KENAI
Braque d'Auvergne

The breeds · gun dog · pointing

UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 180

Braque d'Auvergne.

FCI 180 utilization: 'Pointing breed'; gentle, very affectionate, intelligent and obedient, powerful sense of smell, adapts to family life. UKC: 'kind, intelligent and tractable', natural hunting instincts, keen nose. RKC: an 'excellent all round gundog'. Gundog Journal: an all-round hunter for over 200 years, only recently recognised as a distinct breed. Missouri Conservationist 2002: strong natural pointing and retrieving instincts, 'largely self-training'.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

24 / 22INHeightdogs 23.6, bitches 22. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
Infinity–70LBWeight, all linesbreed 70 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayRKC band: more than 2 hours per day. Ultimate Upland (editorial): high energy, over two hours of vigorous exercise daily. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 23.6 in (21.7 to 25.6) · bitches 22 in (20.1 to 24)

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 180, 2004

Center is the FCI ideal (56 cm). Low and high take in the Ultimate Upland editorial range (51 to 61 cm = 20.1 to 24.0 in); the standards alone give 20.9 to 23.2 in.

Weight

70 lb

EditorialJoel Vance, 2002

One editorial source, a 2002 magazine capsule; no low figure. Not a registry weight.

Coat

FCI 180 and CKC: hair short, not too fine, never hard, shiny; skin fine, rather loose. Colour black with white markings of variable extent, flecked or greying, head preferably black with a white blaze. UKC: short and shiny. RKC: white with black mottling giving a 'blue impression', head and ears predominantly black. Disqualifying: entirely black or white, no flecking, tawny marks, Dudley nose

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 180, 2004

fci_180, ukc_au, ckc_au, rkc_au.

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · 4 of 5: short, shiny coat, 'not too fine, never hard'; fine skin

DerivedFCI-Standard No. 180, 2004

Derived from the FCI 180 and UKC coat text (short dense = 4).

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

RKC band: more than 2 hours per day. Ultimate Upland (editorial): high energy, over two hours of vigorous exercise daily

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'more than 2 hours' mapped to 150 per the library rule. Ultimate Upland repeats the band.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · RKC band: grooming once a week; short coat; sheds

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Weekly brush = 2 on the 1 to 5 scale.

Grooming

RKC: grooming once a week, short coat, sheds

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

rkc_au.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 180 utilization: 'Pointing breed'; gentle, very affectionate, intelligent and obedient, powerful sense of smell, adapts to family life. UKC: 'kind, intelligent and tractable', natural hunting instincts, keen nose. RKC: an 'excellent all round gundog'. Gundog Journal: an all-round hunter for over 200 years, only recently recognised as a distinct breed. Missouri Conservationist 2002: strong natural pointing and retrieving instincts, 'largely self-training'

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 180, 2004

fci_180, ukc_au, rkc_au, gj_au, mdc_2002. Origin: Cantal, Auvergne, south-central France.

Primary game

Ultimate Upland (editorial): upland birds and waterfowl retrieval in the U.S. Gundog Journal (UK): rough and walked-up shooting, picking up and beating. No registry standard names a quarry

EditorialUltimate Upland

Editorial only; Ultimate Upland is an undated site page and its height figures differ from both standards, so weigh accordingly.

Range

Close to medium: Gundog Journal and Missouri Conservationist both say it works close to the gun; FCI 180 gait is 'average amplitude'

EditorialGundog Journal, 2021

Two editorial sources agree; one UK-registry standard is consistent. U.S. breeder sites (not opened) were not used.

Search pattern

Gundog Journal: works closely with its owner at a slower pace than other pointing dogs, following long scent trails through heavy cover and woodland. Missouri Conservationist 2002: 'methodical and close-working'. FCI 180: gait of average amplitude with sustained rhythm, hunting gait an average gallop. UKC: an endurance trot, long-strided

Breed clubGundog Journal, 2021

gj_au, mdc_2002, fci_180, ukc_au. The standards stress endurance over a day on hard terrain (FCI general appearance); the two magazines stress close, slower work.

Field trial standard

NAVHDA lists Braque d'Auvergne (BA) among its 35 recognized versatile breeds (testing: Natural Ability, Utility, Invitational). FCI 180: 'with working trial'. UKC recognized it in 2006; The Royal Kennel Club carries it on the imported breeds register; CKC lists it 'Recognized: N/A'. It is not on the AKC FSS hunt test list. French TAN and field-trial rules were not read

Breed clubNorth American Versatile Hunting Dog Association

navhda_breeds, fci_180, ukc_au, rkc_au, ckc_au, akc_elig. Missouri Conservationist 2002 (NAVHDA breed list) did not include the breed, so the NAVHDA listing postdates it. NAVHDA publishes no pass rates by breed.

Water work

Ultimate Upland (editorial): natural swimming ability when introduced early, used for waterfowl retrieval in the U.S.; NAVHDA lists the breed (BA), and its definition of a versatile dog includes retrieving on land and water

EditorialUltimate Upland

One editorial page plus the NAVHDA recognition; no registry describes water work.

Cold water

2 of 5 · 2 of 5: short, shiny coat; Ultimate Upland says the breed swims naturally when introduced early

DerivedFCI-Standard No. 180, 2004

Derived from coat (fci_180, ukc_au); the swimming remark is editorial, one source.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Most common disorders

RKC lists hip dysplasia as the one breed concern it names (BVA/KC hip scheme under Good Practice). Ultimate Upland (editorial): screening for hip dysplasia and for entropion or ectropion

EditorialThe Royal Kennel Club

rkc_au and uu_au. No prevalence figure exists; entropion/ectropion appear as disqualifying faults in FCI 180. Not a disorder ranking.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Braque d'Auvergne yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 6 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Auvergne Pointer, Auvergne Pointing Dog, Braque d' Auvergne

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The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

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