The Artois Hound or Chien D'Artois is a medium-sized breed of dog. A scent hound, the Artois was breed 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.
Characteristics
The Artois is a medium-sized, muscular dog about high at the withers and . They have a square-shaped muzzle and long, low-hanging ears. Their tail is long and carried upwards in a "sickle" shape. The coat is short and typically dark fawn tricolor, "similar to a hare or badger".
A scent hound, the Artois is a small pack hunter with a strong pack instinct. They have been used to hunt small game, as well as deer and wild boar. Like many hounds, they have a loud musical bark.
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.
left|frame|Engraving of the original D'Artois Hound.
During the 19th century, the Artois Hound was increasingly crossbred with British breeds.