
AI-generated imageThe Chien d'Artois is a tenacious, keen-nosed scent hound and pack dog—bred for persistent group hunting, where it tracks wild boar and hares independently and with a loud, melodic bay.
Self-check
Answer 6 quick questions about your everyday life and see how well the Chien d'Artois fits you — including an honest cost estimate per month, per year, and across the dog's lifetime.
At a glance
The essentials — key facts, traits, and health priorities — before you dive deeper.
Lifespan
12–14 yrs
Shoulder height
53–58 cm
Weight
28–30 kg
Practical
Temperament
Daily life
What matters most
Especially with a Chien d'Artois, choosing the right breeder is the single most important decision you'll make. Serious breeders consistently test the parents for inherited conditions, prioritize healthy early socialization, and stay accountable long after handover. A cheap puppy without health screening tends to become the most expensive dog later on.
See HonestDog breeder standards →Colors & coat
The coat colors that occur in the Chien d'Artois — including which ones fall outside the breed standard and which carry genetic risk.
Eye colors
Coat type
The real vibes check
A Chien d'Artois is often a gentle cuddler at home—until it catches a scent outside and the switch flips. You aren't buying a classic companion dog, but a highly specialized French hunting professional whose world consists primarily of smells and tracking calls. If you provide professional outlets for its nose, it is a wonderful buddy; if you don't, it will become invisible to you in the woods.
The Chien d'Artois is a robust and versatile French hunting dog breed that belongs to FCI Group 6, Section 1, the scent hounds. Originally, it was bred for tracking and pursuing game, especially large game such as wild boars. The Chien d'Artois is characterized by its strong, muscular build, its dense, mostly white coat with distinctive black or brown spots, and its hanging ears. Its alert yet friendly nature makes it a reliable hunting partner, impressing with endurance and courage. Despite its strong hunting instincts, the Chien d'Artois is also an affectionate and balanced family dog that requires consistent but loving training.
The Chien d'Artois is a strong and enduring hunting dog with a pronounced work drive. It is characterized by its high motivation and strong will, making it a reliable partner in tracking and in the field. Despite its robust nature, it is very people-oriented and shows a close bond with its family. This dog requires a lot of physical and mental exercise to channel its temperament in positive directions. Without sufficient activity, it can become restless or stubborn. The Chien d'Artois learns quickly but responds best to consistent and patient training. Its keen sense of smell and hunting passion make it an excellent tracking dog. With strangers, it is usually reserved but does not show unnecessary aggression. As a watchdog, it is alert and reliably reports unusual situations. Due to its strong prey drive, it is important to work early on control and recall to ensure safe coexistence. Overall, the Chien d'Artois is a loyal, hardworking, and family-oriented dog that can be an excellent companion with the right guidance.
| Watchfulness Occasionally alerts but is fundamentally open. | Low |
| Openness to Strangers Neither pushily friendly nor suspicious. | Neutral |
| Hunting or Herding Drive This drive runs deep — no amount of training eliminates it. | Very strong |
Fun Fact!
Chien d'Artois: The Chien d'Artois is a French hunting dog with an impressive nose so fine that it can track down even the most hidden wild animals. Originally bred for hunting wild boar, it combines endurance and courage – a true adventurer on four paws!
The Chien d'Artois is a robust and enduring hunting dog known for its loyalty and strong protective instinct. It requires consistent training and sufficient activity to fully realize its potential. These dogs are alert and are well suited as family dogs if socialized early. With its dense, weather-resistant coat, the Chien d'Artois is perfectly suited for outdoor use.
Chien d'Artois are lively and intelligent dogs that require a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. They are well suited for active families who spend a lot of time outdoors and can integrate the dog into everyday life. Due to their temperament, they are alert and watchful, which makes them good guard dogs. When dealing with children, Chien d'Artois are usually friendly and patient but should always be supervised, especially with small children, as they can sometimes be boisterous. They get along well with other dogs and pets if socialized early. Purely apartment living is not ideal, as they need a lot of exercise to remain balanced and content.
