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A Little Brussels Griffon History The origins of the Griffon are humble. In the early 1800s, coachmen customarily kept small terriers as ratters in the stables. Those in Belgium were Affenpinscher-like, known as griffons d'ecurie (wire-coated stable dogs). By the mid 1800s, crosses between the native Belgium dog and the Pug, black and tan King Charles Spaniel, and the Ruby varieties of the English Toy Spaniel combined to give us the determined, loving, enthusiastic dog we love to this day. These crosses also account for the Griffon coat varieties - rough (wire coated) and smooth (short haired). The smooth coat is recessive to the rough coat. This means that two smooths can only produce smooths, but two roughs (if they carry a recessive gene for smooth) can produce smooth coats as well. The crosses also produced the various coat colours - red, black, belge (mix of red and black hairs blended all through the coat), and black and tan, as well as the head characteristics that make this dog so distinctive. The original street dog was known as a "ratter", and some Griffon owners report their dogs still perform this duty.
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