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Our Braque Francais (French Pointers)
Along with our wonderful little brown flushing dogs, we also have two superb pointing dogs. The Braque Francais (which originate from the Pyrenees Mountains) are named Niccalette de Grand Ciel and As Du Mont Caugts... both are great hunting dogs.
We had been doing a bit of reading about the Braque Francais breed and their wonderful temperaments and smaller size. We were fortunate enough to find Brad and Julie Boisen (Grand Ciel Lodge), and got Nicca in 2002. Nicca has been a wonderful retriever since the time we got her as a puppy. She doesn't run as big as some of the other pointing breeds, which is really nice. She's also not as hard-headed as some can be... she really aims to please. I have to say, it can be a real treat to take Nicca out hunting and have my limit of Sharptail Grouse, before my husband! Nicca loves to hunt upland birds, but seems to especially like the Sharptails.
In 2005, Brad Boisen imported three Braques from France. We were fortunate to get As at that time. He was about a year old and a really sweet dog. When hunting season came around he really showed us how fortunate we were to have gotten him. He has a superb nose and is tremendous in the field. While he’s quite passive at home, he’s a real worker when he’s out in the field. Although pointing dogs are not always very good with handling pheasants, As has proven that he’s more than capable of pinning those wily roosters.
Wayne has competed with both As and Nicca in local NSTRA trials. Both dogs have done well in their placements, although they are both far better wild bird dogs.
If you're a subscriber to The Pointing Dog Journal, you can see Nicca and Wayne in the May/June, 2005 issue (page 49), at one of our local trials.
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