There’s a lot to appreciate about the Porcelaine temperament. This dog is a beautiful scent hound from France who is a fierce pack hunter with a gentle side.
She has a sweet, loving personality that makes her a great family companion. However, she can be challenging to train.
If you’re interested in this rare breed, you will want to learn more about her temperament.
The Porcelaine Temperament
Gentle
The Porcelaine has a gentle soul and a sweet personality. She makes a wonderful home companion. She is good with children and never aggressive.
Independent
The Porcelaine temperament can be stubborn. As a pack hunter, she often works without immediate human supervision. Because of this, she has developed an independent nature.
She needs proper training from an early age to keep the stubborn streak under control.
Stubborn
Her independence can often lead to stubbornness. She is not as eager to please as many other breeds. Again, she needs proper early training.
Energetic
She is vigorous with a high energy level and a tireless hunter who is used to running long distances. She will be calm in the home, though, if she gets all the exercise she needs.
Alert
The Porcelaine temperament is alert to suspicious noises or strangers. She will bark, but she is too gentle to be a good watchdog.
Brave
The Porcelaine temperament is courageous. As a hunter of wild boar, she doesn’t back down to anything.
Loyal
She forms a strong bond with her hunting companion and loves her family members as well.
Elegant
She has a delicate, streamlined shape with a French sophistication. When seen from afar, she can look as though she is made of glass.
Graceful
She is agile and sleek with a graceful gait.
Affectionate
The Porcelaine temperament is loving and affectionate to her human family. She loves a hug or to sit on your lap. (She doesn’t know that she’s a little large to be a lap dog!)
Easygoing
The Porcelaine gets along with just about everyone, including other dogs. Again, she will bark to alert, but she will not act aggressively.
Sociable
She needs to be with people—working, playing, or just relaxing at home. If left alone for too long, she can suffer from separation anxiety. You may also see some destructive Porcelaine behaviors.
Self-Confident
The Porcelaine temperament is proud and confident. She is never timid or shy. She knows her own mind. This trait can sometimes turn to willfulness.
Fierce
The American Kennel Club (AKC) refers to the Porcelaine as a fierce hunter.
Tireless
The Porcelaine has great endurance in the hunt and at play. She can run long distances.
Quiet
This breed does not bark a lot. She is quiet in the kennel or in the home. She has a lovely bay when she’s hunting, often called musical.
High Prey Drive
You will need to watch the Porcelaine around small pets. She is, of course, a hunting breed.
Outdoors, she will need to be fenced in or she will run at the first interesting scent.
Pack Mentality
The Porcelaine is a pack hound. She will consider her family her pack and will want to participate in all family activities.
She also needs a strong pack leader. Otherwise, her independence can turn to stubbornness.
Porcelaine History
The Porcelaine is a French scent hound. Many think it is the oldest of all French breeds.
The breed’s background isn’t fully known. There was disagreement at one time as to whether the breed was French or Swiss.
One of its French names is Chien de Franche-Comte. This name refers to a region on the border between Switzerland and France.
At some point it was determined that the Porcelaine’s heritage is French.
Dog historians think that the breed descended from the English Harrier, the Swiss Laufhund, and the Montaimboeuf, a breed that is now extinct.
In the 18th century, the French Revolution took its toll on the Porcelaine. It nearly went extinct.
Breeders saved the Porcelaine by crossing it with French hounds. The modern-day Porcelaine is stronger and larger and has better endurance than the earlier version.
These improvements have made the Porcelaine a hardier and more skillful hunter.
Today there is a modest number of Porcelaines in France and Italy and very few in the UK. There are an estimated 300 in the US and Canada.
The breed was recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1975 and by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 2016.
The AKC admitted the Porcelaine to its Foundation Stock Service in 2017.
Porcelaine Training
The Porcelaine temperament makes her an excellent family companion.
However, because of her independence, she needs a firm and strong-willed trainer/owner. Otherwise, she will demonstrate her strong will and not obey as readily.
For this reason, she is a not good choice for an inexperienced dog owner.
As a pack hunter, she usually gets along well with other dogs, but she does best when she is the only dog in the home. She wants all your attention.
She should be socialized to other animals in the home very early. Because of her prey drive, she may never be trustworthy with small pets.
She is easy to crate train and housetrain and learns commands quickly and easily. She does best in a home where someone is home during the day to prevent separation anxiety.
Her gentle nature makes the Porcelaine well suited to therapy work. Her scenting abilities make her a good candidate for search-and-rescue or police work.
Some Porcelaines in the US are trained as wounded deer trackers for wildlife rescue organizations.
Helpful Dog Training Resource:
For help with training your Porcelaine dog take a look at The Online Dog Trainer by Doggy Dan. Doggy Dan is an expert Dog Trainer based in New Zealand. His online resource contains Hundreds of Excellent Dog Training Videos that will take you step-by-step through the process of developing a healthy, happy well-behaved dog.
Porcelaine Appearance
General Appearance
The Porcelaine is a medium-sized dog with a long, lean body. Her coat is straight, thin, and unusually short. It is smooth and glossy like porcelain, which is, of course, where she gets her name.
Porcelaine color is white with orange spots, patches, or ticking. The skin is white or pinkish with black mottling or patches showing through.
She has a long, lean head with a flat forehead. Her muzzle is straight and narrow with a black tip. Her ears are large and drooping.
