At France’s first dog show in 1863, no pointing breed was more numerous than the Saint Germain Pointer (Braque Saint-Germain), according to the FCI standard. Today, this white-and-orange pointing dog is rare, and geneticists have identified it as a French breed whose diversity needs particular protection.
| FCI | Group 7 (Pointing Dogs), Section 1 Continental Pointing Dogs, Braque type, Standard No. 115, with working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | France |
| Size (height at the withers) | Males 56 to 62 cm, females 54 to 59 cm; 2 cm above tolerated in exceptional dogs |
| Weight | not specified in the FCI standard |
| Life expectancy | no reliable study figure found (N/A) |
| Coat | short, not too fine; skin fairly fine |
| Colours in the standard | matt white with orange (fawn) markings, some ticking tolerated; fawn ears; black on nose, lips, palate or nails disqualifies |
Pointer blood from royal kennels
According to the standard, the breed descends from dogs produced by crossing an English Pointer with a continental pointing dog. It developed around 1830 in royal kennels, first at Compiègne, then Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Highly fashionable until the early 20th century, it gained a French breed club in March 1913. Meet the English ancestor in the encyclopedia’s English Pointer entry.
Affectionate, but no dog for a harsh hand
The standard describes a trusting, even-tempered, affectionate hunting dog that would not tolerate rough handling in training. Approached correctly, it is considered easy to train. It is deeply attached to its people and prefers to live at the heart of the family. For you, that means rewards and calm rather than pressure, and short sessions rather than long hours of drilling.
A galloper for game birds
The breed was developed mainly to hunt game birds, including pheasant, partridge and woodcock, in all terrain, but can also work furred game and retrieves with a soft mouth. Its normal gait is a supple, enduring gallop with a medium search range. Without hunting, it needs daily off-lead running in secure terrain, retrieving games, dummy training and search tasks.
Short coat, fine skin
The short coat needs little: use a rubber grooming mitt weekly, more often during shedding. Fairly fine skin quickly shows scratches from bramble hedges, so check after outings. The standard explicitly requires pale to white nails; black on nose, lips or nails excludes a dog from breeding.
A narrow gene pool
There are no reliable lifespan figures. Ancestry, however, is well studied: analysis of French stud books found only 13,1 effective ancestors for dogs born between 1997 and 2001, compared with 33,3 for the Brittany; mean inbreeding was 6,0 per cent (Leroy et al. 2006). A later study of 61 breeds bred in France placed it among three requiring particular efforts to preserve genetic diversity (Leroy et al. 2009). Ask for the litter’s inbreeding coefficient and parental health results.
Who suits this dog
People who hunt or are serious about equivalent activities, train with a calm, kind approach and value an affectionate dog in family life.
Who should choose differently
Anyone who raises their voice when things go wrong, leaves the dog alone for long daytime periods or has nowhere for a free gallop. Also anyone unwilling to search patiently for a careful breeder of a rare breed.
Our breed quiz shows how well a sensitive hunting dog fits your life; our book offers more precise help: “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). For the time after arrival, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. White and orange look striking on a portrait in a wooden frame; find all styles in our dog portraits.
Further reading
- Weimaraner: the beautiful hunting dog that never clocks off
- The socialisation period: why “as much as possible” is the wrong advice
- Is my dog overweight? How to check body shape and ideal weight
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI-Standard Nr. 115 Braque Saint-Germain (fci.be, German version dated 19.09.2023, valid standard published 01.08.2023); Leroy G et al., Genetic variability in French dog breeds assessed by pedigree data, Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 2006; Leroy G et al., Genetic diversity of dog breeds: within-breed diversity comparing genealogical and molecular data, Animal Genetics 2009; McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024.
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