Griffon Cortals

European Wire haired

The first documentary evidence of griffons dates back to 1545 ^[2] . In the middle of the XIX century, wire-haired cop dogs were ubiquitous in Europe. Dogs were used for rifle hunting and, although they were called in different countries differently and were of different types, apparently had a common origin, were generally similar to each other and did not differ in outstanding hunting abilities ^{[3] [4]} . Bred as a result of purposeful breeding, the griffon of Cortals at the end of the 19th century was an excellent hunting dog and, according to L.P. Sabaneyev , “according to the frets and field qualities, the most perfect bruised dog” ^[5] . The breed was conceived as a universal hunting dog, hardy, equally suitable for working in forests, swamps and open spaces, capable of hunting any game, in any weather, up to fur animals and waterfowl ^[6] .

Edward Kortal

The creator of the breed is a breeder of Dutch origin, Eduard Kortal, who lived in Germany ( niderl. Eduard Karel Korthals , 1851-1896). Kortal was born on November 16, 1851 in Amsterdam . His father, a wealthy shipowner and trader, owned a farm near Haarlem . For his own pleasure, Kortal senior bred cattle ^[3] , so the son already in his youth became acquainted with the way external and mental signs were inherited from animals, and gained experience in breeding work ^[6] . Having inherited from his father a passion for hunting and hunting dogs, the son did not adopt the ability to make money and throughout his life he needed financial support. He was well educated, fluent in German, English and French, so that he could later write articles for many European journals ^[3] .

Kortal was engaged in purposeful breeding of griffons in 1872, then his breeding book was started, which is now kept in the Dutch breed club. In the mid-1870s, perhaps at a dog show in Amsterdam or The Hague, he became acquainted with the German prince Albrecht of Solms-Braunfels, (1841–1901), a famous dog breeder. The prince invited Kortal to his kennel in Braunfels , so that he would organize in him the breeding work and train the dogs for rifle hunting. Moving to Germany, Kortal took with him a few of his dogs. In 1879, Kortal moved to Silesia , and in 1881, to Biebesheim , where Prince Solms-Braunfels hunting grounds were extensive. The prince took over the maintenance of the house in which Kortal lived, as well as a significant part of the cost of breeding dogs, and Kortal was able to without a hitch to start building the perfect griffon. In the course of painstaking work on the basis of inbreeding , linear breeding and picky selection he managed to get four generations of dogs of the same type. Over the years, Kortal received more than six hundred puppies, of which only 62 he considered worthy to be included in the pedigree book. In 1886, he announced the creation of a breed with consistently inherited traits and excellent working qualities ^[3] .

Edward Kortal died in Biebesheim on July 4, 1896, at the age of forty-four, from cancer of the larynx ^[3] . After his death, work with the breed was continued by his friends in Switzerland , France and Holland ^[6] .

Origin

According to the records in the tribal book of Kortal, eight dogs — four males and four bitches, acquired from hunters and foresters in France, Belgium and Germany — became the “progenitors” of the new breed. One of the males was considered barbet , the rest of the dogs were of different height, color and type of coat, none of them had any documents about the origin ^{[3] [6]} . The modern standard of the breed, based on the claims of the breeder, reports that the livestock that consistently inherits the outward signs and excellent working qualities has been obtained exclusively through inbreeding and selection, without the inflow of foreign breeds ^[4] . L.P. Sabaneev noted that, “according to the majority,” the breed comes from the French and Belgian griffons, but with the participation of Pointer’s blood and the German Pointing Dog ^[5] . Experts believe that in addition to these griffons, among the ancestors of the Cortalse griffons were setters , spaniels , otterhundy ^{[2] [1]} , spinone ^[7] .

Recognition

In 1887, the first breed standard was approved, which, according to the existing order, was signed by sixteen breeders, one of whom was Albrecht Solms-Braunfels. In 1888, the Griffon Club was established in Mainz , uniting European breeders and owners of griffons. The club took up the organization of field trials and took over the lead of the official genealogy book. The first purebred griffon-haired griffon was recognized as a dog whose pedigree included all eight "progenitors" ^[3] .

