Petit Gascon Saintongeois vs Basque Shepherd - Breed Comparison

The Basque Shepherd is one of the oldest dog breeds. With this Spanish dog, you’ll find paintings dating back 12,000 years ago. The Basque Shepherd is known as a landrace breed, which means the dog hasn’t gone through the same selective breeding programs as what other breeds have. Landrace breeds have more variations in appearance and temperament than regular breeds.

The Basque Shepherd has 2 distinct varieties, the Gorbeiakoa and the Iletsua. The smooth-haired Gorbeiakoa has a softer coat that is fairly short while the rougher-haired Iletsua has a lighter coloured coat, and unlike the Gorbeiakoa, the ears are not typically erect.

Even though this is an ancient breed of dog, only the Royal Canine Society of Spain recognizes the breed with the two varieties, and in January 1996, the two breeds - Iletsua and Gorbeikoa – were recognized.

The Petit Gascon Saintongeois comes from- and is in fact a smaller version of the Grand Gascon Saintongeois. The dog has been used for hunting. Hunters wanted a smaller dog and these were the Petit Gascon Saintongeois.

There was a time when the numbers of these dogs became less and their numbers were restored by Baron Virelade in the 19th century. It is where this dog gets his nickname from.

The Petit Gascon-Saintongeois was recognized by the United Kennel Club on January 1, 1993.

Two Varieties

The Basque Shepherd is a strong, well proportioned dog with brown eyes and medium sized ears, which sometimes have folds. This medium-to-large dog has a beautiful fawn coat of medium-length hair that can be straight or slightly wavy. He has a long feathery tail that will wag readily when he sees his owner. You’ll find other colors for the Basque Shepherd shared between the two varieties - a yellow orange or copper coat with other shades being red, blue and black. His hair is shorter on the head and he doesn’t battle with hair over the eyes.

An Intelligent Breed

The Basque Shepherd is a highly intelligent dog and also very energetic. Of the two different kinds of Basque Shepherd, it is the Gorbeiakoa which is the more outgoing. The dogs will require a firm owner and they thrive on the discipline when it is combined with lots of with lots of exercise and activities.

The Basque Shepherd is generally friendly with people, if not a little reserved with strangers. He gets on well with children and other pets in the home, although socialization and training will be necessary to bring out their best.

The Petit Gascon Saintongeois is a smaller version of the Grand Gascon Saintongeois but he is still muscled and lean and looked upon as being a large, robust dog.

His coat is short and dense and is white with black patches and some speckles. You'll find that there are nearly always black patches found on either side of the head, surrounding the eyes and covering the ears. The ears are essentially black, although there is also some tan coloring.

The ears are floppy, the tail long and saber-shaped.The Petit Gascon Saintongeois is a well proportioned dog standing at between 56 to 62cm in height and weighing 23 to 27kg.

Temperament:

The Petit Gascon Saintongeois is a friendly, good-natured pet, being loyal and loving with his human family and being a good playmate to children. He is also intelligent and amicable and will be easily trained and socialized.

The dog is well suited to being a family pet, loving to spend time with family, being a people-oriented breed. He gets on well with children as well as other pets in the home, but can be reserved with strangers.

He doesn’t have an aggressive nature, and yet he does what it takes to protect his beloved human family.

He is full of energy, hardy and tough. He loves his human family and wants to be included in all their activities. He is energetic though and as a responsible dog owner, you want to make sure that your Basque Shepherd has enough space to run.

Your gentle, calm, amicable Petit Gascon-Saintongeois is such an excellent hunting dog, but he doesn’t let that get in the way of him being a wonderful family pet as well.

His friendly, good natured, docile temperament makes this particular breed a superb choice as he gets on so well with children too if they themselves have been taught to be kind to animals and to respect them.

He is intelligent too and easy to train, and he is attractive to look at as a bonus. This all makes him the kind of pet and companion that everyone could benefit from.

Because this is an ancient breed, the Basque Shepherd doesn’t have to contend with genetic health problems such as more modern breeds. Just like other dogs though, he could be prone to certain conditions such as hip dysplasia, eye problems, ear infections and cancer. As a larger breed, he may also be prone to bloat.

Chronic Ear Infections

Breeds with floppy ears, such as the Basque Shepherd will be more prone to developing ear infections. To prevent infection, keep his ears clean and dry. If you’re unsure, the vet can guide you how- and what to do.

Hip Dysplasia

This is a disease which is common to other dog breeds too and not just the Basque Shepherd. This condition affects the hip joints and can result in chronic pain for the dog and also lameness. Checking your dog’s weight is important and the pain can be managed with medication.

The Petit Gascon-Saintongeois has no documented breed related health problems. As previously mentioned, with his long ears, check out the inside of his ears regularly for ear infections.

Parasites:

Ticks fleas and worms are a curse. Worms particularly are terrible internal parasites and in fact some worms can even be fatal in puppies. Some of the signs your dogs may have worms include weight loss, a dull, dry, thinning coat, no loger interested in food, diarrhea and vomiting. The best way to respond to your pet’s worm issues is to get him to the vet.

Bloat or Swollen Stomach:

This problem is looked upon as a medical emergency. Gastric dilatation and volvulus, if left, can kill your dog. It’s when gas is trapped in the stomach which has twisted, blocking off the stomach’s blood supply.

Deep chested dogs, feeding your dog just one meal a day so that he gobbles it up too quickly, and older, obese dogs are more prone to bloat. Your dog will require immediate veterinary intervention.

This is a medium to large breed dog and he should therefore be fed a high quality food which has been formulated for medium to large breeds. Because he is a herding dog, you might want to also look at an active-dog or working-breed formula to supply him with that much needed energy.

Grooming

The Basque Shepherd’s coat is lush and long with either straight or wavy hair. Regular brush at least twice a week will maintain the coat, get rid of loose hair and prevent fleas.

Training

The Basque Shepherd is an intelligent breed that will respond well to socialization and training. He is a breed that loves sports too because of this very high energy levels. You need to be careful with the Basquae Shepherd around small children, not because he is aggressive in any way, but because he is highly active, and his exuberance and boisterous antics could see him unintentionally knocking over small children.

The Gascon Saintongeois is looked upon as being a fairly low maintenance breed. That is because the coat is short and smooth, although the coat does become thicker in the Winter time. He sheds so you will want to brush his coat at least twice a week.

With his long floppy ears, during your brushing session, check inside his ears as dampness, wax and debris can become the ideal breeding spot for bacteria, and ear infections can be the result. Check for redness and possible discharge.

Check his eyes that they are clear and bright.

While brushing him, check for any new, unusual lumps.

Keep his nails well trimmed.

Provide him with a nice warm, dry spot to sleep.

When he’s oudoors, make sure that he has both sun and shade and that his waterbowl is always available.

Make sure that at the first signs of illness you get your pet to the vet.

Feed him only the best quality kibble there is. Occasionally give him some home-made food. Keep this food simple and nutritious. You can’t go wrong with boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta, sweet potatoes, carrots and spinach. You can chop this up and add it to his kibble. Sometimes it can benefit your pet to include some raw meat as well.

If only pet owners would realize that their pets don’t want all those spicy, exotic people foods. They just give a dog a stomach ache and eventually shorten his life. Make sure he always has access to a bowl of cool, fresh water.