Blue Picardy Spaniel
A gentle French gundog with a speckled blue-grey coat, calm at home and steady in marsh and field.
At a glance
- Size
- Medium
- Height at the withers
- Males 57–60 cm · Females 55–58 cm
- Weight
- Males 20–22 kg · Females 18–20 kg
- Life expectancy
- 12–14 years
- Exercise
- 60–120 min a day
- Grooming
- Once a week
- Coat
- Wavy, medium
- Colours
- Blue, Grey, Black, Roan
- Bred for
- Pointing, Retrieving, Water work
- Country of origin
- France
- FCI
- Group 7, no. 106 · Pointing dogs
Breeders on Kuldo
No breeders on Kuldo have this breed yet.
Living with the breed
| Affectionate with family | 5/5 – Very high |
|---|---|
| Good with children | 5/5 – Very high |
| Good with other dogs | 4/5 – High |
| Good with cats | 3/5 – Moderate |
| Open to strangers | 4/5 – High |
| Energy | 4/5 – High |
| Playfulness | 3/5 – Moderate |
| Needs mental stimulation | 3/5 – Moderate |
| Easy to train | 4/5 – High |
| Prey drive | 4/5 – High |
| Watchful and protective | 2/5 – Low |
| Barking | 2/5 – Low |
| Shedding | 3/5 – Moderate |
| Grooming effort | 2/5 – Low |
| Drooling | 1/5 – Very low |
| Good for first-time owners | 3/5 – Moderate |
| Suits apartment living | 2/5 – Low |
| Adaptability | 3/5 – Moderate |
| Copes with being alone | 2/5 – Low |
| Copes with heat | 3/5 – Moderate |
| Copes with cold | 4/5 – High |
Kuldo's own guidance from the breed's typical traits. Every dog is an individual, so talk to the breeder.
Is it the right breed for you?
Great if you …
- want a gentle gundog for family life
- enjoy marshes, lakes or country walks
- prefer a calm house dog
Think twice if you …
- need a dog that is easy to find from breeders
- have little time for daily exercise
- keep birds or poultry
Care
Temperament
Gentle, calm and affectionate with family; friendly with strangers. Keen and steady when working.
Exercise
Needs one to two hours a day with some off-lead time in safe areas. Field work, swimming, retrieving and long walks suit it.
Grooming
Brush weekly and check ears regularly, especially after swimming. Sheds moderately.
Training
Willing and sensitive; responds best to calm, positive training. Fairly easy for a gundog.
Health
A healthy breed overall; hip dysplasia and ear infections are the issues most often noted. Ask the breeder for hip and eye results of the parents.
Health tests breeders usually do
- Hips (HD)
- Eye examination
Ask the breeder to show you the parents' results.
About the breed
The Blue Picardy Spaniel was developed in the early 1900s in the Somme area of northern France, mainly by crossing Picardy Spaniels with English Setters. Hunters wanted a dog for woodcock and waterfowl in damp country, and the black-flecked grey coat that gives the breed its name came with the setter blood.
It is a soft-natured, sociable dog that is calm indoors and keen outdoors. It is rare outside France and Canada. In an active home it is gentle with children and easy to get along with, though it needs daily exercise and some outlet for its hunting instincts.
Did you know?
Its blue-grey colour comes from black ticking on white, inherited from English Setters used in its creation.