 kg
- Female
- 22-30 kg
- Height
- Male
- 52-61 cm
- Female
- 50-56 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Scent hounds and related breeds
- Origin
- France
- Also called
- Sabueso del Ariege
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Ariegeois?
Medium-sized, elegant French scenthound with distinctive tricolor coat, lean body, long ears, and light limbs. Bred for pack-hunting hare and deer, known for keen nose, stamina, and scent-tracking abilities.
Ariegeois history and origins
Developed in the Ariège region of southern France in the early 20th century by crossing local briquet hounds with Grand Bleu de Gascogne and Grand Gascon-Saintongeois to create a versatile and durable pack hound for hunting hare
Ariegeois appearance and size
Males typically weigh 25-30 kg and stand 52-61 cm at the shoulder; females 22-30 kg and 50-56 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Scenthound used for driving game to waiting guns and for coursing. His medium size and lightness make him a precious auxiliary, whether he hunts on his own or in a pack, capable of evolving easily on difficult terrains. Hare hunting is his favourite type of hunting; but he is also used in tracking roe deer or wild boar
- Behaviour and temperament
“Behaviour: From his origins he is hardworking dog being at the same time very good at driving game to the waiting guns and showing proof of much initiative and enterprise. He has a resounding voice and is quick in his plotting. Character: Happy and sociable; easy to train”
Quoted from FCI standard n°20. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Scenthound used for driving game to waiting guns and for coursing. His medium size and lightness make him a precious auxiliary, whether he hunts on his own or in a pack, capable of evolving easily on difficult terrains. Hare hunting is his favourite type of hunting; but he is also used in tracking roe deer or wild boar” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Ariegeois
What you get with the Ariegeois
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Scenthound used for driving game to waiting guns and for coursing”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Behaviour: From his origins he is hardworking dog being at the same time very good at driving game to the waiting guns…”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Short, fine and dense”
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 · Ariegeois
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Short, fine and dense
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.
Shortened from FCI standard n°20 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Ariegeois in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Ariegeois
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Ariegeois 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 Ariegeois 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 Ariegeois 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.