The Blue Picardy Spaniel is a little known hunting dog breed descended from French spaniels and English pointing breeds.
They get their name from their unique coat, skin color, and the Picardie region in Northern France.
These dogs are rare outside France and Canada. But they have plenty of great qualities which deserve greater recognition elsewhere too.
What’s In This Guide
- Blue Picardy Spaniel At A Glance
- In-depth Breed Review
- Blue Picardy Spaniel Training And Care
- Pros And Cons Of Getting A Blue Picardy Spaniel
Let’s leap in with some headline information.
Breed At A Glance
- Popularity: Under the radar
- Purpose: Pointing dogs on game hunts
- Weight: Approx. 45lbs
- Temperament: Calm, adaptable, indefatigable
Intrigued and ready to get to know this breed a little better? Let’s go!
Blue Picardy Spaniel Breed Review: Contents
- History and original purpose of the Blue Picardy Spaniel
- Fun facts
- Blue Picardy Spaniel appearance
- Blue Picardy Spaniel temperament
- Training and exercising
- Health and care
- Do they make good family pets?
- Rescuing a Blue Picardy Spaniel
- Finding a Blue Picardy Spaniel puppy
First let’s look at their past, to see what it can tell us about their present.
History and original purpose
Blue Picardy Spaniels started out as an offshoot of the Picardy Spaniel breed.
Picardy Spaniels are descended from old French spaniel breeds, crossed with English Setters and Gordon Setters.
The French spaniels were themselves descended from Arabian Greyhounds and the French pointers, as well as hounds who accompanied French knights on pilgrimages and crusades to the Middle East.
Blue Picardy Spaniels were first documented in 1875. And they were accepted onto the Federation Cynologique International registry in 1954.
Despite their name, Blue Picardy Spaniels are pointing dogs.
Pointing dogs are a type of gundog. They work on hunts alongside human handlers, pointing out the location of game in the undergrowth.
The earliest examples were developed in France as part of a fashion at the time for hunting waterfowl.
Fun facts about Blue Picardy Spaniel
- The official authentic language of the Blue Picardy Spaniel is French, and their French name is Epagnuel Bleu de Picardie.
- They aren’t registered by the American Kennel Club. But they are registered by the United Kennel Club, the Canadian Kennel Club, and the Federation Cynologique Internationale – a European registry which operate internationally.
- Blue Picardy Spaniel puppies are born with light gray coats, which darken as they mature
What else do you need to know about the appearance of these color-changing dogs?
Blue Picardy Spaniel appearance
Blue Picardy Spaniels are handsome dogs indeed.
They weigh around 45lbs, and stand 22-24 inches tall at the shoulder.
Male Blue Picardies are perceptibly bigger than females, but only just.
They have medium to long length coats with beautiful feathering at their ears, legs and tail.
But it’s their signature color which gives them their name.
Their coats have areas of interspersed gray and black hairs (called roan patterning), and black patches.
They inherited this coloring from blue belton English Setters in their family tree.
Blue Picardy Spaniel temperament
Like most hunting dogs, the Blue Picardy Spaniel’s long history of working in close cooperation with people.
This means they still bond easily with humans, and enjoy training.
Blue Picardies are particularly noted for their calm demeanor and level headedness.
The first Blue Picardy Spaniels were most prized if they could work tirelessly throughout long hunts in harsh weather conditions.
Today their descendents are still stoic, persevering, and practically impossible to completely wear out.
Since pointing work relies on a strong hunting instinct, they also have a high prey drive.
Training and exercising your Blue Picardy Spaniel
The breed typically respond quickly and easily to positive reinforcement training.
Like all puppies, they need toilet training, socializing in as many situations as possible, and crate training, if you plan to use one.
But this clever pup won’t be done there.
Since they’re capable of learning quite complex tasks and interactions, you’ll need to provide lots of engaging mental and physical activities.
For example retrieving games, scent work activities, agility or working trials.
Without these, gundogs of all types can become bored and frustrated, and start engaging in unwanted or destructive behaviors, like chewing.
Complex training including problem solving and shaping (refining) specific actions are also a great way to tire out a Blue Picardy Spaniel.
