Picardy Spaniel is originated from France but Styrian Coarse Haired Hound is originated from Austria. Picardy Spaniel may grow 8 cm / 4 inches higher than Styrian Coarse Haired Hound. Picardy Spaniel may weigh 7 kg / 16 pounds more than Styrian Coarse Haired Hound. Both Picardy Spaniel and Styrian Coarse Haired Hound has same life span. Both Picardy Spaniel and Styrian Coarse Haired Hound has almost same litter size. Picardy Spaniel requires Moderate Maintenance. But Styrian Coarse Haired Hound requires High Maintenance
The Picardy Spaniel hails from France and has always been used as a gundog, having been crossed with different British hunting dogs.
While this dog breed is related to the Blue Picardy Spaniel, the Picardy is the older of the two breeds. It has always been sought after by the French nobility for its hunting skills and the fact that its weather resistant coat allowed it to hunt in all kinds of weather conditions.
The dog’s popularity waned in the early 20th century. The UKC have recognized the Picardy Spaniel as a Gun Dog and the breed has also been accepted within the FCI as a Pointing dog group.
The Styrian Coarse Haired Hound is a German hound, a medium sized breed that was found to originate in Styria in Austria. It was bred to be a boar hunting scent hound in the mountains. The breed is an Austrian Bracke and one of the largest. In the 1870’s the breed was developed by Karl Peintinger to get a hardy, rough coated hunting dog. Peintinger took the Istrian Hound and an old type scent hound of Hanoverian and continued selective breeding until he got the dog he wanted.
The breed is still used to hunt boar and track wounded animals. They work in high altitudes and rough terrains. They were not created to be companion animals and most of them are still working dogs. They do not make great house or family pets. Because of these circumstances, the breed is rare today.
Sometimes you will see the breed called the Peintinger Bracke after its developer. The Austrian Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1889 and the Federation Cynologique Internationale as a scent hound. The Styrian Coarse Haired Hounds were next recognized in 2006 by the United Kennel Club in North America, but not the AKC – American Kennel Club. There are many smaller kennel clubs and organizations for the breed as well many hunting clubs.
As mentioned, the breed is the largest of the Austrian Brackes. They are one of the three breeds included in the Grand Brackes. The name comes from the fact that all these dogs were developed for hunting in the Austrian mountains. They are pretty much unknown in the rest of the world. They thrive in the harsh climates of the Austrian mountains.
The Picardy Spaniel is larger than other spaniels. It is described as a medium sized dog, standing at 56 – 61cm in height and weighing between 20 and 25 kilograms. The body of the spaniel is squarely built and muscular body. The dog has long floppy ears and the coat which is shortish in areas except for feathering around the legs and belly can vary in colour from red to chestnut brown to sandy and chocolate. The tail is long and feathered.
The Picardy Spaniel is a docile breed of dog and makes a great family pet, loving being playful with the children in the home and getting on well with other dogs. He is gentle but sociable and intelligent too and is easy to train and socialize.
Although he has been used as a hunting dog he can slot into life in the city or the countryside. He can be indoors or outdoors and still be happy, so long as his family members are close by.
He is an active dog though, and won’t be content to be sitting around for too long, loving nothing more than to be chasing a ball or going for a walk with you.
The Styrian Coarse haired Hound is well muscled, medium sized and lithe. They run easily on all types and levels of terrain. Their coat is rough and harsh, giving the breed part of its name. They can tolerate both extremes of the climate temperatures. They are strong and confident dogs wearing a very serious facial expression. These guys are all about the job – the hunt. Their prey drive is extremely high.
The Picardy Spaniel is a docile dog who forms strong bonds with his human family.
He doesn’t gel easily with strangers though, but socialization and training will at least make him well behaved among strangers.
A well-mannered Picardy Spaniel is a joy in the home, and this gentle dog is guaranteed to make you the most wonderfully loyal and loving pet and companion.
Without any major health issues, your Picardy can reach 14 years of age and possibly even older. A couple of common dog conditions to be on the watch for include:
Your beautiful Picardy Spaniel has floppy ears and this opens up the tendency to suffer with ear infections. The inside of the ears are moist and hot and you as the dog owner can try to keep the inside of the ear clean and dry.
He is a dog that loves water too, and swimming encourages dampness. If you prefer not to work on the inside of the ears, dog groomers or your vet can clean the ears for you. An ear infection can be painful for your pet and it will require veterinary intervention.
These are dogs which can pick up weight quite easily. Dogs which are overweight are more prone to developing cancer, diabetes and heart disease, not to mention joint problems.
Other problems to look out for include cancer, bloat, dental disease and parasites.
The breed is fairly healthy and isolated from crossbreeding. They are susceptible to several major conditions.
• PRA or Progressive Retinal Atrophy = a group of degenerative, genetic eye diseases the cause blindness over time.
• Bloat – most large dogs suffer from this and not so much a medium breed like this one, but it is a condition that their energy levels and work ethics could lead to. Fatal if not treated immediately.
Your Picardy has a thick coat which sheds and the coat should be brushed at least twice a week to prevent matting. The ears of the Picardy Spaniel require special attention. Because they are long they will need to be cleaned and kept dry otherwise an ear infection can develop.
At the same time, check your pet over for ticks and fleas, check his eyes, keep the nails trimmed, and check inside his mouth for rotting teeth which can be the source of many health problems if left untreated.
If you have a puppy, you will need to provide 4 bowls of food in a 24 hour period. Check on the directions provided on the food packaging to see how much to feed your puppy.
By the time your Picardy is one year of age, he can move over to 2 bowls of food a day. Only the highest quality commercially manufactured food will be good enough for your dog. Food and its quality impacts the health and longevity of your pet.
Apart from dry kibble, try and provide some home-made food, keeping it as simple as possible. Dogs thrive on simple, consistent foods. Chopped up boiled chicken, brown rice, sweet potatoes, spinach and carrots added to the kibble now and then will thrill your pet. Occasionally you can also add in some raw meat.
Avoid feeding your dog things like coffee, chocolates, popcorn, nuts and onions as all these will just upset your dog's digestive system. The secret is to keep things simple and nutritious.
Make sure your pet always has access to fresh, cool water.
1Feeding the puppy – Feed this very active breed a high quality dog food for medium sized dogs. Feed puppies 3-4 times a day a total of ¾ to 1 cup.
2.Feeding the adult - feed this very active breed a high quality, high protein diet. Feed the adult 1-2 times a day a total of 1.6 cups of dry food.
4. Games and Exercises They are energetic, athletic and extremely agile. They are muscular and lithe and need a lot of exercise. The is a dog that can travel across rough terrain for hours at a time. They are tenacious hunters and need an outlet for that prey drive.
They need space and time to run. A large yard is great because you don’t want to take them to a dog park. Give them a lot of toys and puzzles. They excel at lure coursing, field trials and hunting trials. Their sense of smell makes them great at nose work and they like agility, tracking and rally obedience.