gonewalkies

I've been commissioned to research places in France that are good for dog walks, and will be starting with Brittany in May with my collie. Would hugely appreciate any dog walking tips in France generally - and any info about big parks / canal walks / forests / beaches in the Brittany area would be amazing.
I've already sifted through a mountain of guide books, and have loads of maps - but any help from the canine community would be very reassuring! Thanks

cjm

That's a very big topic in a very big country. What do you define as a walk? My Jack Russell loves the beach, she has freedom there out of season; or a farm land walk with a stream - all on my doorstep. Putting up pheasants, sniffing out coypu, fox and badger trails. When I lived in the UK we would take our dogs - terriers, spaniels, labs - on a good hour plus trek to end up in a village pub, but as I view it France is not the same (okay no pubs!).

Most French dog owners I am aware of take their charges for a walk as a routine, not as a joy. But, I may be wrong.

Here's one for all. What is the most popular dog in France?

gonewalkies

Thanks for the response! 'Dog walk' for this purpose needs to be a short 30-60 minute break - not the kind of 5 hour romp over fields that my collie loves most. So a scenic bit of coastal walk+beach, or a touristic monument+field would be ideal.
You're quite right - if I set out to do the kind of walks my dog enjoys, it would be a lifetime's work, possibly even longer

Ka Ora!

Around here it's the Pyrenean Mountain Dog



There is one down the road that when it gets bored with the sheep it wanders in to the village "Well tiny City" and plonks itself in the fountain with the fish huge smelly dribbling beast but it's quite cute really. I would actually say them little rat dog thingys are probably the most common. Hand bag dogs as in they fit in their owners pockets.

dmu

In my part of the Hérault, everyone seems to have an "épagneuil breton" or other hunting dog.
Except for us, we've got a Border Collie, given to us by the local sheep (=Roquefort cheese) farmer...

Ray51

We have a ( mini ) Schnauzer !
Great dog , six yrs old , less than 6 kg weight ( i.e. can fly free , next to you , on many a decent airline - as if ever there was such a thing as a "decent" airline BTW ) ;
she requires too muuch Nettoyage ( hair-clipping , actually : every 10-12 weeks , @ 50 overvalued EUrobuxx a time , at a recognised Schnauzer expert and breeder ) ;
but : hardly any vet care ( which , in BeNeLux , is quite affordable anyway - as opposed to the U.K. !!!) ;
otherwise , she really loves human company ( of adults , preferably ) , loves walks , exercise , parks and is enamoured with travelling distances , in any car/s ;
we've been as far as Costa del Sol ( no further plans on that one , anymore ! ) , Catalunya ( many a time ! ) , any part/s of France , eastwardly through Germany/Lux/Austria/SLOvenia/Croatia and all that way ( stopping every 3-4 hours , at assorted petrol stations/resto's off the Autobahns , is just THE biggest fun ever invented for a clever little dog like that and , of course , that side od the world - just like here - Everyone likes a Schnauzer ! ) ;
as a Companion Dog , I'd recommend a Schnauzer , anytime ( they can & do get : barking loud , at times , though ! )

Tweedpipe

Has to be the Mama-in-law if mine's anything to go by!

le plumber

I think you may be right - in the UK I can remember that everybody in our neighbourhood who had a dog seemed to eachother. You actually got to know people by taking the dog out.
We have a Bouvier Bernois, or a bernese mountain dog and they seem to be quite common in this neck of the woods. Laziest dog I know which suits me

dennerlymum

why not purchase some of the walk guides (in french) from the local tourist office; we found them wonderful for short walks all around brittany

gonewalkies

Yes - and thanks for the suggestion. I have quite a few of these, but am really interested in the favourite walks and experiences of people who are local to the area to supplement the factual stuff. Sort of - 'we don't go to X because there's a great big dog in the farmyard at Y that scares our spaniel', or - there's a brilliant seafood van on the beach at ...!

On a different note, wish I'd discovered this forum ages ago - we're just reluctantly back in the UK after a recent bounce out of Tripoli ... and very much looking forward to the next few months in France

cjm

Tweedpipe - hope her in the kennel doesn't read this forum, or you be a gonner!

The type of dog most favoured in and around my area is the Yorkshire Terrier. Outstrips anything else I have seen, so perhaps breeds are regional; sorry Gonewalkies didn't mean to hijack your post.

Don't feel though that my walks fit the format you are looking for. A beach walk, certainly out of season over late Autumn and Winter months, can be found almost anywhere (yes, heard that chuckle; on the coast of course). They fit most of your requirements. Here in the Vendee we have many beaches, north of south of La Tranche sur Mer, all of which would work; some more isolated than others. Mostly sand and with the tide way out worth checking for moules and huitres, where there are some rocky bits. Try and Google Earth the view; I can likely give you some coordinates if you want to post or PM me.