Brussels Griffon Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

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Brussels Griffon Breed Overview

The Brussels Griffon is a tiny-sized dog.

The adult Brussels Griffon stands 7 to 8 inches tall at the shoulder.

The Brussels Griffon belongs to the Companion Dogs group.

Dogs in the Companion Dogs group, like the Brussels Griffon, were bred to be companions for humans. Their main goal in life is to be with people, and they will be very sad if left to themselves for long hours day after day.

The fact that Brussels Griffons belong to the Companion Dogs group is one of the reasons why Brussels Griffons have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Brussels Griffon is generally described as:

  • Alert
  • Companionable
  • Inquisitive
  • Self-important
  • Sensitive
  • Watchful

History of the Brussels Griffon Breed. Where Brussels Griffons came from

The Brussels Griffon breed originated in Belgium over 200 years ago, specifically in the city of Brussels.

The Griffon d`Ecurie, a wire-haired stable dog, became the companion of choice for cab drivers, farmers, and peasants as a theft deterrent and vermin discourager.

This determined little ratter was bred with the Pug in the 1800s and was given its crowning glory — the magnificent head piece that defies the human face for expressive purposes.

The Brussels Griffon was eventually bred with the Affenpinscher, English Toy Spaniel, and possibly the Yorkshire Terrier to produce the sturdy and compactly built toy breed we see today.

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What the Brussels Griffon Looks Like

The Brussels Griffon is a compact, squarely proportioned toy breed with medium length muscular front legs and well-muscled thighs.

The Brussels Griffon has small, high-set ears that can be left natural or cropped.

Their noses are short, black, and have large nostrils.

The smooth coat lacks wiry hair and instead has straight hair with a glossy sheen.

Brussels come in a variety of colors, including red (more of a reddish-brown with a few black whiskers at the chin), beige (a black and reddish-brown mixture with a black mask), black and tan (usually black all over with uniform reddish-brown markings on the head and legs), and solid black.

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How Much is the Brussels Griffon Puppy?

How Much Brussels Griffons Cost

The average price of a Brussels Griffon puppy is $2430. The price of a Brussels Griffon puppy ranges from $1899 to $3000.

A lot of factors determine the price of the Brussels Griffon. These factors include what health records the Brussels Griffon puppy has, the lineage of the Brussels Griffon puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.

To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Brussels Griffon based on the many factors that determine the price of the Brussels Griffon puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Brussels Griffon puppy based on what you want in the puppy.

When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Brussels Griffon breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.

You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.

Best Brussels Griffon Breeders

Brussels Griffon Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Brussels Griffon breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Brussels Griffon breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. William McNeeley

    Puppy Price: $3500.00

  2. Parisfield Brussels Griffons

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  3. Brenda Monrreal

    Puppy Price: $2000.00-$2300.00

  4. Cathy Hjelm Loco Motion

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  5. kae Sherrell

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

Adopting or Rescuing the Brussels Griffon

You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Brussels Griffons included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.

These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.

In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.

Below is an adorable Male Brussels Griffon named Mcgruff that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Brussels Griffons like Mcgruff on pefinder.com.

Brussels Griffons like Mcgruff are available for Adoption! It is cheaper to adopt. Image from petfinder.com

You can find more Brussels Griffons that are available for adoption on petfinder.

Brussels Griffon Growth

Brussels Griffon Growth

New Brussels Griffon owners need to know about the growth of their Brussels Griffons. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.

Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Brussels Griffon will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Brussels Griffon early.

See our calculator for predicting how big your Brussels Griffon puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Brussels Griffon at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Brussels Griffon

Brussels Griffon

What Colors do Brussels Griffons Have?

Brussels Griffons come in the following beautiful primary colors:

  • Black
  • Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
  • White / Cream
  • Brown / Chocolate
  • Sable
  • Tricolor (Brown, Black, & White)
  • Apricot / Beige
Brussels Griffon

Brussels Griffon Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 7 different Brussels Griffon birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Brussels Griffons can have is 3 puppies. Also, the Brussels Griffon can have as few as 2 puppies per litter and as many as 5 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Brussels Griffon will have depends on factors such as the age of the Brussels Griffon, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Brussels Griffon will have and how the litter size of the Brussels Griffon compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Brussels Griffons Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 17 different Brussels Griffons, the average speed of the Brussels Griffon is 17.1 mph (27.5 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Brussels Griffon ran in a race is 20.58 mph (33.1 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Brussels Griffon is 12.64 mph (20.3 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Brussels Griffon compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Brussels Griffon can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Brussels Griffons

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Brussels Griffon ranked by popularity:

  • Wally
  • Cooper
  • Tikki
  • Jake
  • Griffin
  • Gizmo
  • Scooter
  • Yang
  • Benji
  • Bodger

How Popular are Brussels Griffons with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Brussels Griffon.

The popularity of the Brussels Griffon averaged over the years is Number 93 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Popularity of Brussels Griffon

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

Health Problems in Brussels Griffons and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Brussels Griffon is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Brussels Griffon puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Brussels Griffon breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Brussels Griffons for:

  1. Autoimmune thyroiditis
  2. Eye Examination
  3. Hip Dysplasia
  4. Patellar Luxation
  5. Progressive Retinal Atrophy
  6. Syringomyelia – Recommend MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) – no database registration

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Brussels Griffons here.

How to Take Care of Brussels Griffon

How to feed your Brussels Griffon.

To take good care of your Brussels Griffon, you need to make sure that you groom your Brussels Griffon regularly.

Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Brussels Griffon regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Brussels Griffon`s preventative care.

Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Brussels Griffon daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Brussels Griffon.

Also, you need to feed your Brussels Griffon high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Brussels Griffon from getting overweight or underweight.

See our recommendations on what to feed the Brussels Griffon and how much food to feed the Brussels Griffon at different life stages.

Finally, you need to make sure that your Brussels Griffon has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Brussels Griffon needs to drink at different ages.

How much water your Brussels Griffon needs.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Brussels Griffons

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Brussels Griffon.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Brussels Griffon:

Other Things to Know About Brussels Griffons

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Brussels Griffon that you need to know about the Brussels Griffon breed:

  • Brussels Griffons do not like to be left alone.
  • Brussels Griffons cannot tolerate cold weather. They are vulnerable to the cold.
  • Brussels Griffons have a very low prey drive. This means they get along well with other pets.
  • Brussels Griffons are not the best dogs for new dog owners.
  • Brussels Griffons cannot tolerate hot weather. They are not suited for hot environments.
  • Brussels Griffons get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.
  • Brussels Griffons get along well with other dogs.
  • Brussels Griffons are highly intelligent.
  • Brussels Griffons are highly vocal. They have the tendency to bark and howl.
  • Brussels Griffons require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  • Brussels Griffons adapt well to apartment living.
  • Brussels Griffons are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.
  • Brussels Griffons are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  • Brussels Griffons have a high tendency to wander. They are easily distracted by other animals or objects.
  • Brussels Griffons have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  • Brussels Griffons are very playful.
  • Brussels Griffons weigh 7 to 12 pounds when fully grown.
  • Brussels Griffons are 7 to 8 inches tall at the shoulder when fully grown.
  • Brussels Griffons have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years.