The Grifón Korthals (Hard case-haired Griffon Korthals or Wirehaired Pointing Griffon) It is a breed of dog of French origin. Their ancestors are Dutch, but shown as a French race, It was in France where he developed.

This breed is still relatively rare in the Americas as well as in United Kingdom, Although it is recognized by their respective Kennel Clubs, as well as the Federation Cynologique Internationale (CRF not. 107).

The culprit of the existence of the Korthals Griffon was a man called Eduard Karel Korthals, born the 16 in November of 1851 in Amsterdam to, He was the son of a rich manufacturer of ships which possessed a strong interest in the breeding of hunting dogs, to the extent that his son inherited that passion and as a result and the ability for business, was born the beautiful Griffon, protagonist of this post.

His dream was to create the ideal hunting dog, versatile, with extreme resistance, force and devotion to his master. The dog, also, I would have to know working near his master, be docile and very capable of learning. In 1873 to the 22 years of age and with the financial support of his father, He settled near some friends in Hesse (Germany) a region known for his great love of hunting with dogs and was dedicated to the breeding of dogs Griffon.

Four years later, one of his friends, the Prince of Solms-Braunfels, I am confident the management of his kennel "Bibesheim" (was then, the most famous of Germany) It was devoted especially to the breeding of dogs English pointer, This change in his life not prevented it for nothing, continue with the development of their race Griffon.

In a short time Eduard Korthals became one of the largest breeders nationwide, very proud and sure of his work of selection, He began breeding over seven copies of different types Griffon, hard hair, woolly hair, barbets, a mestizo German short hair, etc. He called "The seven Patriarcar" and their names were: Bank, Hector, Janus, Satan, Donna, Junon and Mouche. Thus begins the story that after twenty years, It resulted in the birth of a specific breed of Griffon with wire hair, Griffon, with blood of Pointer (Although not pure, then we have) and beautiful dog, must be decirlo…

We must also tell which, Eduard Korthals work carried out a ruthless in his breeding program, with very close consanguinity coupling and many deaths on the road, well Yes..., the history has beautiful parts and others less so. Y, Here comes the bomb! A total of 600 dogs, only kept alive to 62 and he made them work in the Woods, in swamps, in Plains, in different seasons, to see how they worked in different situations and hunting tasks.

In the creation of his Griffon wire-haired, Korthals did not use all the blood purity of the English Pointer, because after having tried, He realized the mixture led to his Griffon lost some of its most important features.

With his method of consanguinity, exhaustive selection and unit, the Eduard Korthals Griffon was of such quality that many specialists den canine world in Germany, in Belgium, in the Netherlands, in France and several parts of Europe, they were stunned, given that Korthals had created a dog like no other, a dog with an essential width, a high speed in search, a well-developed sense of smell and, In short, its versatility.

The 15 in November of 1887, supported by the contributions of a Commission formed by 16 reputable breeders and presided over by the Prince of Solm-Braunfels (who years earlier had been entrusted to Eduar Korthals-- the management of his kennel "Bibesheim"), Eduar Korthals wrote the standard of the Korthals Griffon, that curiously never amended since then. The following year, He created a Club specializing in race whose objective was to bring together all the lovers of the Griffon Griffon wire-haired in several countries and until his death in 1896, He devoted himself to the improvement and dissemination of their race. He died of laryngeal cancer 4 in July of 1896 in the hatchery Bibeishem.

But despite his death, his ideas continued living, then many followers and friends as Baron Gingins (Switzerland), Charles Prudommeaux (France) and the Sr. Leliman (Netherlands) they continued their valuable work, Turning to the improvement of his Griffon wire-haired Griffon, and the diffusion of the breed throughout Europe and even in United States and Canada. It was the 8 in June of 1951, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Eduar Korthals to, the French Griffon Club of wire-haired decided to associate the name of Korthals to race, to perpetuate the memory of its creator, and in honor of all their achievements and life dedicated to the task of breeding. Hence comes the name "Griffon Korthals".

The first specimen recorded in the book of origins of the American Kennel Club was a Griffon Korthals called "Zolette", in the year 1887. However, the Griffon was still - relatively- unknown, It was recorded as "Russian Setter" (Griffon)”, by its supposed Russian heritage. It was not until 1916, Twenty-nine years later, the breed was officially recognized in United States.

In the same year, "sixteen copies of Griffon Korthals participated in the"Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show”, one of United States most prestigious dog shows. Since then, the race was growing in popularity, not only as a dog of exposure and company, but also a versatile hunting dog (that was the original intention of Korthals when created the race). For the most part, the race retains its original features: medium-sized, layer hard, good degree of training capacity and resistant in the field and in the ring.

The Korthals Griffon is defined as an intelligent dog, extremely friendly and eager to please its owner. They tend to keep their playful nature typical of puppy to adulthood. They are also known for their Adaptive temperament, because if you are not in the field is a very quiet dog which leads to that it can live in a house without problems. They are dogs that refer to be close to their owners, they love people and especially children.

Korthals Griffon most often live a long and healthy life, and this is due to the seriousness of all organizations and breeders dedicated to this breed who have a strong commitment to the health of the breed and breeding programmes carried out that are mostly very picky, as a result if we look at the statistics of the OFA cases of congenital diseases are - relatively- low.

There are dogs very similar to Griffon Korthal in other countries, both in appearance and temperament:

• The German wire-haired Braco, Germany equivalent.
• The Český fousek, equivalent in the State of Bohemia.
• The Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer, Slovakia equivalent.

Grifón Korthals

The Grifón Vandeano Pequeño or Small Basset Griffon Vendeen It is a small size hunting dog (Petit), under (Basset), hard hair (Griffon) of French origin

It was a race used, mainly, for hunting rabbits due to its large olfactory.

It was developed from the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen, larger copy, heavy and long.

In the past, often to raise both races together, was in 1975 crossing them was prohibited-law, Although they could still born puppies with characteristics of both races in a same litter.

In France, It was a popular hunting dog for nearly a century (origin s. 16TH); However, the breed is relatively new in other regions.

It is a small dog with a rustic look and unkempt nature, hard and rough hair. Their eyebrows, beards and mustaches are wooly. White base, with black spots, Orange or grey.

Grifón Vandeano Pequeño (Hounds of small size)

• Read all about the race by clicking on: Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen.