Briquet

Breed overview

The Artois Hound or Chien D'Artois is a medium-sized breed of dog. A scent hound, the Artois was bred in northern France as a pack hunter. It is a rare breed today, but was popular in France before the 20th century. The breed was heavily crossbred and had to be reconstructed in the 1970s to more closely resemble the historical breed.

Breed facts

• A similarly named dog was referenced as early as 1609, with Prince Alexandre de Gray mentioning "a pack of little d'Artois dogs" in a letter.
• During the 19th century, the Artois Hound was increasingly crossbred with British breeds.
• Le Couteulx de Canteleu, in the 1890 Manuel de Vénerie Française, writes that it was difficult to find a purebred Artois, but the breed remained one of the best breeds for hare hunting.
• Despite these efforts, however, WWII was very damaging for the breed and after the Second World War, the Artois was all but extinct.
• In the 1970s, a few aficionados, in particular Audrechy, decided to reconstitute the breed from a few remaining specimens, including those of the Prince de Conde.

Size and appearance

The Artois is a medium-sized, muscular dog, about 53 to 58 cm high at the withers and 28 to 30 kg. It has a square-shaped muzzle and long, low-hanging ears. Its tail is long and carried upwards in a sickle shape. A scent hound, the Artois is a small pack hunter with a strong pack instinct. It has been used to hunt small game, as well as deer and wild boar. Like many hounds, it has a loud musical bark.

• Body mass reference: 28 - 30 kgAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 28 - 30 kg. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
• Height reference: 53 - 58 cmAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 53 - 58 cm. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.

• Coat length: short
• Height category: medium
• Height category: tall
• Weight category: large

Personality and behavior

Care planning: record what your dog enjoys, how they greet visitors, and how they respond to new places. Add notes after walks and training so you can see their habits over time. Where this profile includes behavior research, use the same named measures when comparing your shortlist.

Exercise and activities

Care planning: build a weekly routine with walks, play and time to explore. Enter the minutes and sessions that work for your dog, then compare the weekly total with your available time. Keep notes about the activities your dog enjoys and adjust the routine together.

Training and enrichment

Care planning: choose one everyday skill to practice and keep a record of each session. Note the cue, the reward your dog enjoys and what went well. Rotate familiar games and new activities, and use your notes to choose the next small step.

Coat and grooming

Care planning: use the coat details above to discuss a grooming routine with your groomer. Record brushing sessions, baths and appointments in the app. Add the tools you use and your preferred schedule so the whole household can follow the same routine.

• Coat length: short

Health and lifespan

Care planning: keep your dog's veterinary records, health-check dates and agreed care plan together. Add reminders for appointments and record changes you want to discuss at the next visit. Use the linked breed organizations and original references to explore their current health resources.

Living with this breed

Care planning: compare this profile's adult dimensions, coat care and available activity information with your household's routine. Make a shortlist, plan who will handle daily care and save the questions you want to ask a breed club, rescue or breeder.

Compare breeds

Compare supported adult height and weight ranges, matching research measures and sourced coat and care categories.

Breed history

The Artois Hound are from Artois, in northern France. A similarly named dog was referenced as early as 1609, with Prince Alexandre de Gray mentioning "a pack of little d'Artois dogs" in a letter. During the 19th century, the Artois Hound was increasingly crossbred with British breeds. Le Couteulx de Canteleu, in the 1890 Manuel de Vénerie Française, writes that it was difficult to find a purebred Artois, but the breed remained one of the best breeds for hare hunting. In the 1880s, Ernest Levair in Picardy had attempted the re-establishment of the old Artois type. Another prominent breeder contemporary to Levair, Mallard also bred Artois, but his dogs were much less similar to the historical descriptions of the breed. Despite these efforts, however, WWII was very damaging for the breed and after the Second World War, the Artois was all but extinct.

Clubs and further reading

• Artois Hound - article and references

Sources

1. Artois Hound - WikipediaWikipedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted excerpts from Wikipedia contributors, Artois Hound, revision 1368386156. CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting, citations and selection changed. Source history: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Artois_Hound&action=history
2. Wikidata structured breed dataWikimedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC0 1.0. Wikidata contributors (CC0).
3. National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.PLOS ONE / Figshare Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY 4.0. Bohland, Kyle R.; Lilly, Meghan Leanne; Herron, Meghan E.; Arruda, Andréia G.; O’Quin, Jeanette M. (2023). National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.. PLOS ONE. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289356.s003 CC BY 4.0. Selected rows and field names adapted; values unchanged.
4. Briquet generated breed portraitPalipaws Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: OpenAI output usage rights. Palipaws. AI-generated breed portrait.
5. Palipaws everyday care planningPalipaws Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: Palipaws original factual summaries. Palipaws. Original care-planning text, separate from breed measurements and licensed article summaries.