Both are white coated French pack hounds, but the Billy is bigger and rarer, weighing 55 to 70 pounds and bred from Poitou for use on deer and boar hunts. The Porcelaine is smaller, has a more delicate build, and comes from the east as a hare hound. Each breed is elegant and musical, with strong pack instincts and a cheerful, people centred nature.
Start with the Billy's own numbers: medium size, 55 to 70 lb, 10 to 12 years, and 30 to 45 minutes of daily exercise. That is the breed on paper, and the comparison below is measured against exactly that record. Weight control matters in a big hound with a healthy appetite. Scent hounds are deaf to recall once the nose engages: long lines, secure gardens and patience are the toolkit.
Comparisons mislead when they stop at appearance: the breeds that look most alike often differ most in exercise, grooming and noise, which are the differences owners actually live with.
Energy scores 3 out of 5, the middle of the scale: the Billy needs its 30 to 45 minutes daily and then settles like a sensible dog. The 3/5 routine for a Billy is the sort owners fold into a Sunday afternoon without resentment.
The record in one place: 23 to 28 inches at the shoulder, 55 to 70 lb, a lifespan of 10 to 12 years and 30 to 45 minutes of daily exercise. Most questions about this breed become easier once those four numbers are in view.
Size context from the growth table: 4 months at about 18 to 22 lb, 9 months at about 41 to 52 lb, 18 months at about 55 to 70 lb mark the Billy's first year, against an adult standard of 55 to 70 lb. The Non-Sporting group is where the record files the Billy; its home ground is France.
The stranger test summarises the social side: rated Friendly with strangers, the Billy meets the world as this page describes. The Billy is a fair deal for the household it suits and a poor one for any other, and the record makes the distinction plainly. More questions about the breed are answered from the same record on the Billy profile and its sibling question pages.
An hour of real life with each tells you more than a month of photographs. Meet both breeds as adults before deciding, ideally in their owners' homes.
Compare the apartment verdicts and the barking scores together: the Billy reads With enough exercise with barking at 3/5. Flat living is decided by exactly that pair of facts more than by size alone. There is no rematch clause in dog ownership: the 10 to 12 year version of the decision deserves the extra week of thought.
Trainability is scored on both records for a reason: the Billy sits at 3/5. A first time owner should usually take the higher score; an experienced owner may prefer the more independent dog and enjoy the negotiation. Whichever way the decision lands, the same breeder diligence applies: health tests shown, questions welcomed, no pressure.
More often than people admit: 23 to 28 inches and 55 to 70 lb decide cars, stairs, sofas and how a dog feels in a small flat. Handling both breeds as adults, at full size, settles arguments that photographs keep alive.
The Billy with children, rated and explained: family life, supervision, other dogs and visitors.
The honest Billy budget: food, insurance, year one and the lifetime total, worked out from the breed's own record.
Two spirited Irish breeds, two different housemates.
Last updated: November 6, 2026