The Porcelaine's face is lean with a kind and intelligent expression. She has dark eyes and a black nose with wide nostrils and black lips.
She has a long, muscular neck with a small dewlap.
The tail is long and tapered and somewhat curved.
Porcelaine Size
Average weight is 55 to 62 pounds. Porcelaine height averages 22 to 23 inches. Males are slightly larger than females.
Must-Knows
Porcelaine Lifespan
This breed has a life expectancy of 12 to 13 years.
Other Names
You may hear this breed referred to by its French names—Porcelaine Francaise and Chien de Franche-Comte. You may also hear her called Porcelaine Hound.
Hunting with a Porcelaine
The Porcelaine is a natural scent hound with an excellent nose.
Porcelaines are pack hunters used to hunt rabbit, deer, and wild boar with little supervision from the owner. Because of this instinct, she has an independent streak.
She requires little training to do what she was born to do and to do it well. Puppies start to demonstrate instinctive hunting behaviors at 8 weeks old. Hunters prize these Porcelaine traits.
Porcelaine Health Issues
This breed is very healthy. The only condition of even minor concern is hip dysplasia, a common concern for most medium- to larger-sized dogs.
Her long, dropping ears may make her prone to ear infections. They need to be checked and cleaned often.
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Caring for the Porcelaine
Porcelaine Grooming
This Porcelaine is a low-maintenance breed. She needs only a weekly brushing and an occasional bath.
Porcelaine Diet
The Porcelaine should be fine with any high-quality food appropriate for her age (puppy, adult, senior). She has no specific dietary needs.
Porcelaine Exercise
This hunting dog needs a lot of exercise. She needs a large area where she can run and track scents off leash. The Porcelaine is not an apartment dog.
She needs 1 to 1-1/2 hours of vigorous exercise every day. She enjoys outdoor activities with her family.
Just about any activity will make her happy, especially those that involve running. Games of fetch or frisbee are good. She also enjoys swimming and hiking.
She’s a great candidate for dog sports such as agility, rally, etc. Of course, she’s a natural for scent work competitions.
Whatever the activity, she would enjoy the training and the companionship with her owner.
Finding a Porcelaine
Locating a Porcelaine for Sale from a Breeder
Surprisingly for such a rare dog, at the time of this writing an Internet search finds several Porcelaine breeders in the US. As breed interest is growing here, this number will likely increase.
You will want to take care to find a breeder who is responsible and has the breed’s interest at heart. The best way to do this is to ask trustworthy sources for breeder recommendations
Start with an Internet search for dog owner forums and Facebook groups. Groups exist for nearly every breed. Join one or more groups and post questions.
People in these groups enjoy interacting with others who love their breed and are happy to help. You can get reliable word-of-mouth recommendations from people who have purchased Porcelaine puppies.
Breeders often belong to these groups as well. They will post announcements when they have upcoming litters.
At the same time, you can learn from other group members what it’s like to live with a Porcelaine.
Again, the Porcelaine is a rare breed. When you do find a trustworthy breeder, be prepared to be put on a waiting list.
Plan a Site Visit
Never buy a dog online unless you have a reliable recommendation from a source you trust.
You don’t want to buy a dog from a puppy mill or backyard breeder.
When you find a breeder, you should plan a site visit if possible. (A puppy mill will have an excuse as to why they can’t arrange this.)
Make sure the facilities are clean and the puppies are healthy-looking and happy.
Ask to see the puppies’ parents, if they are on site, or the parents’ paperwork. A good breeder will know their pups’ pedigrees back several generations.
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A good breeder will also offer you support for the lifetime of that puppy. They will ask that you return the dog to them at any time if you ever need to surrender it.
A reputable breed will also have questions for you. They will want to be sure their puppy is going to an appropriate home.
These precautions will assure that you are not buying a puppy from a puppy mill or backyard breeder.
These people breed dogs in horrendous conditions. They have no regard for the health of the parents or the pups. They breed females continuously until their health gives out or they die.
rresponibe breeders are unlikely to vet or immunize the pups. And you will get no health guarantees.
Porcelaine Rescue/Adoption
What if you would prefer to find a Porcelaine for adoption? This will probably be more difficult, again because of the rareness of the breed. You will need patience.
At the time of this writing, an Internet search for Porcelaine rescues did not find any. However, if you generalize your search to hound rescues, you will find quite a few. This is probably the best place to start.
There’s a good chance that some of these organizations can help you find sources for a Porcelaine for adoption.
A shelter search is unlikely to be productive for this rare breed. However, it can’t hurt to put the word out at any shelters you would be willing to travel to.
Is the Porcelaine the Right Breed for You?
The Porcelaine is a gorgeous dog with a lively and pleasant personality. She can be a wonderful family dog.
However, she is also an independent-minded hunter who can be willful and stubborn. For that reason, the Porcelaine is not the right breed for everyone.
She needs the right balance of firm yet gentle training. This can be challenging for the beginning dog owner.
If you are not a hunter, you would also need to consider her high exercise need before committing to owning a Porcelaine.
However, if your family is active and willing to commit the time, the Porcelaine temperament can make this breed a loving and affectionate family companion.
Paula is an experienced writer who loves dogs and had many of them through the years. Her family always had large dogs—Border Collies, Labs, and Golden Retrievers. When her beloved Golden died of cancer, she decided to practice what she preached and do some research before choosing her next breed. She now shares this knowledge with thousands of dogtemperament.com readers worldwide.