Gets on well with different people and varying routines.
Gets on well with children — with adult supervision.
Actively enjoys the company of other dogs.
Suffers in tight urban conditions.
Owning a dog is a privilege, but it's also a real responsibility. Before you bring one into your life, be honest with yourself about the commitment it takes.
The Chien d'Artois is an intelligent and eager-to-work hunting dog that enjoys being challenged. Its pronounced sense of smell and endurance make it an excellent partner for search and retrieve tasks. It is important that you provide your Chien d'Artois with clear structures and consistent, yet loving training from the very beginning. As with the Labrador and German Shepherd, training should be positive and reward-based to maintain motivation and build a close bond. The Chien d'Artois requires regular mental and physical exercise to stay balanced. Retrieve games, tracking work, and other hunting activities are ideal to promote its natural abilities. At the same time, it is important to allow the dog rest periods and to accustom it to different situations to strengthen frustration tolerance and impulse control. Early socialization is essential so that the Chien d'Artois moves confidently and assuredly in everyday life. Overall, the Chien d'Artois requires dedicated training that takes its hunting abilities into account while also making it a balanced family dog. With patience and consistency, you will gain a loyal, eager-to-learn, and versatile companion.
The Chien d'Artois requires a balanced diet that supports its active and robust build. High-quality dog food with a good proportion of protein and nutrients is essential to strengthen its musculature and promote its health. Be mindful to avoid excess weight, as this can put strain on the joints. The coat of the Chien d'Artois is short, dense, and weatherproof. Regular brushing, at least 2–3 times a week, helps keep the coat clean and healthy and removes loose hair. They shed more heavily particularly during the change of coat in spring and autumn, making more intensive grooming necessary during these times. The Chien d'Artois is well adapted to the Central European climate. Its coat protects it from the cold; nevertheless, in high temperatures, ample shade and water should be provided to prevent overheating. Regular exercise and mental stimulation are important to satisfy its natural drive for activity and keep it balanced.
| Care Level Occasional brushing is all it takes. | Very low-maintenance |
| Exercise Needs Needs several hours of serious exercise every day. | Very active |
| Shedding Regular shedding — dog hair on clothes is now normal. | Moderate |
| Trainability Has its own ideas and will test limits. | Strong-willed |
Our experts are still reviewing this information. Spotted something wrong? Email us at info@honestdog.de.
Robust
Health grade
In the Chien d' Artois, the primary focus is on the musculoskeletal system with hip dysplasia (HD) and elbow dysplasia (ED), as well as hereditary eye problems such as ectropion / entropion. Since this hunting dog is also susceptible to otitis externa (predisposition) and life-threatening gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), a forward-thinking breeder selects healthy parent animals and purposefully prevents risks. Before purchasing a puppy, ask to see official X-ray results with the thresholds HD A–B and ED 0 for the parents. In addition, you should demand veterinary proof that both parents are free of ectropion / entropion.
Grade is relative to other breeds — AI-assisted and editorially reviewed.
Methodology and data: HonestDog Dog Breed Health Report 2026
What matters most for this breed
Tap any item to see details.
You should regularly check and clean its long, floppy ears and ensure it is raised in a way that protects its joints to prevent chronic ailments.
Reputable breeders have the parents' hips, elbows, eyes, and hearts tested and pay attention to a healthy ear shape with good ventilation.
Note: This health overview is AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. It is for orientation only and does not replace veterinary advice.
What matters most for this breed — what's common, how much it affects the dog's life, and how to protect yourself as a buyer.
Tap a body region to see the inherited conditions linked to it.
The three most important risks
Pick a region on the map to explore other areas.
Tier 1 is the recommended health standard for this breed. Tiers 2 and 3 show how responsible breeders go beyond.
Recommended standard. These tests make up the recommended health standard for this breed — the baseline of any careful breeding program. Ask any reputable breeder for the results.
No entries in this tier.
Note: This health overview is AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. It is for orientation only and does not replace veterinary advice.
