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The Griffon Bruxellois or Brussels Griffon is a breed of dog, named for the city of their origin, Brussels, Belgium. Part of the toy dog category, the breed is generally small, with a flat face, prominent chin, and large wide-set eyes that gives the Griffon an almost human expression and they are often compared to an Ewok.
Appearance: The Griffon Bruxellois is really three dogs
rolled into one, the Griffon Bruxellois, the Griffon Belge and
the Petit Brabançon. Identical in standard except for coat
and colour differences, in most standards they are considered
varieties of the same breed, much like Belgian Sheepdogs.
A sturdy toy dog with a thick set, well balanced body, that
should give a squared appearance in proportion when viewed
from the side. A proper Griffon should be muscular, compact
and well-boned, and should not seem delicate, racy or overly
cobby. The Griffon will often feel heavier than it is for such
a small size. Because they are judged by weight rather than
shoulder height, proper proportioning is essential to
determine if a dog is too fat, too slim or too tall for their
size.
Weight standards, especially upper range disqualification,
vary from standards, but the ideal weight is 3.6–4.5 kg
(8–10 lb) for both sexes.
The neck is medium length and arched slightly. The chest is
deep, and the back level. The tail, either cropped to
one-third it's length or natural in standards than allow for
that, should be set high, and when showing, should express the
alert, keen demeanor of the breed. Kinked tails are not
uncommon in the breed, and cannot be shown unless they can be
cropped below the kink to standard.
Head: The head is the most important characteristic
of this breed, and the most well defined aspect of the
standard.
The rounded head should be large to the body, but should
not appear to unbalance the dog. Depending on the standard,
the forehead will be referred to as "rounded" or
"domed". In either case, the appearance or the skull
should be of a circle (minus the features of the muzzle)
rather than an oval, and the forehead should not bulge or
protrude.
The ears should be high set but well apart, small, and
carried semi-erect if natural. They can be cropped; no
preference is given.
The dark, wide set, black rimmed eyes are very large and
expressive, giving the face its essential human-like
qualities. They should be prominent but not bulging.
The nose is broad with wide nostrils, black, and set at the
same level as the eyes. There should be a very pronounced
stop, and the muzzle between the nose and forehead should not
be more than 1.5 cm in length. Many standards prefer the stop
to be so strong as to leave no visible distance between the
nose and forehead. The nose should angle upwards. The muzzle
from nose to chin should not be in line with the face,
instead, it should slope towards the skull, giving a turned up
or layback look. The broad chin should be undershot and
prominent, sweeping up to the lips.
The lips should be black, and close fitting. The top lip is
short under the nose, and should not overlap the bottom lip,
nor should teeth or tongue should be visible. The upper lips
should not be pendulous in any way. The teeth should be strong
and straight, with none missing or askew.
Coat: In the Griffon Bruxellois and the Griffon
Belge, the coat is wiry and harsh. It should be dense, short
enough not to disrupt the form of the dog over the body, and
long enough to distinguish the texture and type from the Petit
Brabançon.
Furnishings around the face form a fringe around the eyes,
cheeks and chin, but should not be allowed to grow into a
long, flowing beard. Rather, they accentuate the natural form
of the chin and cheeks. The eyebrow, moustache and beard look
is essential to the human-like expression sought after in the
breed. There may be some furnishings around the legs as well,
though shorter than the head.
In the Petit Brabançon, the coat is short, smooth, glossy,
and flat, rather like a Pug or Boston Terrier.
Colour: Griffon Bruxellois: Red or reddish-brown;
black allowed on muzzle.
Griffon Belge: Black, Black and tan (a black and tan
pattern with emphasis on a rich red shade), Black and red
(black mixed evenly with reddish-brown hairs). Black and red
may have a black face mask.
Petit Brabançon: All colours allowed for the other
standards. Until recently, black short may have been a fault,
but it is now allowed in all standards. A black mask is
expected on the red or reddish brown coat. Grey hair from age
is not penalized.
Temperament: The Griffon Bruxellois is known to be a
bit sensitive, to have a huge heart, and to have a strong
desire to snuggle and be with his or her master. They have an
air of self-importance that can be especially charming. A
Griffon should not be overly shy or aggressive, however, they
are very emotionally sensitive. Because of this, they should
be socialized carefully at a young age. They will be alert and
interested in their surroundings.
Griffons tend to bond with one human more than others, and
because of this, along with their small size, may not be
suitable as a family pet, especially one with very small
children. They tend to get along well with other animals in
the house, such as cats, dogs and ferrets, but can get into
trouble because they have no concept of size, and will attempt
to boss around dogs much larger than themselves.
Having a Griffon means having a true constant companion.
They need their favorite person all the time, and will be very
unhappy if left outdoors or alone most of the day. A Griffon
Bruxellois will want to follow you about the house, on your
errands, and to bed.
History: For centuries, rough coated, short nosed
toy dog breeds have been found in Belgium, but the true
history of the Griffon Bruxellois started in the 1800s, not in
royal palaces, but in coach houses.
To help keep rats away, Belgium coachmen used to keep small
terriers called Griffons d’Ecurie in their stables. These
Affenpinscher-like dogs were friendly and popular. At some
point in the 1800s, these coachmen bred their Griffons with
imported toy dogs, such as the Pug, and the King Charles
Spaniel, bringing about the change in coat types that lead to
the Petits Brabançon, which was originally a fault of the
breed. The spaniels also brought the rich red and black and
tan colour of the modern Griffon Bruxellois and Griffon Belge.
The Griffon Bruxellois grew in popularity in the late
1800's with both workers and noblemen in Belgium. Queen Marie
Henriette was a dog enthusiast who visited the annual dog
shows in Belgium religiously, often with her daughter, and
became a breeder and booster of Griffon Bruxellois, giving
them international fame and popularity and indirectly leading
to two Griffon Bruxellois clubs starting in England and
America.
The First World War and World War II proved to be a
disastrous time for the breed. War time is difficult on any
dog breed, and the recovering numbers after the First World
War were set back by increased vigilance in breeding faults
such as webbed toes. By the end of the Second World War,
Belgium had almost no native Griffon Bruxellois left, and only
through the vigilance of dedicated breeders, in England
particularly, that the breed survived at all.
The breed has never been numerous or popular, but had a
brief vogue in the late 1950's, and now is generally an
uncommon breed. There has been a recent increase in interest
in the United States due to appearance of a Griffon in the
movie, As Good as It Gets, and also because of a general
increase in interest in toy dogs.
Miscellaneous: A Griffon Bruxellois can be seen in
the film As Good as It Gets (1997). It was played by six
Brussels Griffons, named Timer, Sprout, Debbie, Billy,
Parfait, and Jill. Jill was the star.
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