The Petit Bleus de Gascogne is also known as Small Blue Gascony Hound or Small Gascony Blue. It is a pack hunting dog, originating in France and is classified as a Scenthound breed. Though tagged Petit, which means small, this dog is of medium height and Petit in its name only refers to small game that this dog is so excellently adapt to hunt. It can also be used to hunt large game but its specialty is small game, particularly Hares. These dogs are used in packs and kept in order to track and sniff out prey such as game, deer, and rabbits.This breed is a descendent of Old Great Gascony Blues (Grand Bleu de Gascogne) of ancient times. Selective breeding of relatively smaller sized Grand Bleu de Gascogne resulted in the development of Petit Blues de Gascogne breed.
It is a medium size dog with well proportioned body with height and weight between 20-23 inches and 40-48 lbs respectively. This dog comes with a long and refined head and slightly doomed skull. Strong muzzle comes with a slightly arched nasal bridge that leads to black and large nose with wide nostrils. Gentle, oval shaped eyes are brown in colour. Moderately long ears hang down the head. A slight dewlap is present on medium length neck. The chest is deep providing ample space for the large lungs. The forelegs are surprisingly strong in relation to the rest of the body. The thighs are flat but have powerful muscles. The feet are oval and fairly long with black pads and tan hair. Slender tail is carried in sabre fashion. Supple skin is black or marbled with black patches but never white. It has short, dense and semi-thick coat that comes in white mottled with black, giving a slate blue overall appearance.
Though present since long, this breed is still rare outside France. This breed is NOT recognized by AKC however it is recognized by FCI and UKC.