Porcelaine

Other names: Chien de franche-comté, French Scent Hound

Porcelaine

The Porcelaine is, primarily, a hunting dog - but what makes it stand out from the rest is its sheer love and affection towards its family. Warm, loyal and affectionate yet active, energetic and intelligent, you could call it the perfect hunting companion!

The Porcelaine loves company and is prone to separation anxiety. On top of this, it also has a particularly high exercise requirement. Therefore, a dog of this breed is best placed with an owner who’s around most of the time and who enjoys an active lifestyle.

Key facts about the Porcelaine

Life expectancy :

5

17

10

12

Temperament :

Hunter

Size :

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Origins and history

The Porcelaine is thought to be one of the oldest French scent hounds in existence today, believed to date back to 1845. Today, numbers of the breed are low but breed lovers in France are working to revive it.

FCI breed nomenclature

FCI Group

Group 6 - Scent hounds and related breeds

Section

Section 1 : Scent hounds

Physical characteristics of the Porcelaine

Adult size

Female : Between 21 and 22 in

Male : Between 22 and 23 in

Weight

Female : Between 44 and 55 lb

Male : Between 66 and 55 lb

Coat colour

Type of coat

Eye colour

Brown

Description

The Porcelaine is well-proportioned, medium-sized dog with slender shoulders, long legs, deep chest and a medium-length, tapered tail. The Porcelaine is best known for its glossy, shining white coat which, from a distance, looks like glass. As hounds go, this breed is rather unique, with adorable long, large, floppy ears, wide black nose and dark, kind-looking eyes. The head is slim, the muzzle is long and the forehead is flat.

Good to know

The breed’s name, Porcelaine, was inspired by its glossy, glass-like white coat.

Temperament

  • 66%

    Affectionate

    The Porcelain dog is primarily a utility dog ​​that usually lives outdoors and in packs. He is not the most affectionate dog in his category, but if he is raised at home as a sporty pet dog, he knows how to be demonstrative.

  • 66%

    Playful

    This breed has endless energy and needs regular stimulating activities. Games sessions support physical and mental wellbeing, and also strengthen the relationship between owner and dog. Beware of throwing games that only reinforce the pursuit instinct of the dog, already well marked in this race.

  • 66%

    Calm

    The Porcelaine is known to be kind, gentle and placid within the home providing it gets enough exercise.

  • 66%

    Intelligent

    This dog was bred from two other extremely intelligent French and English hounds. it’s highly intelligent, leading it to have been commonly used as a search and rescue, medical therapy and police dog.

  • 100%

    Hunter

    This breed was bred to hunt by scent and therefore have a very strong prey drive, able to locate prey via scent and track it down.

  • 33%

    Fearful / wary of strangers

    The Porcelaine is one of the most sociable breeds around; always friendly and never shy around strangers.

  • 66%

    Independent

    The Porcelaine can take a lot of initiative, but unlike some other hounds, it’s not a disobedient breed.

    Behaviour of the Porcelaine

    • 33%

      Tolerates solitude

      With the Porcelaine’s love of human companionship comes a low toleration to time left alone. This breed will quickly become lonely, distressed and destructive when alone and therefore needs an owner who is around for the majority of the day.

    • 100%

      Easy to train / obedience

      The Porcelaine is easier to train than most hounds, but its needs must be met to keep its attention. Ideally, it needs a trainer who has experience with willful dogs who can help the Porcelaine grow into the sweet-natured, obedient pup it’s so capable of being.

    • 100%

      Barking

      Known as a ‘singing breed’, the Porcelaine can sometimes be a little noisy. Mostly, it’s all down to excitement or a simple ‘Welcome home’ bark. If this breed feels lonely or bored, only then could barking become excessive. When calm, quiet and content, this breed can be pretty quiet.

    • 100%

      Tendency to run away

      As a natural born hunter, the Porcelaine is likely to run off and chase at the first smell of prey. 

    • 66%

      Destructive

      The Porcelaine’s separation anxiety tendencies or a lack of exercise may cause it to become destructive if left alone for too long.

    • 66%

      Greedy / Gluttony

      This is a dog with a good appetite. However, be careful because it can be subject to stomach torsion. He should eat quietly and avoid large quantities in one meal.

    • 33%

      Guard dog

      While the Porcelaine may bark if it feels something feels out of place or suspicious, he’s far too friendly to be a watchdog.

    • 66%

      First dog

      While the Porcelaine has a wonderful friendly temperament, its independent and willful streak means that ideally, it needs an experienced owner who has experience in training strong-minded dogs, and knows how to satisfy his need for action.

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      Lifestyle

      • 66%

        Porcelaine in a flat

        This is an energetic breed which needs plenty of room to roam around. Ideally, the Porcelaine will live in a house or flat which has a large garden or land where it can stretch its legs throughout the day.

      • 100%

        Need for exercise / Sporty

        Bred as a working, hunting dog, the Porcelaine has a very high exercise requirement and needs at least a couple of hours of vigorous exercise every day, on top of plenty of playtime and roaming time in the garden. This breed will love high-energy activities like swimming, running and hiking.

      • 66%

        Travelling / easy to transport

        Although the Porcilaine’s average size does not allow it to access all types of transport very easily, its calm and docile nature means that it can tolerate travel if it has been socialized to it from a young age.

        Compatibility

        • 100%

          Porcelaine and cats

          Although its hunting instinct is particularly developed, if the Porcelain puppy gets to know a cat at a very young age, it will consider him as a member of its social group.

        • 100%

          Porcelaine and dogs

          Bred to hunt in a pack, this breed enjoys the company of other dogs and copes well living alongside other dogs.

        • 100%

          Porcelaine and children

          The Porcelaine loves being part of the family and gets along famously with kids.

        • 33%

          Porcelaine and the elderly

          Despite this breed’s warm and friendly nature, its high exercise requirements are likely to be too much for an elderly owner.

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          Price

          It is extremely rare in the UK. We do not have enough data to set an average price.

          Looking after a dog of this size typically costs between £90 to £150 a month, including food, medical/insurance, and incidental expenses.

          Grooming

          Thankfully, the Porcelaine’s coat, although beautiful, doesn’t take much upkeep - a weekly brush to remove dead hairs will suffice. The long ears will need checking and cleaning regularly to prevent infection, as well as thorough drying after swimming of bathing. This breed also has fast-growing, thick claws which will need trimming every few months.

          Shedding

          Moderate, with seasonal moults.

          Nutrition of the Porcelaine

          Ideally, the Porcelaine will eat a high-quality, complete and balanced food for large or active dog breeds due to its high energy requirements. Dishes should ideally be based on raw meat, vegetables and starchy foods, and foods rich in calcium and vitamins. To avoid stomach upset, it is advisable to divide his daily ration in two bowls a day and to make him eat calmly, without stimulating him before or after his meal.

          Health of the Porcelaine

          Life expectancy

          The life expectancy of a Porcelaine dog is 11 years.

          Strong / robust

          The Porcelaine is a strong, sturdy and robust working dog.

          Withstand heat

          Due to this dog’s single coat, it can tolerate heat quite well. However, it should always have access to cold water and shade.

          Withstand cold

          Unfortunately, the Porcelaine doesn’t have a waterproof or thick coat to protect it from very cold weather, but its tenacity and determination will help to withstand most climates.

          Tendency to put on weight

          Although the Porcelaine isn’t known to be particularly prone to obesity, they should still be fed a balanced, high-quality diet and be exercised thoroughly.

          Common illnesses

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