Dog Breed Guide

Brussels Griffon

Profile

Size

Extra Small

Country of origin

Belgium

Origin

19th century

Bred for

Stable ratter, Companion

Height

18 - 25cm (7 - 10in)

Weight

3.5 - 6kg (8 - 13lb)

Life span

12 - 15 years

Its most striking feature is a remarkably human, expressive face, with large round eyes, a short nose and a beard. That face has led people to compare it to a little old man. There are two coat types, a harsh wiry coat and a smooth short coat (the Petit Brabançon). Colors include red, black and tan, and black.

Curious, self-confident and cheerful, the Griffon pours its love into its family and tends to attach itself especially closely to one person. It is sensitive and does not like to be left alone for long.

Its short nose makes it sensitive to heat, and its large, prominent eyes must be protected from injury. The wiry coat is kept in shape by stripping out the dead hair.

Good to know

Its ancestors were scruffy little dogs kept by the cab drivers of Brussels, the Belgian capital, in the 19th century to keep their stables free of rats. Known as the "stable griffon," this dog was crossed with the Pug and others, which gave it its charming face of today.

The little dog standing at the couple's feet in Jan van Eyck's famous painting The Arnolfini Portrait, painted in 1434, is thought to be one of the breed's forerunners.

Around 1870 a Belgian queen took a liking to the breed, and it became all the rage at court and among the upper classes. It has also appeared in Hollywood films. In the 1997 film As Good as It Gets, a Griffon played Verdell, the dog who gradually thaws the heart of the cranky novelist played by Jack Nicholson, and won much attention.