Brussels Griffon : Information and Community for the Brussels Griffon and its owner

brussels griffon

For centuries, rough coated, short nosed toy dog breeds have been found in Belgium, but the true history of the Griffon Bruxellois started in the 1800s, not in royal palaces, but in coach houses. To help keep rats away, Belgian coachmen used to keep small terriers called Griffons d’Ecurie in their stables. These Affenpinscher-like dogs were friendly and popular. At some point in the 1800s, these coachmen bred their Griffons with imported toy dogs, such as the Pug, and the King Charles Spaniel, bringing about the change in coat types that lead to the Petits Brabançon, which was originally a fault of the breed. The spaniels also brought the rich red and black and tan colour of the modern Griffon Bruxellois and Griffon Belge. The Griffon Bruxellois grew in popularity in the late 1800s with both workers and noblemen in Belgium. Queen Marie Henriette was a dog enthusiast who visited the annual dog shows in Belgium religiously, often with her daughter, and became a breeder and booster of Griffon Bruxellois, giving them international fame and popularity and indirectly leading to two Griffon Bruxellois clubs starting in England and America. The First World War and Second World War proved to be a disastrous time for the breed. War time is difficult on any dog breed, and the recovering numbers after the First World War were set back by increased vigilance in breeding faults such as webbed toes. By the end of the Second World War, Belgium had almost no native Griffon Bruxellois left, and it was only through the vigilance of dedicated breeders (in England particularly) that the breed survived at all. The breed has never been numerous or popular, but had a brief vogue in the late 1950s, and now is generally an uncommon breed. There has been a recent increase in interest in the United States due to appearance of a Griffon in the movie, As Good as It Gets, and also because of a general increase in interest in toy dogs.

The Griffon Bruxellois or Brussels Griffon is a breed of toy dog, named for the city of their origin, Brussels, Belgium. The Griffon Bruxellois may refer to three different breeds, the Griffon Bruxellois, the Griffon Belge and the Petit Brabançon. Identical in standard except for coat and colour differences, in some standards they are considered varieties of the same breed, much like Belgian Sheepdogs

pets

If you're a fan of the brussels griffon then check out the brussels griffons below. view all pets >>>

Oscar
Age: 7Y Sex: M

United States
Monkey
Age: 3Y Sex: M

United States
jojo
Age: 2Y Sex: M

United States
Ozzie
Age: 12Y Sex: M

United States
Belladonna
Age: 3Y Sex: F

United States

Kumis
Age: 2Y Sex: M

United States
ivy coraline
Age: 2Y Sex: F

United States
Bella Grey
Age: 4Y Sex: F

United States
Tori
Age: 3Y Sex: F

United States
MoJo
Age: 3Y Sex: M

United States

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pictures

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videos

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buddy and his...

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00:36

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178

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owners

Below is a list of a couple of brussels griffon owners. Our community of owners has pictures, videos, blogs and more and we invite you to explore them all. view all owners >>>

Dane
Age: 51 Sex: M

Blountville, TN
justdance3381
Age: 22 Sex: F

Norwell, MA
sparklebreeze
Age: 54 Sex: F

Kissimmee, FL
SallyJane
Age: 57 Sex: F

Prescott Va..., AZ
shannon5dogs
Age: 56 Sex: F

Spokane, WA

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blogs

What does a brussels griffon think about on a daily basis? Well, check out the brussels griffon blogs below and find out. view all blogs >>>

I got My Present!
A big box from Dogswell came today and it was FULL of fun stuff just for ME... read more

Posted by : Oscar
Long Day
Today was so boring! I walked around looking for different places to nap, ... read more

Posted by : Oscar
Allergies
Mommy asked the lady vet for more anti-histamine pills for me -- yuck!! Bu... read more

Posted by : Oscar

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Brussels Griffon".