Live Life Team
Originally named the Haut Poitou, the Poitevin dog breed has a well-known past. It can be hard to trace the lineage and history for most dog breeds, but that is not the case for this one. They first came onto the scene in the French province of Poitou toward the end of the seventeenth century. They were bred from the Montemboeuf and the Chien Ceris dog breed. The Chien Ceris is a breed that is now extinct.
During this time in Poitou, there was a serious problem with wolves. The Poitevin was specifically bred to hunt wolves. Through this effort, the wolf population lessened and there was no more threat of an overpopulation of wolves. Although the Poitevin were no longer needed to seriously hunt wolves, they were still used for hunting other animals during that time period, including deer and hares.
The Poitevin is a hound, which means that it uses its heightened sense of smell to find animals to hunt. It has long, floppy ears and a long tail. Whether male or female, the Poitevin weighs around 30 kilograms on average. They also average between 61 and 71 centimetres tall. They have a life expectancy of 11 to 12 years.
Unfortunately, the Poitevin does not make a very good family pet. They are best kept strictly as a hunting companion. Since the Poitevin is not suited for family life, the dog breed is becoming quite rare. While there are breeders who are keeping the breed from going extinct, there is always that possibility that the breed will be lost in the near future.