They’re still likely to need at least two hours of physical exercise per day. But without a mental workout even this won’t be enough to really wear them out.
Health and care
Since Picardy Blue Spaniels aren’t widely owned, we don’t have access to much data about their overall health.
The FCI breed standard emphasizes only breeding from dogs who are “functionally and clinically healthy”.
This has protected them from dangerous exaggerations in body shape, which are known to become a problem for dogs bred primarily for show.
Given their size, Blue Picardy Spaniels may be predisposed to hip dysplasia.
And we can see from the limited OFA statistics available for them that this is a concern for breeders too.
Reputable breeders will only breed from parents with clear hip scores.
Like other dogs with long floppy ears, they may also be vulnerable to ear infections.
Bacteria and fungi like yeast thrive in warm, damp environments, which makes floppy, fluffy ears the perfect breeding ground.
Owners can maintain great ear hygiene by gently cleaning their Picardy Blue Spaniel’s ears regularly.
Do they make good family pets?
Blue Picardy Spaniels have a predominantly working past, but that doesn’t prevent them from being great family dogs too.
After all, even 19th century French game hunters had families back at home!
In fact, lots of owners say that their calm and gentle temperament makes them well suited to hectic households with children in them.
However, due to their high prey drive, they’re typically not well suited to households with smaller pets.
Given how much interaction and exercise these dogs need, they may be best suited to homes with older children, who can help with those activities.
Bear in mind that all dogs, even the most docile and reliable, should be supervised at all times around younger children.
Rescuing a Blue Picardy Spaniel
There are lots of advantages to rescuing a Blue Picardy Spaniel, and one big drawback.
The main advantages are:
- Rescuing an older dog usually costs less up front than buying a puppy. Several one-time costs like microchipping and neutering have already been met.
- Older dogs are usually a little more sensible and placid than puppies, which can make a big difference in gundog breeds.
- Lots of people feel that rescuing an older dog is ethically preferable to purchasing a new puppy.
However, rescue dogs may come with lots of unknown qualities, including phobias and bad habits.
But the biggest hindrance to rescuing one is that they’re very rare in most of the world.
And unless you live in France or Canada, it’s unusual for them to arrive in rescue shelters.
If you know about any adoption agencies specializing in Blue Picardy Spaniels, do let us know about them in the comments down below!
Finding a puppy
The alternative to adopting is obviously purchasing a Blue Picardy Spaniel puppy.
But this can still be easier said than done.
And since they’re rare, many litters are likely to be entirely spoken for before they’re even born.
So, you’re more likely to hear about a litter of Blue Picardy Spaniel puppies through word of mouth in your local community.
Our Puppy Search Guide will help you navigate all the stages of finding, choosing, and committing to a puppy.
Comparing the Blue Picardy Spaniel with other breeds
If it becomes apparent that a Blue Picardy Spaniel isn’t going to be an attainable dog breed choice for you, don’t despair.
These breeds are all household names, and they share many of the Blue Picardy’s great qualities:
- Springer Spaniel
- English Cocker Spaniel
- Labrador Retriever
- German Shorthaired Pointer
- Vizsla
- Australian Shepherd
- Greyhound
Last but not least, time for a summary.
Pros And Cons
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this article. So to help you make up your mind once and for all, here’s a round up of the pros and cons of owning one.
Cons
- Very rare and unusual to come by
- High prey drive means they don’t cohabit well with smaller pets
- Need large amounts of exercise, training, interaction and stimulation
Pros
- Their unusual combination of build, profile, coat and color is sure to draw compliments
- Famously calm and gentle demeanor makes them a good companion for kids
- Respond fairly easily to training
Do you own a Blue Picardy Spaniel?
We’d love to hear your first hand account of life with this unusual breed in the comments box down below!
References And Resources
FCI Standard No. 106 , Federation Cynologique Internationale, 1998.
Epagnuel Bleu de Picardie Official UKC Breed Standard, United Kennel Club, 1996.
