Its creation was a rescue with a bitter ending. To preserve a nearly vanished Saintonge scent hound, a count crossed its last descendants with blue Gascony hounds in the mid-19th century. The result was the Gascon Saintongeois, while the Chien de Saintonge disappeared completely.
| FCI | Group 6 (Scent hounds and related breeds), Section 1.1 Large-sized scent hounds (Grand Gascon Saintongeois) and Section 1.2 Medium-sized scent hounds (Petit Gascon Saintongeois), Standard No. 21, with working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | France |
| Size (height at the withers) | Large variety: males 65 to 72 cm, females 62 to 68 cm; small variety: males 56 to 62 cm, females 54 to 59 cm; tolerance of 1 cm in each |
| Weight | not specified in the FCI standard |
| Life expectancy | no reliable study figure found (N/A) |
| Coat | short and dense |
| Colours in the standard | white with black patches, sometimes moderate ticking; usually two black patches on sides of head over ears and eyes; pale tan cheeks and tan spots above eyes; sometimes a dead-leaf-coloured deer mark low on the thigh |
The count who combined two strains
According to the standard, Count Joseph de Carayon-Latour crossed the last Chiens de Saintonge with Baron de Ruble’s Bleus de Gascogne. Meet the blue parent breed in the Grand Bleu de Gascogne entry. The FCI definitively recognised the Gascon Saintongeois in 1963; the valid standard dates from August 2023.
Large and small
A second variety has existed since the mid-20th century. Hunters in southwestern France selected the smallest dogs from their litters to establish the Petit Gascon Saintongeois, initially mainly for hare hunting. The Grand hunts large game and hare, usually in packs, while the Petit is regarded as a versatile gun hound. Small is relative: males of the smaller variety reach 62 cm.
Quiet at home, resonant on the trail
The standard describes an excellent pack hound with a fine nose and a highly resonant voice, instinctively fitting into a pack. Its temperament is calm and affectionate, and it readily follows guidance. A dog bred for group life seeks company. Long hours alone do not suit it.
A day together
A large scent hound wants hours moving with its nose to the ground. Without hunting, long endurance routes, mantrailing, laid scent trails or pulling sports provide useful alternatives. The short, dense coat needs only weekly brushing. Thin, folded ears reach at least to the nose tip and deserve regular inspection.
Barely researched
Reliable lifespan and disease figures are lacking. McMillan and colleagues’ British study does not include the breed, and Europe PMC features it only in individual case reports. Italy illustrates its rarity: exactly 194 Gascon Saintongeois entered the stud book there in 2015 (Groppetti et al. 2017). With such small populations, ask about the litter’s inbreeding coefficient, parental hip findings and the ages reached by ancestors.
Who it was made for
Hunters with packs or hunting grounds, rural people with plenty of outdoor time and anyone who hears music in a deep bay.
Better not if
you live in town, want off-lead freedom or are really seeking a small dog. Even the Petit remains a leggy hunter with a big voice.
Read about a likely descendant of southern French pack hounds in the Ariégeois entry. Our breed quiz checks whether such a large scent hound fits your life, with detailed help in our book “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). For the first weeks with a puppy, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. Capture those deer and eyebrow markings in a dog portrait from your own photo , for example as a poster in a wooden frame.
Further reading
- The first 30 days with a puppy: a plan for weeks 1 to 4
- Dog pulling on the lead: 5 mistakes almost everyone makes
- Leaving your dog alone: learning without drama (step by step)
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI-Standard Nr. 21 Gascon Saintongeois (fci.be, German and English versions dated 08.08.2023, valid original standard published 01.08.2023) and FCI breed page No. 21; McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024 (breed not included); Groppetti D et al., A National Census of Birth Weight in Purebred Dogs in Italy, Animals 2017.
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