Fun Blue Picardy Spaniel Facts For Kids

Are you fond of knowing more about pet dogs? If yes, then you must learn about the Blue Picardy Spaniel. This beautiful dog is named épagneul bleu de Picardie in France. In history, the Blue Picardy Spaniel was first properly noticed in 1938, even though it has been present for a long time. These dogs were mainly used as a pointer while hunting. As the breeding of the dog breed was stopped during the Second World War, its population decreased drastically. However, the Blue Picardy Spaniel's potential was re-recognized in the 1990s, and breeding was restarted. It remains a rare breed; however, its popularity is on the rise. The dog has a calm and sweet temperament, along with having a lot of active energy. The most striking thing about this dog is its medium-length gray or black coat that has a blue sheen. Sometimes the dog is also referred to as the bleu picard. The Blue Picardy Spaniel looks similar to the Brown Picardy Spaniel, but the former has been recognized as a separate breed. These dogs are active as well as sporting in nature and have good scores in field trials. The bleu picard has been recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club, United Kennel Club, and Fédération Cynologique Internationale.

Are you finding the dog breed interesting? Keep reading to learn more Blue Picardy Spaniel facts. Also, check out the articles on the English toy spaniel and Spinone Italiano.

What type of animal is a Blue Picardy Spaniel?

The Blue Picardy Spaniel is a type of purebred dog. The United Kennel Club places this breed in the gun dog group.

What class of animal does a Blue Picardy Spaniel belong to?

The Blue Picardy Spaniel belongs to the class Mammalia and to the genus Canis.

How many Blue Picardy Spaniels are there in the world?

It is hard to note down the exact number of Blue Picardy Spaniels that are currently present in the world. However, one source states that around 1000 Blue Picardy Spaniel puppies are born every year. Its considerably low population makes the dog a rare breed.

Where does a Blue Picardy Spaniel live?

Originally, the Blue Picardy Spaniel belonged only to France, and the dog breed was created somewhere around the area near the river Somme. Currently, these dogs are found in different places, especially in the UK and Canada.

What is a Blue Picardy Spaniel habitat?

The common habitat of the Blue Picardy Spaniel dog is human households. However, there was a time when the dogs were primarily used as hunting dogs, and so it was present on farms. Currently, it is one of the loving dog breeds. These dogs are good at adaptability, but they aren't meant to stay in apartments. As high-energy dogs, the Blue Picardy Spaniel does require a lot more space compared to other breeds.

Who do Blue Picardy Spaniels live with?

The Blue Picardy Spaniel breed has been raised to live with humans. Hence, the dog breed is quite friendly and loving towards its owners as well as to strangers. However, as a hunting dog breed, it can be a little territorial. The Blue Picardy Spaniel is great with children as well as with other pets that you might have.

How long does a Blue Picardy Spaniel live?

The average life span of the Blue Picardy Spaniel is around 9-14 years. With proper nutrition and care, the dogs of this breed are able to live a fulfilling life until 14 years.

How do they reproduce?

Like other dogs, the Blue Picardy Spaniel bitch has estrus (heat) cycles. Mating during these cycles leads to pregnancy. A bitch may have one or two cycles in a year. The gestation period lasts for 58-68 days, and the Blue Picardy Spaniel bitch's litter size is usually five to eight puppies. The puppies of this breed are born with a much lighter coat which gets darker with age. The puppy will totally depend on its mother for the first few months and feed on milk. At the puppy stage, a dog sleeps a lot; however, it is also the right time to start training it for learning proper sociability.

What is their conservation status?

The Blue Picardy Spaniels are yet to make it into any conservation lists.

What do Blue Picardy Spaniels look like?

The most striking thing about the Blue Picardy Spaniel is its coat. The gray-black coat is also defined as black-blue because of its blue sheen. The black-blue coat also has black patches all over it. The black patches are especially prominent in the puppy phase. The dog's coat is mostly straight with a little wave, and there is feathering on the ears. Legs are long and slender with setter characteristics. The feet of the dog are broad and round. These setter qualities do give the dogs much-needed agility.

The dog's coat is present evenly on the legs as well as on the beautiful straight tail. The body is well-built for a dog of medium height, and the chest is quite prominent with medium depth. It also has a well-set neck. The end of the nose, ears, legs of this dog breed is covered with smooth, silky wavy, or straight hair. These dogs have dark brown eyes that are big and have gentle expressions. The head of this dog is oval, and the muzzle has a squared look.

How cute are they?

The Blue Picardy Spaniel is extremely adorable. The medium to long coat along with its medium height makes the dog quite appealing.

How do they communicate?