Susan says
I have a Blue Picardy Spaniel
named Indigo. He is a funny, loving and beautiful dog. While he has prey drive outside the house, I wouldn’t hesitate to get a cat or small dog. He is super gentle. He is great in the house if he gets enough exercise and mantle stimulation. Every breed has its drawbacks. It did take me some time to get a reliable off leash recall, which isn’t surprising in a bird dog. I do agility with him and I would say he is in the sensitive side for an agility dog. We also do nose work and is great at that. He lives training overall. If you want a smart, loving, gentle dog and are prepared to give the pup enough stimulation and use positive training methods, you will love this breed. I will definitely be trying to get a second Blue Picardy now that Indi is four.
Tinley says
My first Blue of 12 years passed away in 2016. She, Sadie, was a wonderful dog – calm, compassionate, empathetic and full of love. Three years prior to Sadie’s passing, we welcomed another Blue, Lola, into our family. She is the sweetest and most loving dog I have ever met. “Love bug” comes to mind. Two years ago, we welcomed our third Blue into our family, Kiko. Kiko is full of life and spunk. Outside, she is in constant hunt mode – birds, chipmunks and even little green lizards! Indoors, she is calm, friendly and loving. All three of our Blues are wonderful with children! This is a special breed, for sure!
Susan says
Where did you get your blues.
Tina H says
My husband and I hit the doggie lottery when we agreed to take in a dog being rehomed that my son knew about. Nellie is 100% the best dog I’ve ever met! She’s sweet and gentle, smart and loving, . She’s beautiful, with silky hair you can’t help but caress.
At 3 years old, she is a fast learner and a natural emotional support dog. She senses moods and infirmities, and instinctively knows iif you need a “hug”. She molds herself against you and holds you with a front leg in such a way there is no doubt she is hugging you. She sat for 3 days with my father who stayed with us after his surgery, never climbing on him but as guardian either beside him or on the floor in front of him. She only left his side to go to the bathroom or eat. She loves car rides, especially if she can let her long eats flap in the wind. She doesn’t mind her crate and doesn’t complain at all, going in willingly and patiently waiting for an invite to come out, even if we don’t latch it. She isn’t fearful, even in thunderstorms or when fireworks go off in the area.
She can be stubborn, ignoring your commands to move out of your spot. She still struggles with walking nicely on a leash because she gets excited at every smell (and we live along a hiking trail through a semi wooded area so there are a LOT of smells). She points naturally, and wants to track everything when outside. She has a “tail of destruction” that wags almost constantly, unless she’s tracking, pointing, or resting, so you have to mind your drinks and breakables.
Eileen Black says
We just lost our Picardy blue Lucky 3 weeks ago. We were graced with her beautiful presence for almost 15 years. I have to say she was a special breed, so docile and obedient. She grew up with our young children and when she was 4 we got a kitten. We were worried about getting the kitten but Lucky simply loved Gigit from the start. Gigit is really missing her.
She was a beautiful dog to look at and had the most beautiful temperament. I honestly don’t think we could get another dog as good as Lucky. She’s left a huge hole in our family and our hearts.
John Gregory says
Hi Eileen,
Sorry to hear your lovely Lucky has passed on- though you clearly gave her a fantastic life. I have only recently come across this breed – both the blue Picardy and the brown/roan look gorgeous to me. I have always had Labradors previously.
Living in the UK, in the South of England, it seems very hard to find any Picardy pups. Did you go to France for Lucky? Where did you find her?
Best Regards
John
Dani says
We are incredibly lucky to have come across our Blue Picardy Spaniel in a dog home. The Dog home aged him at around 1 year old – we have had him for 5 years now and absolutely love him.
He loves the beach, any river and chasing birds. He is incredibly smart an has learnt a whole amount of tricks, though he isn’t interested at all at playing fetch!
He has been wonderful with our now teen kids and has the most beautiful temperament around others after the initial meet and greet.
He protects his family well and a few times we have accidentally left the gates open and after being away for a few hours found him at the front door. He knows who his family is and where home is. We can leave him out the front (no gates) while we are home and he doesn’t wonder at all – he loves enjoying the view and protecting his family.
He doesn’t like being on his own at all though, with howls that break your heart so we got him a friend 2 years ago. This second pup is gorgeous though not pure bred and definitely not as smart as Picardy. We are so blessed to have them.