Griffon is a type of

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

, a collection of breeds that were originally hunting dogs. There are three lines of the griffon type recognized by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

(FCI): the Griffon Vendéens, the wirehaired pointers, and the ''smousje'' (Belgian companion dogs or Dutch Smoushond). The griffon type is characterized by rough- or wire-hair. The griffon is mentioned as early as

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...

. The hounds, Canis Segusius, used by the

Gauls The Gauls (; , ''Galátai'') were a group of Celts, Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age and the Roman Gaul, Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). Th ...

were griffons. Among the oldest breeds are the Italian Wirehaired Pointing Dog or Spinone Italiano (FCI #165) and the breeds bred by Eduard Karel Korthals originating in the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

(Belgium, Netherlands, northern France) which have a short, bearded muzzle. The ''smousje'', a small dog mentioned since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

in the

known for its firm, even temperament and rough coat, was the initial breeding stock for the

Brussels Griffon The Griffon Bruxellois or Brussels Griffon is a breed of toy dog, named for their city of origin of Brussels, Belgium. The Griffon Bruxellois may refer to three different breeds, the Griffon Bruxellois, the Griffon Belge and the Petit Brabanço ...

Griffon breeds

Scenthounds

Scenthounds (FCI Group 6, Section 1) * large size, long hair ** Grand Griffon Vendéen * medium size, coarse hair ** Briquet Griffon Vendéen **

Griffon Bleu de Gascogne Griffon may refer to: * Griffin, or griffon, a mythological creature with the body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle Businesses * Griffon Aerospace, an American aerospace and defense company * Griffon Corporation, a multinational cong ...

** Griffon Fauve de Bretagne ** Griffon Nivernais *small size **

Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen The Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen or GBGV is a dog breed from France. History The Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen is derived from the Grand Griffon. The first selections were made at the end of the 19th century by the Comte d'Elva who was loo ...

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen The Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen (), or PBGV, is a breed of dog of the scent hound type, bred to trail hares in bramble-filled terrain of the Vendée district of France. The breed is known in the United States as "Petit" or "PBGV," in Engl ...

Basset Fauve de Bretagne The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is a short-legged hunting breed of dog of the scent hound type, originally from Brittany, a historical duchy of France. Description Appearance The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is a smallish hound, built along the same li ...

Pointers

Pointers (FCI Group 7, Section 1) * Spinone Italiano or Italian Griffon (FCI #165) **White-orange Spinone Italiano **Chestnut-roan Spinone Italiano *

Wirehaired Pointing Griffon The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (also called the Korthals Griffon and the Griffon d'arrêt à poil dur Korthals in France and Quebec) is a breed of dog used in hunting as a gundog. It is sometimes considered to be Dutch in ancestry, due to ...

or Korthals Griffon or French Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (FCI #107) *

Český Fousek Czech ( ; ), historically known as Bohemian ( ; ), is a West Slavic language of the Czech–Slovak group, written in Latin script. Spoken by over 12 million people including second language speakers, it serves as the official language of the ...

or Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (FCI #245) * Slovak Rough-haired Pointer or Slovakian Wiredhaired Pointer or Slovenský Ohař Hrubosrstý or Slovenský Hrubosrsty Stavac (Ohar) (FCI #320) *

German Wirehaired Pointer The German Wirehaired Pointer is a medium to large-sized Griffon (dog type), griffon type dog breed, breed of dog developed in the 19th century in Germany for versatile hunting. It became a leading gun dog in Germany in the later part of the 20th ...

or Deutsch Drahthaar (FCI #98) * Drótszőrű Magyar Vizsla or Wirehaired Vizsla or Hungarian Wirehaired Pointer (Vizsla) (FCI #239) *

Stichelhaar The German Roughhaired Pointer, more commonly known and internationally recognized as the Deutsch Stichelhaar is a medium-sized dog breed, breed of pointing dog developed in Germany. History In the early 19th-century there were several varieties ...

or German Roughhaired Pointer

Companion/Toy Dogs

Small Belgian Companion Dogs, "Smousje" (FCI Group 9, Section 3) *

or Griffon Bruxellois (FCI #80) * Belgian Griffon or Griffon Belge (FCI #81) * Brabancon Griffon or Petit Brabançon (FCI #82) - has a short smooth coat

Notes

External links