This French dog breed isn't a heavy barker like other dog breeds. However, it can efficiently bark at the right time. With proper training, this sporting breed can easily pick up communication cues taught by humans. Like other dogs, the Blue Picardy Spaniel also has the ability to communicate with the help of its urine scent.

How big is a Blue Picardy Spaniel?

The Blue Picardy Spaniel is a medium-sized dog with an average height of 22–24 in (56–61 cm). The dog is just a bit bigger than the English springer spaniel.

How fast can a Blue Picardy Spaniel run?

As one of the hunting and sporting dog breeds, the Blue Picardy Spaniel does run quite fast. The average speed is about 20-25 mph (32.3-40.2 kph).

How much does a Blue Picardy Spaniel weigh?

The average weight of this dog group is 40-45 lb (19-20 kg). The weight range is good for a medium-size dog. However, keep checking the weight of your dog to rule out obesity, as it can lead to other health issues.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male epagneul bleu de Picardie is called a dog, and a female epagneul bleu de Picardie is called a bitch.

What would you call a baby Blue Picardy Spaniel?

The baby of a Blue Picardy Spaniel is called a puppy.

What do they eat?

Like other pet dogs, the diet is an important factor to keep them happy and healthy. The Blue Picardy Spaniel is one of the active dog breeds; hence it might eat a little more. It is also important to give the dogs high-quality dog food that is rich in protein. Throughout the dog's life, the food habits will change a lot. A puppy certainly has different nutritional requirements compared to an adult dog. The amount of food needed by the dog will also depend on its age, height, and weight. Weight gain can often be a problem in dogs. Hence, it is important to consult a vet to fix the right daily food amount. Make sure to buy food that is meant for high-performance dogs.

Are they slobbery?

Not really! Proper grooming will take away any slobbering that the dog might have in a rare incident.  

Would they make a good pet?

Absolutely! If you happen to find a Blue Picardy Spaniel puppy, then do not miss out on having this lovely breed as your pet. These are amazing dogs with a calm temperament. It is the perfect breed for people who have a little more space in their homes. This dog breed appreciates high-energy exercise, so it can be a perfect partner to those who go on trekking or hiking trips. The dogs pay close attention to its family, and it loves human companionship. If you have another cat and dog in your house, the dog will surely love making friends. When it comes to children, the Blue Picardy Spaniels can be a great companion for them. Children would love playing with this playful and cheerful French dog breed. The dogs are quite gentle with children as well as other humans.

This is an intelligent dog group that is happy to please its humans. Hence, it is important to give it proper training. A great deal of patience isn't required with this group, and it is one of the easy-to-train breeds. Training should start from a young age, and it should include enough exercise. If you want the dogs to participate in sports, then it's better to increase the level of their training. Make the dog an active companion for going on treks and long walks. We should also mention that the daily exercise requirement for this breed is about 60-90 minutes. Yes, the exercise routine may sound a little tough, but it helps to keep the dogs active and reduce the chance of having health issues. As intelligent dogs, they love to play and interact with different toys or puzzles. However, this dog isn't meant to live an apartment life. The apartment may restrict the dogs' ability to move around.

Happy health ensures that the behavior and temperament of a dog remain gentle and calm. One of the reasons for a dog behaving a little unsettled is because of hidden health issues. The Blue Picardy Spaniel isn't prone to frequent health ailments, but there are some common issues like hip dysplasia and some eye issues. These dogs are prone to ear infections. Hence, you will need to clean the ears regularly while grooming to make them less prone to ear issues. Consult a vet as soon as you find something wrong with the dog's ears. Other grooming requirements include brushing the dog's coat twice or thrice a week. Apart from cleaning the dog's ears, you should also clean its teeth and give it a dry bath.

Did you know...

The American Kennel Club is yet to recognize these gentle and loveable dogs. However, the breed is recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale as a separate breed.

According to history, the Blue Picardy Spaniel was made by breeding the English Setter with local spaniel dogs of France.

In history, this French dog breed was used for hunting wildfowl.

In France, the Blue Picardy Spaniel was first given the recognition of a separate breed in 1938.

Are Blue Picardy Spaniels hypoallergic?

There is a common myth that your cat or dog can be hypoallergenic in nature. However, that fact isn't true as allergy is mainly caused by the dead skin or dander produced by a cat or a dog. Hence, the Blue Picardy Spaniels can't be termed hypoallergenic. Also, these dogs have medium shedding, and the fur tends to be on the longer side.

Are Blue Picardy Spaniels good guard dogs?

The calm and quiet Blue Picardy Spaniels can be great guard dogs or watchdogs, but they will need proper training from the puppy stage.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our ghost bat fun facts and pinnipeds surprising facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Blue Picardy Spaniel coloring pages.