A Chien d'Artois costs around ~€180 per month (€100 – €350, depending on your setup). The first year adds up to roughly ~€5,020 including purchase, equipment and puppy school; across the dog's life (13 years) it comes to about ~€31,270.
With surgery cover, running costs come to about ~€180 per month — in return, your share of a major operation drops from several thousand euros to around 20 percent.
Per month
~€180
In the first year
~€5,020
Across the dog's life
~€31,270
Estimated purchase price from a breeder: €1,500 – €2,500
Estimate at a mid-range setup (suburban, dry food, 1–2 hours of daily exercise), average German prices, as of July 2026.
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The history of the Chien d'Artois dates back to the 19th century, to the Artois region in northern France. Originally, this dog breed was bred as a versatile hunting dog, used both for hunting small game and for tracking wounded animals. The Chien d'Artois is characterized by its endurance, keen sense of smell, and robust constitution. Over time, the breed was further developed to meet the demands of hunters and received its official recognition from the French Kennel Club in 1885. Today, the Chien d'Artois is valued both as a hunting dog and as a family dog.
Bred to hunt hares and roe deer in the Artois region, the Chien d'Artois is known for its excellent nose.
France
1900
Many owners and fans of the breed stress the sharp contrast between how it behaves indoors and out in the countryside. At home, the Chien d'Artois is consistently described as an affectionate, calm and very friendly housemate that seeks out its people and is usually very patient and good-natured with children. Thanks to its history as a pack hound, it's also considered better than average with other dogs, so it can easily live with other dogs and rarely gets into fights.
At the same time, experienced owners point out that this dog is not at all suited to a purely urban life or a home without plenty of room to roam. Its need to move and to do real nose work is very high. Without long rambles through fields and woods, or equivalent exercise such as tracking and scent games, the dog gets restless at home. A securely fenced yard is strongly recommended, since these dogs pick up scent trails on their own and follow them without hesitation.
In reports on handling and training, the Chien d'Artois comes across as quick to learn but highly specialized. Owners stress that, compared with some other scenthounds, it's cooperative and closely bonded to its people, yet it still has the typical independence of a flushing and blood-tracking hound. Once it has the scent of small game or wild boar in its nose, its brain switches into work mode, so many consider reliable off-leash time in areas with lots of wildlife very difficult or close to impossible.
Owners often warn that pressure or harshness has no place in training, since the breed is sensitive to strictness. What it needs instead is patience, early long-line training and consistent, calm handling. Owners should also be prepared for the dog to bay on the trail and on sight while working: its melodious voice is very much wanted on the hunt, but in an ordinary neighborhood it can become a noise problem without the right boundaries.
Health-wise, owners and breeders see the Chien d'Artois as a very hardy, weatherproof working breed that rarely suffers from breed-specific inherited diseases. Reports point out that vet visits beyond routine checkups and vaccinations are rare, as long as the dog is kept properly. The short, dense coat is very easy to care for and only needs an occasional brushing.
The long drop ears are what mainly need attention: after walks through thick brush, they have to be checked regularly for dirt, moisture and infection. Owners also name the breed's extreme rarity as a recurring hurdle. They report that puppies are practically never available through normal channels in German-speaking countries, and that interested buyers often have to seek out specialized clubs and breeders in France, the breed's country of origin.
Sources:zoomalia.detieranzeigen.attackenberg.dehundeseite.dewelpen.vdh.de
Paraphrased from real owner reports · translated from German
The Chien d'Artois is an active dog that needs plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. Research the temperament, grooming needs, and space requirements before deciding.
The average life expectancy of a Chien d'Artois is 12-14 years. With proper care and regular vet visits, your dog can live a long, healthy life.
Chien d'Artois grooming requirements include regular brushing, nail trimming, and dental care. HonestDog provides detailed grooming tips for every breed.
The Chien d'Artois can be a great family dog. Proper training and socialization are key. HonestDog provides family suitability information for every breed.
The Chien d'Artois comes in these colors: Tricolor.
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