Go braque to basics

A host of French gundog breeds remain a mystery to British owners, but David Tomlinson believes the Bourbonnais is a potential star

- David Tomlinson

WHAT’S A BRAQUE?

It’s a question that braque owners are frequently asked and most will tell you that it’s a type of French gundog, one of a group known in their native country as les chiens d’arrêt.

The word arrêt translates as stop, indicating that these are dogs that stop when they find game. They should then point their quarry until the chasseur (hunter) arrives with his gun. France has a number of different braques, of which the best known are the Français, the Ariège, the Auvergne, the Saint-Germain and the Bourbonnais. Curiously, especially compared with their German equivalents, few have ever been imported into the UK.

Of the quintet, only the braque d’Auvergne is established here, though it remains a rare breed. In the past couple of years, it has been joined by the braque du Bourbonnais.

Earlier this month, I encountered my first-ever member of the breed, a pretty two-year-old bitch called River, owned by Tracie Rickman. If you are active in the world of working HPRs Tracie’s name is likely to be familiar, for she is the field trial secretary of the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla Club of Great Britain. Tracie, a professional gamekeeper, has no fewer than 12 wirehaired vizslas, so I was surprised when I heard that a French dog had joined her strictly Hungarian pack. Investigation was required.