Overview
The Grand Anglo-Français Tricolore looks like a leggier, lighter English Foxhound with a French accent: a tricolour coat, long ears, a deep chest and the kind of frame that eats up kilometres. It was developed for mounted hunts in France and is still kept mainly in those packs, where it runs with dozens of its own kind.
Walkers will rarely meet one, and those who do are usually helping a family that took on a retired hound. The dog brings an easy nature and good manners with other dogs. It also brings a lifetime of never having needed to pay attention to a person on foot.
Exercise and walking needs
Plan two hours a day in a mix of lead walking and tracking-line work, with a secure field hire now and then for flat-out running. A dog this fit will not tire on a lap of the local park.
Hounds coming out of a kennel often need the opposite problem managed: a slow introduction to the outside world, with shorter, calmer walks until traffic, bins and front doors have stopped being alarming.
On the walk
- Recall: Non-existent in any meaningful sense. The dog is not stubborn; it has simply never been asked to come back to one person.
- Pulling: Steady, strong and relentless once scent is up. Front-clip harness, two points of attachment, and keep your hands free of coffee cups.
- Voice: A loud, carrying bay when it strikes a line, and sometimes just for joy. Rural routes suit it better than terraced streets.
- Other dogs: Lives easily alongside other dogs and tends to accept them as fellow pack members. Watch play with very small dogs.
Tips for professional walkers
- Short, slow walks in quiet places first; distance comes later.
- Introduce the harness indoors and let the dog wear it before the first outing.
- Give long sniffing time along hedges and verges as the main event of the walk.
- Keep the owner's phone number and the dog's microchip details with you.
What to ask the owner
- How does the dog cope with traffic, crowds and sudden noises on a walk?
- Has it shown any reaction to deer, sheep or horses, and which routes are safe?
- Is the dog settled with handling, or still wary of hands, harnesses and leads?