Overview
The Ariégeois is a medium pack hound from the Pyrenean department of the same name, produced around 1900 by crossing local hounds with Grand Bleu de Gascogne and Gascon Saintongeois. It is fine-boned for a hound, with a short white coat marked in black and a soft, sweet expression.
Pack hounds are usually easy-going with dogs and people, and the Ariégeois is no exception. It is affectionate, quiet indoors and happy in company. Outdoors it is a hunting dog first, with an exceptional nose and a strong, musical voice.
Exercise and walking needs
Two hours a day of movement is the realistic requirement for a fit adult. They are built to trail game across a mountainside for hours and do not tire on a normal walk. Long rambles with lots of scent satisfy them best.
The coat is fine and short, so the dog feels cold in winter and may need a jacket when standing around.
On the walk
- Trailing: Hare scent will take the dog across the county. Keep it on a line in any open space, and do not expect recall to compete with a trail.
- Voice: A carrying hound bay when game is scented. It can alarm people and livestock, so plan quiet routes.
- Other dogs: Pack-bred and typically sociable. Good company on group walks as long as everyone can match the pace.
- Lead: A trailing hound leans steadily into the harness rather than lunging. Comfortable for you if you keep the lead low and your hands relaxed.
Tips for professional walkers
- Put the sniffing first: a hound that has worked a few scents is far easier to walk afterwards.
- Use a padded harness and a long line in open ground, gloves on.
- Keep well clear of hare and deer country during the walk if you want any control.
- Check the pads and ears after long walks across rough or wet ground.
What to ask the owner
- Has the dog been hunted, and what commands or horn signals does it respond to?
- How does it manage being left alone, and does it live with other dogs?
- Has it ever got loose on a scent, and how did you recover it?