Picardy Spaniel

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chiendog
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Picardy Spaniel

Post by chiendog » Wed Jan 02, 2019 7:45 pm

For the first time in nearly 30 years, Lisa and I are down to one dog. Typically we have two or three, and we've had as many as 5 with us during the hunting season. But over the last three years, we've lost three dogs. Two to old age, one to f***ing cancer. So now, all we have is Leo. He's our first Picardy Spaniel, and he's freaking awesome! Here he is in action hunting ruffed grouse with my wife in one of our favourite coverts up here in Manitoba (click HD for best quality). https://youtu.be/BYRwlPnjNRA

So what the heck is the Picardy Spaniel? Basically, it one of several French breeds of "épagneul". "Épagneul" means "long-haired pointing dog" in French but it is usually translated as "spaniel" in English. And that causes all sorts of confusion for English speakers who assume that all 'spaniels' are flushing dogs, not pointing dogs. In fact the spaniel part of the Brittany's name has been dropped in the US and UK. Anywho, think of the Picardy as a kind of setter. It looks like a liver Gordon Setter (and there is surely Gordon and English setter in its background) but it hunts with a more 'continental' style, medium range, lots of run, point and fetch on land and water. For more information about the breed here is the link to the FAQ page on a website I've set up for the North American Picardy Spaniel Alliance. https://www.picardyspaniel.org

Image

Note: Leo is a good looking Picardy overall, and a heck of a good gun dog. But his coat is too curly for the breed standard. It should be flatter, more like a setter's coat. So have a look at some of the other photos on the website linked above to see what a correct coat should look like.

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Featherfinder
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Re: Picardy Spaniel

Post by Featherfinder » Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:26 pm

Great video! I think Leo is very handsome. Thank you for sharing.

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Dakotazeb
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Re: Picardy Spaniel

Post by Dakotazeb » Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:05 pm

Great looking dog. I've always had an interest in the Picardy Spaniels including the Blue Picardy. Over the past few years I've kept in contact with Vice Aiello in Calgary as he has some Blue's. He has been running them in some NSTRA trials in Montana and this September I was able to get out to a trial in Great Falls and finally meet Vince and his dogs. One of his dogs obtained it's Amateur Championship at that trial. I will say that Leo is a better looking dog than Vince's Blues but don't tell him that. :)

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chiendog
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Re: Picardy Spaniel

Post by chiendog » Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:39 pm

Vince has very nice Blues! And Blue Picardies (a separate breed from Picardies) are recognized by the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) so they can run in trials. Vince's dogs do very well in them. Us Picardy folks are using NAVHDA as our registry since neither the CKC nor the AKC recognize the breed...and we want to keep it that way :)

Here is another video about the breed in a Frequently Asked Question format: https://youtu.be/5vOWUxj481E (click 1080p for best quality).

I should mention that there is a Picardy female in SD now. I saw her in November when we were down there hunting pheasants with her owner. She is a very nice pup..still too young for hunting but has lots of potential to be a very nice dog.

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Re: Picardy Spaniel

Post by Trekmoor » Thu Jan 03, 2019 6:29 am

Hi Craig, that is a beautiful dog and a good working dog too. The breed is a good size for all-round pointing dog work. I have only seen one "in the flesh" and a lady from England owns her. She came to me a few years back to let me see this 10 months old bitch and to maybe give her some advice. The pup had been with a pro trainer over in France for a while for training and I got the impression he'd maybe been a bit too hard on the pup because she was a bit slow moving and hesitant when let off to hunt .
The bitch I saw was very sensitive in nature …..is this fairly common to the breed ?

Bill T.

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chiendog
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Re: Picardy Spaniel

Post by chiendog » Thu Jan 03, 2019 9:37 am

Trekmoor wrote:Hi Craig, that is a beautiful dog and a good working dog too. The breed is a good size for all-round pointing dog work. I have only seen one "in the flesh" and a lady from England owns her. She came to me a few years back to let me see this 10 months old bitch and to maybe give her some advice. The pup had been with a pro trainer over in France for a while for training and I got the impression he'd maybe been a bit too hard on the pup because she was a bit slow moving and hesitant when let off to hunt .
The bitch I saw was very sensitive in nature …..is this fairly common to the breed ?

Bill T.
Hi Bill,

Yes, Picardies, like all the French épagneul breeds are more like setters than GSPs, so it is not unusual to come across one that is fairly soft. My Leo was actually born in the UK, from the first ever litter whelped there (French parents of course). Hopefully you will see another Picardy or two in the UK, there is a club for the breed there now and a few of their members work their dogs. https://www.ukpicardyspanielclub.org.

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DonF
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Re: Picardy Spaniel

Post by DonF » Thu Jan 03, 2019 10:53 am

I've never heard of this breed before. Nice looking an did a real nice job! That's a Darne your shooting isn't it?

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chiendog
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Re: Picardy Spaniel

Post by chiendog » Thu Jan 03, 2019 1:07 pm

DonF wrote:I've never heard of this breed before. Nice looking an did a real nice job! That's a Darne your shooting isn't it?
Thanks! When we got Leo 2 1/2 years ago, he was one of only two in North America. Since then, about two dozen more have come over and two litters have been bred..more on the way. I am happy to say that all are in the hands of hunters and NAVHDA folks so far :)

And yes, I shoot a 20 gauge Darne V21 for upland birds (snipe to pheasants). The 20 is the one on the top. I sold the 12 gauge on the bottom, it didn't fit me quite right.

Image

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greg jacobs
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Re: Picardy Spaniel

Post by greg jacobs » Thu Jan 03, 2019 7:33 pm

Nice video of the little lady and your pup.
Tell me, can she out shoot you some days?
Loved it.

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chiendog
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Re: Picardy Spaniel

Post by chiendog » Thu Jan 03, 2019 10:17 pm

greg jacobs wrote:Nice video of the little lady and your pup.
Tell me, can she out shoot you some days?
Loved it.
YES! Quite regularly in fact. Here's a video taken on one such occasion: https://www.facebook.com/craig.koshyk/v ... 702445862/

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