Poitevin

The Poitevin is a tall French scenthound from the Poitou region, built for long pack hunts over open country. Developed from old local hounds with later English Foxhound influence, it was closely associated with wolf hunting before French packs turned more often to deer and other quarry. The breed is usually tricolor, with white, black, and orange or tan markings, a long dry head, low ears, and a deep chest. Its appeal is in stamina, nose, and a ringing voice rather than close obedience.

Most Poitevins are still managed in working packs, where steady conditioning, kennel routine, and compatibility with other hounds matter. A single dog in a household needs secure fencing, patient training, and regular access to scent work or hunting-style exercise; boredom can show as baying or wandering. The short coat is easy to maintain, but ears, feet, and weight should be checked in dogs that cover many miles. The breed is uncommon outside France, so buyers usually need to understand working-line records and the expectations of hound clubs rather than shopping by color or novelty.

Colors: Albino, Apricot, Bicolor, Black, Black and Tan, Black and White, Black Mask, Blue, Blue and Tan, Blue Merle, Blue Roan, Blue Tick, Brindle, Brown, Brown and Tan, Brown and White, Chocolate, Cream, Dapple, Domino, Fawn, Fawn and White, Gold, Gray, Grey, Harlequin, Irish Marked, Leucistic, Liver, Liver Mask, Mantle, Mask, Melanistic, Merle, Mottled, Parti-Color, Piebald, Red, Red and White, Red Merle, Red Roan, Red Tick, Reverse Brindle, Roan, Sable, Saddle, Silver, Speckled, Spotted, Tan, Ticked, Tricolor, Tuxedo, White, Yellow