Brussels Griffon

Confident and sensitive; attaches closely to its owner.
A Brussels Griffon
Photo: Canarian
Adult weight
3.5–6 kg
7.7–13 lb
Lifespan
13.3 yrs
Class · Lap dog
also Companion

What it's like

In temperament it is a confident, self-important little dog. It attaches itself closely to its owner and is often reserved with strangers. It is sensitive and does not respond well to rough handling. The dog Verdell in the film As Good as It Gets was a Brussels Griffon.

Day to day
Activity
Happy with modest walks
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs steady training
With people
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Sensitivity
Needs a calm, predictable home
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Usually fine with small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

It has a wire or harsh coat. Loose hair stays caught in the coat until it is brushed, stripped or clipped out. Plan on a brush once a week, plus hand-stripping two or three times a year. It needs a modest amount of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Brussels Griffon is a toy dog, about the weight of a grown Yorkshire Terrier. It is one of the heaviest toy breeds.

It is a small, square, sturdy dog with a large rounded head, a very short nose, an undershot jaw with a prominent chin, and big dark eyes set wide apart. Its expression is often described as almost human, and is sometimes compared to a monkey's or a bearded old man's. The rough coat is harsh and wiry, with a beard and whiskers, and is kept tidy by hand-stripping. The smooth coat is short and glossy. Colours include red, black, black and tan, and belge, mixed red and black.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
Brussels Griffons reach half their adult weight at about 4 months. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
10 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
02462m4m6m9m12m18m
02462m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
1.1–1.9 kg 2.4–4.2 lb
1.2–2.1 kg 2.6–4.6 lb
3 months
1.4–2.4 kg 3.1–5.3 lb
1.5–2.6 kg 3.3–5.7 lb
4 months
1.9–3.2 kg 4.2–7.1 lb
1.9–3.3 kg 4.2–7.3 lb
5 months
2.2–3.8 kg 4.9–8.4 lb
2.2–3.8 kg 4.9–8.4 lb
6 months
2.5–4.2 kg 5.5–9.3 lb
2.5–4.2 kg 5.5–9.3 lb
7 months
2.7–4.6 kg 6.0–10.1 lb
2.6–4.5 kg 5.7–9.9 lb
8 months
2.8–4.9 kg 6.2–10.8 lb
2.8–4.8 kg 6.2–10.6 lb
9 months
3.0–5.1 kg 6.6–11.2 lb
2.9–4.9 kg 6.4–10.8 lb
10 months
3.0–5.2 kg 6.6–11.5 lb
3.0–5.1 kg 6.6–11.2 lb
11 months
3.1–5.3 kg 6.8–11.7 lb
3.1–5.2 kg 6.8–11.5 lb
12 months
3.2–5.4 kg 7.1–11.9 lb
3.1–5.3 kg 6.8–11.7 lb
15 months
3.3–5.7 kg 7.3–12.6 lb
3.3–5.6 kg 7.3–12.3 lb
18 months
3.5–5.9 kg 7.7–13.0 lb
3.4–5.9 kg 7.5–13.0 lb

Health and lifespan

Flat face and breathing

The Brussels Griffon is one of the flat-faced breeds. In UK vet records, flat-faced dogs were more likely to have breathing and airway problems than dogs with a medium-length muzzle, and lived shorter lives on average. Noisy breathing at rest is worth raising with a vet.

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Brussels Griffon lived to about 13 and a half years, about average for a toy breed.

Where it comes from

The Brussels Griffon descends from the smousje, a rough-coated dog found around Brussels for centuries. Pug and Ruby King Charles Spaniel crosses fixed its type in the 19th century; the griffons were bred to guard carriages and keep rodents out of stables, and Queen Marie-Henriette's interest had made them popular by about 1900. The FCI counts it as one of three breeds; the Kennel Club keeps one, rough or smooth4,10.

The Brussels Griffon's later history was shaped by war. Both world wars sharply reduced its numbers in Belgium, and dogs kept in Britain and elsewhere helped rebuild the breed afterwards. By then it had moved from the stable yard to the home, and it is now kept as a companion. Its past as a ratter shows mainly in its alertness and its readiness to bark at anything unfamiliar.

Breed standard

The Brussels Griffon is judged against standard no. 80, in group 9, Companion and Toy Dogs4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Brussels Griffon figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a toy breed is most likely at the early end.

Compare with related

Affenpinscher
Pinschers & molossoids · Small
Pug
Companion & toy · Small
Coton de Tulear
Companion & toy · Toy
Havanese
Companion & toy · Toy
Or compare the Brussels Griffon with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·