3 Cons of Raising a Brussels Griffon Dog

A lot of animals have been featured in motion picture productions. Some have played minor roles while others have played major roles.

Dogs are one of those animals that have been used a lot in movies. There are so many motion picture productions in the past and very recently that have used them well enough.

Some of these dogs did so well that it increased the demand for their breed by canine parents and lovers at large. One of those breeds that have benefitted from such is the Brussels Griffon breed.

For instance, more people have been interested in raising this breed after its impressive involvement in the movie “As Good as It Gets”. But this is not even the only movie this breed is a part of. "Gosford Park" and "First Wives Club" are other examples.

There is no doubting the fact that desiring a dog because of an outstanding performance in a movie is tempting. However, it is not a sufficient yardstick for choosing a dog. You need to consider a lot more than that when selecting the dog you want to raise.

In light of this, we will discuss some things you should know about Brussels Griffon dogs in this article. We advise anyone thinking about raising them to keep reading. This is so that you will know what you are up against.

The Complications of Raising a Brussels Griffon Dog

This breed is a great toy dog to have for many reasons. For instance, its physical activity level makes it unique from many other toy dogs. This is because what it does not have in size and weight, this dog makes up for in strength.

So, you would not be dealing with the average fragile toy canine. This does not mean it is not susceptible to any health complications.

There is hardly any dog that is not vulnerable to one health issue or the other. Having established this, here are some complications associated with raising a Brussels Griffon dog:

Grooming

You should not consider having it if you have no plans to do serious work grooming your canine companion. The reason is that it has a great deal of hair in its coat.

This is especially true if you are dealing with the rough-haired variety. But even the smooth-haired variety still requires some serious grooming.

For the smooth-haired option, you can make do with grooming once a week. This is unless you see the need to do more for whatsoever reason.

You have more work to do if yours is a rough-haired breed. The incentive is that they look very adorable if you can do the needful. Speaking of doing the needful, you need to groom them with the right brush and other needed items about thrice a week.

Furthermore, you will also require the services of a professional to hand-strip every quarter. We strongly suggest that you have a professional do it for you rather than do it yourself.

The good news is that this breed does not shed a lot. This is amazing considering how some canine breeds that do not have as much hair shed more often.

Barking

The first thing we would like to point out here is that this dog needs to be well-trained. This is because it has the natural tendency to act in some uncultured manner if it does not go through the right training.

One of such is incessant barking. It does this for various reasons. Seeking your attention till it gets it is one reason. So, it needs to be taught to behave well to avoid such incessant barking.

The good thing is that this dog makes a very good watchdog. This is even though it is not so good as a guard dog because of its size. It sees something weird and will not stop barking till your attention is drawn to that thing.

However, this can be a problem for neighbors. So, you need to factor all this in before deciding to raise one or many.

Health Complications

We did stress that there is almost no dog that is not vulnerable to one health complication or the other. However, some are more than others.

Well, you should know that this breed has a fair share of susceptibility to health problems. Some of these health complications are even genetically caused and do not have a cure as of now. We would start with one of them:

PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy)

The word progressive is attached to this health complication for a reason. It is because the deterioration it brings is progressive. Unfortunately, it does not have a cure.

This condition affects the dog’s vision until it eventually goes blind. This is because of the progressive deterioration and eventually death of the retina in the eyes.

Patellar Luxation

The first thing you should know about this condition is that it is painless for the dog. However, it affects its smooth mobility. It is caused by dislocation in the dog’s knee bone and can only be corrected through surgery.

Hip Dysplasia

Frankly, this is not the only canine breed that often battles with this health problem. It is even often associated with many other toy breed dogs. It is caused by an abnormal connection in the ball-and-socket region of the hip.

These are just some of the health complications this canine breed is vulnerable to. For more on this subject, you can read this.

On a Final Note

Many people desire to raise a dog for superficial reasons. This can be about good looks, participation in a movie, and other superficial reasons.

You need to know a lot about a breed before you decide to end up with it. This is why we have shared some cons associated with the Brussels griffon dog. The intent is not to make you avoid it. However, it is to make you know what you are in for by acquiring it.