Brussels Griffon

At one time known as the Belgian street urchin, this breed originated in Belgium and has traces of Affenpinscher in its ancestry. A variety of this little dog appeared in a painting by the Flemish artist Jan van Eyck as long ago as 1434 and the breed was already standard in type by the 1600s. He used to earn his keep as a stable dog where horses for hansom cabs were kept. He arrived in Britain in the late 1800s.

Source: The Kennel Club

AKC Video Link

View more videos on AKC's YouTube Channel

• griffon bruxellois
• Griffon bruxellois    
• Grifón de Bruselas    
• Brüsseler Griffon

Country of origin: Belgium

There are numerous breed standards. The basis of breed/conformation shows is the judging of pedigree dogs against the 'Breed Standard', which is a picture in words that describes the range of features that are deemed appropriate for the breed.

Three of the major international standards are:

The American Kennel Club

The Kennel Club, UK

FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale)

See the BVA SM/CM Scheme + UK Kennel Club registrations Statistics

• bva - brussels-griffon - KC-reg-stats-cm-sm info.pdf

2018 Kennel Club Registration Statistics (Breed Record Supplements AV1 –AV4)

(Internal) GriffonBreedRecords2018.pdf

Health/Breeding Strategy Documents and Links:

1) The Kennel Club, UK: Breed Watch

   The Kennel Club: Population Analysis of the Griffon Bruxellois breed

2) Sweden: Breed-specific Breeding Strategies: (in Swedish) and/ or English summary

BSI:
        (Current translation of BSI Areas of Risk as of 5-15-2016, please see below.)
        Belgian Griffon, Brussels Griffon and Small Brabant Griffon
        (Griffon Belge, Griffon Bruxellois and Petit Brabançon) – brachycephalic type

Areas of risk are:
1.    Breathing: Problems caused by insufficient room in throat cavities and/or ribcage and/ or pinched nostrils.
2.    Face: Overly short muzzle can give rise to eye injuries.
3.    Movement: A deviant pattern of movement with frantic scratching behaviour and signs of unmotivated pain when on leash may indicate a serious neurological disorder, sy- ringomyelia.

Particular attention must be paid to breathing, nose and sound eyes as well as the pat- tern of movement.

• See extract from the BSI.

OFA: CHIC: Health testing Requirements for Brussels Griffon: https://www.ofa.org/recommended-tests?breed=BG&var=

Health Surveys:

• OFA
• Griffon Bruxellois Breeders Association (blank Word doc)
• Suomen Griffonyhdistys r.y
• The American Brussels Griffon Association (ABGA) [archived]
• UK: The Kennel Club 2014 Health Survey

Databases:

• Finland: FKC 

The Kennel Club list of DNA tests available for each breed along with an indication as to whether the test is part of the Assured Breeder Scheme (recommended or required) and whether it is recorded on the Kennel Club registration database.

AKCCHF podcast: Syringomyelia (SM) in the Brussels Griffon

• Quantitative Analysis of Chiari-Like Malformation and Syringomyelia in the Griffon Bruxellois Dog

Abstract: "This study aimed to develop a system of quantitative analysis of canine Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia on variable quality MRI. We made a series of measurements from magnetic resonance DICOM images from Griffon Bruxellois dogs with and without Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia and identified several significant variables. We found that in the Griffon Bruxellois dog, Chiari-like malformation is characterized by an apparent shortening of the entire cranial base and possibly by increased proximity of the atlas to the occiput. As a compensatory change, there appears to be an increased height of the rostral cranial cavity with lengthening of the dorsal cranial vault and considerable reorganization of the brain parenchyma including ventral deviation of the olfactory bulbs and rostral invagination of the cerebellum under the occipital lobes."

• CANINE CHIARI-LIKE MALFORMATION AND SYRINGOMYELIA

Clare Rusbridge BVMS PhD DECVN MRCVS
 

University of Surrey: Investigating the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment and genetic cause of canine Chiari Malformation and syringomyelia.

• Canine Chiari malformation and Syringomyelia -- international collaboration

We are listing sites for breed clubs with health or other information that might be helpful. Follow links below.

Australia: Griffon Bruxellois Club of Victoria

• Health testing

Finland: Suomen Griffonyhdistys r.y

• Surveys/Health

Germany: VDH: Verband deutscher kleinhundezüchter e.V.

Norway: Griffonrasene in NKK

Sweden: Svenska Griffonsektionen

UK: THE GRIFFON BRUXELLOIS CLUB 

UK: Griffon Bruxellois Breeders Association

• Health information page
• Health Survey - Blank

US: American Brussels Griffon Association

• Health Surveys (archival) American Brussels Griffon Association-surveys -2003 and 2004 - archived 
• Illustrated Breed Standard