A General Appearance of the Dog

The Brussels Griffon is a sturdy, compact little dog of squarish proportions. His thickset body is agile and sporty and serves to offset his most pronounced feature, a large domed head. The expressive nature of this breed’s face is his most noted characteristic.

The breed is sometimes known as the “Monkey Faced” dog due to its unique, almost human pout. His eyes are prominent and set well apart with long lashes and dark edges. His nose is usually very black and short. It is set back towards the eyes and up-tipped. The ears are small and set high on the head and can be cropped which will give them a pointed look or left natural giving them a soft fold forward. The jaw is undershot, and along with a natural beard, gives him a human-like expression.

Coat Color

There are four basic coat colors:

1) Red: reddish brown with a little black at the whiskers and chin;
2) Belge: black and reddish brown mixed, usually with black mask and whiskers;
3) Black and Tan: black with uniform reddish brown markings, appearing under the chin, on the legs, above each eye, around the edges of the ears and around the vent;
4) Black: solid black.

Coat Type

The Brussels Griffon coat comes in two types, rough or smooth. The coat, whether rough or smooth, should be brushed and trimmed to maintain a neat appearance while the wired type should never appear unkempt or over-groomed.

Rough: The rough coat tends to be dense with a ‘wiry’ texture but neither woolly nor silky. It can be 1-2 inches in length on the body and slightly longer around the eyes, cheeks and chin, forming a fringe around the face.

Smooth: The smooth coat has short, straight hair that is glossy in appearance.

Height: Males and Females: 7-8 inches

Weight: 6 – 12 Lbs; ideally 8 – 10 lbs