The recognition of the dog breed, bred in Germany by a native of Holland and who received from the creator the French name “Wire-hair Griffon”, was complicated by the anti-French sentiment in Germany after the Franco-Prussian war . While Kortal considered his breed to be an improved version of the all-European wire-haired Pointing Dog, German breeders were interested in creating a national breed of hunting dogs. The German Shtihelhaar Club was created in 1892 as an opponent of the Griffon Club, but, as noted in the Dutch book Hondenrassen (1914), the line between the German igloshernaya dog and the griffon of Kortal was very thin ^[3] .

The name "Griffon Cortals" was assigned to the breed in the Netherlands in 1951 ^[4] . The International Cynological Federation recognized it in 1954, indicating France as the country of origin ^[8] . The breed is popular in France, where about 1.4 thousand puppies are born annually ^[1] .

The dog is of medium size, of a rough “country” look, strong, strong build, with a strong, but light bones. Strongly developed mustache, beard and eyebrows give a characteristic expression of determination and self-confidence. The head is large, but the skull is not too wide, the muzzle is long, of rectangular shape. Amber-yellow or light brown rounded eyes are set fairly deep, but always visible from under the eyebrows. The nose is always brown. The ears are small, flat, planted in line with the eyes, covered with a mixture of short and long hair. The body is elongated, chest deep, but not wide. Legs are straight, strong, with a strong rounded paw. The shoulder blades are long and well sloped. The tail is rather thick, the dog carries it almost horizontally, slightly raising the tip. Traditionally, the tail is arrested in half or one third of the length ^{[4] [6]} . The movements are graceful, feline ^[1] .

Wool is hard and abundant, feels like boar bristles. Stiff outer hair and soft dense undercoat provide excellent protection against cold and wet. Beard and mustache should not be too long. The coat on the legs and tail is thick, but without scabs. The preferred color is gray-steel with brown spots, brown-roan, brown-white and combinations of these colors are allowed ^{[4] [6]} .

Griffons of Cortals have a calm and proud temper. Committed to their owner, territorial behavior is also highly developed, can be good watchmen. Loyal to other dogs and pets. They are friendly, they work with pleasure, but without proper training and guidance they can become difficult to manage. Dogs are active, playful and vociferous, they need patient, thoughtful and consistent education, especially at a young age. It is necessary to treat a dog politely, but firmly, trainings should be regular and persistent ^{[4] [6] [7] [2]} . The dogs mature late ^[1] , are intelligent and easily learn the training, but are somewhat stubborn ^[5] . This dog will not suit an inexperienced owner ^[2] .

Griffons of Cortals are among the most versatile hunting dogs. They are perfectly adapted to work in the thickets, in the swamp and rugged terrain, suitable for both foot-rifle hunting and horse hunting with a trapping bird. Like all dogs, the bird makes a rack. Thanks to a good sense of smell, they effectively work along the blood trail, and they can hunt large game. They float perfectly and can take the bird out of the water even in frosty weather ^{[6] [7] [1]} . According to L.P. Sabaneev, they have an excellent sense and a quick but restrained search ^[5] . According to the hunter, the griffons of Kortals are not inferior in production on the Kurzhaar bird and the Irish setter, but far surpass them in endurance and are capable of working slowly, but methodically, for many hours day after day ^[2] .

Griffons of Cortals are not adapted for living in an aviary, do not tolerate prolonged inactivity and loneliness and must live in a house with the owner's family. At the same time, they need daily physical and mental stress, sufficient space for running ^{[6] [7]} . Grooming is easy: the dog needs regular combing and regular hygiene measures ^{[6] [1]} .

Jean Castaing. Le griffon d'arrêt à poil dur Korthals. - 5 ed. - Editions de l'Orée, 1987. - 166 p. - ISBN 978-2-90360-3-267 .