French Whines Trivia Quiz

The French bulldog (also known in French as a Bouledogue Français or colloquially as a "Frenchie") is a toy breed descended from English toy bulldogs. It originated around the middle of the 19th century when English emigrant workers moved to northern France along with their toy bulldogs and cross-bred them with other small breeds to develop the French bulldog that has since become a popular pet and companion animal.

It has the same basic appearance as its distant English cousin, just smaller - standing at around 30 centimetres (12 inches) in height - and can be found in a range of colours from white to greys and browns. However, human preferences for the appearance of the breed have led to modern French bulldogs tending to have a range of illnesses caused by selective breeding to promote fashionable or cute traits in the shape of their face and head. This has led many dogs to suffer from breathing difficulties.

The Brittany was previously known as a Brittany spaniel, but as it is not actually considered to be a breed of spaniel it is now formally known by the shorter version of the name. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it originates from the Brittany region of north-western France where it has probably been in use as a hunting dog since at least the 17th century, although it was not officially registered as a breed until the early 20th century. Its role has traditionally been as both a pointer (identifying game for a hunter to shoot at) and retriever (bringing back or "retrieving" any game the hunter has managed to kill).

Brittanies are medium-sized dogs, but there is some difference between dogs bred in France and those that have since been bred in America as the latter tend to be larger. They also have a variety of coat colours, although the earliest paintings of the breed tend to depict orange and white dogs.

Papillons are a type of spaniel that take their name from the French word for butterfly. The reason for giving them the same name as a winged insect should be made clear by looking at the photo of this small dog - they have a particularly distinctive shape to their ears and the fur that hangs down from them that has some resemblance to the insect in question. They are also known by the slightly less interesting name of 'continental toy spaniel', while dogs whose ears droop down and don't form the butterfly shape are known as phalenes.

Small spaniels like papillons and phalenes have been popular pet dogs for hundreds of years, as evidenced by their appearance in portraits of wealthy individuals and royalty from the early 16th century onwards. These little dogs have a range of different fur colours and patterns, but tend to have a broadly white lower body and legs, with darker patches around their face, ears and back.

Beaucerons are large dogs, mainly with black and tan coats, that have been used for herding for centuries. Although believed to originate from areas of central France, they have commonly been used to protect and herd livestock across various western European nations. Other names for them include 'Berger de Beauce', 'Beauce sheep dog' and 'Bas rouge'.

Although traditionally used as a working dog, Beaucerons also make very loyal and protective companions for humans - although they require a lot of attention, exercise and training! While not a particularly well-known breed worldwide, they are believed to be an ancestor of the much more commonly known Doberman pinscher.

The Berger Picard or Picardy shepherd is a long-haired, fawn or brindle-coloured herding dog that was commonly found across northern France (and the Picardy region more specific) for centuries. However, it's actual ancestry is unclear, although genetic studies have indicated that it is closely related to various other French herding breeds as well as the more famous German shepherd or Alsatian.

While they were once a very common sight in northern France, the First and Second World Wars resulted in the near extinction of the breed as many breeding dogs living in agricultural areas of northern France were killed when the area was devastated by years of fighting and trench warfare. Fortunately population numbers have since risen, but they remain a somewhat rare breed.

The Briard or Berger de Brie is a large shaggy-haired French sheep dog, notable for the long hair on its face that tends to hide its eyes! While it gives them a somewhat wild, yet cute, appearance, it does mean that they need a lot of grooming to prevent their hair from becoming hopelessly matted. They come in a wide range of colours from pale fawn to black and various shades or combinations in between.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Briards are not in fact named after a famous French cheese, but they are believed to have also originated in the Brie region of northern France. They were traditionally used as both herding and protection of sheep flocks due to both their intelligence and large size, but in modern times are now more likely to be kept as family pets.

The Dogue de Bordeaux is also known as a French mastiff or Bordeaux mastiff. It takes its name from the city of Bordeaux in south-eastern France, which is the capital of the region where this dog breed has been known since at least the 14th century.

Known for its large size and strength, the Dogue de Bordeaux has traditionally been used over the centuries as a guard dog but its brachycephalic head shape, with short snout and flat face, also means some dogs suffer from breathing difficulties. They mostly all have fawn-coloured coats - but some dogs are a darker shade of fawn than others.

Perhaps the most famous Dogue de Bordeaux was a male dog named Beasley, who played the titular canine alongside Tom Hanks in the 1989 film 'Turner and Hooch'.

The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is a short breed of scent hound, first bred in France from a considerably taller - and now extinct - breed called the Grand Fauve de Bretagne. They are also known in English as the Fawn Brittany Basset and are either fawn, wheaten or red wheaten in colour. Another surviving breed also descended from the Grand Fauve de Bretagne is the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne - but these can easily be differentiated from the Basset Fauve de Bretagne by their taller stature.

Although originally bred as a hunting dog, Basset Fauve de Bretagnes are now primarily family pets, although still perfectly capable of latching onto a scent and single-mindedly following it!

The Saint-Usuge spaniel originates from the Bresse region of eastern France. It is believed to date back to at least the 16th century but was virtually extinct by the mid-20th century. Modern day Saint-Usuge spaniels are therefore all descended from dogs bred between 1950 and 1980 by a local priest named Robert Billard, as part of his campaign to resurrect the breed. As such it remains a relatively rare breed within France and even lesser-known across the rest of the world.

These dogs all have dark brown coats, but with some white feathery fringe-like hair on their back, chest and legs that give them a slightly mottled appearance.

The Pyrenean mountain dog is also known as a Great Pyrenees in the USA and as a patou in its native France. While the Pyrenees mountain range spans the border between France and Spain, the Pyrenean mountain dog is believed to have originated on the French side of the range. It became particularly popular in the late-17th century when King Louis XIV had some at his court and declared it to be the "Royal Dog of France".

While its traditional role as a guard dog for sheep against wolves and bears in the Pyrenees has significantly declined, the Pyrenean mountain dog, with its striking predominantly white fur, remains popular across the world as a pet and as a show breed.