FCI Standard 83

FCI-Standard N° 83 / 05. 05. 2003 (Dutch / Ned. standaard)

SCHIPPERKE Foto

TRANSLATION: Mrs Jeans-Brown, revised by Mr R. Pollet and R. Triquet.

ORIGIN : Belgium.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 25.03.2003.

UTILIZATION : Small guardian and companion dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 1 Sheep and cattle dog (except Swiss cattle dogs).

Section 1 Sheepdog.

Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : In the Flemisch dialect, Schipperke means « little shepherd ». The common ancestor of the Belgian Shepherds and the Schipperke was probably a sheepdog called Leuvenaar, an early breed, usual1y rather small and black. The Schipperke' s origins go back to the 17th century. About 1960, the Schipperke was the favourite dog of working people and cobblers from the St.Gery quarter of Brussels, who used to organise competitions to show off the intricately worked brass collars with which they adorned their dogs. Its tail was completely docked, a fashion which seems to have existed since the 15th century. It was renowned as a catcher of mice, rats, moles and other vermin. The Schipperke was shown for the first time in 1882 in the town of Spa. It became fashionable thanks to Queen Marie-Henriette of Belgium. It was introduced into Great Britain and the U.S.A. in 1887. The first standard was drawn up in 1888 by the breed club, founded that year, which is the oldest breed club in Belgium. Over the years great efforts have had to be made to unify the type. Indeed at that time there was discussion about the different varieties coming from Anvers, Louvain and Brussels.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Lupoid. The Schipperke is a sheepdog of small dimensions but very solidly build. Its head is wedge-shaped with a quite well-developed skull, and a relatively short muzzle. Its body is wel1-balanced, short, quite broad and stocky but its limbs are fine-boned. Its coat is very characteristic, well-furnished and with straight hair, forming a ruff, a mane, a frill and culottes which give it its truly unique outline. The difference between the sexes is evident. Its straightforward morphology , allied to its sheepdog characteristics and temperament, and added to its small size, explains its great popularity which extends well beyond the Belgian borders.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :

Height at withers equals length of body, hence this is a squarely built dog.
Chest comes down level with elbows.
Muzzle is definitely less long than half the length of the head.

BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT : An excellent small guard dog, an exceptional alarm, bubbling with vitality, aloof with strangers. Active and busy, agile, tireless, perpetual1y interested in what is going on around it, inclined to snap if anyone approaches objects it has been given to guard, very gentle with children, always curious to know what is going on behind a closed door or behind an object which is being moved, showing its reaction by its high-pitched bark, its raised mane and hackles. Its is an inquisitive dog which will hunt rats, moles and other vermin.

HEAD : Lupoid, wedge-shaped, but not too long and wide enough to balance with the body. Brows and cheek bones are moderately arched. Transition from cranial region to facial region is visible but must not be too pronounced.

CRANIAL REGION : Quite a wide forehead, narrowing towards the eyes, slightly rounded when seen in profil. The top lines of the skull and the muzzle are parallel.

Stop: Pronounced but not exaggerated.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose : Smal1, nose leather always black.

Muzzle : Tapering towards the nose; well-chiselled, not too long, end not truncated; length approximately 40 per cent of the total length of the head; rectilinear foreface.

Lips : Black, close-fitting.

Jaws/Teeth : Healthy, well-set teeth. Scissor bite, pincer bite tolerated. Complete dentition according to the dental formula. The lack of one or two premolars 1 (1PM1 or 2PM1) or of a premolar 2 (1PM2) is tolerated and the molars 3 (M3) are not taken into consideration.

Cheeks : Clean, blending imperceptibly into the sides of the muzzle.

Eyes : Dark brown in colour, small, almond-shaped, neither sunken nor protruding; sharp, lively and mischievious look, black-rimmed eyelids.

Ears : Erect, very small, pointed, triangular (as far as possible equilateral), set high but not too close to each other, firm and extremely mobile.

NECK : Strong, powerfully muscled and appearing very voluminous because of the abundant hair on the ruff, medium length, well-set into shoulders, carried well and higher when dog is alert, upper line being slightly arched.

BODY : Short and wide, therefore cobby, but not over bulky or heavy, ideally fitting into a square; its length from point of shoulder to point of buttock is roughly equal to height at withers.

Topline : The topline of the back and loin is straight and firm, often rising slightly from croup to withers.

Withers : Very pronounced and seeming even more so because of the mane.

Back : Short, straight and strong.

Loins : Short, broad and powerful.

Croup : Short, broad and horizontal; the rear section of the croup i.e. the junction between the croup and the point of the buttocks is pleasingly rounded, a shape known as a Guinea pig rump.

Chest : Well let down to level with the elbows; broad in front and also behind the shoulders, therefore having a good spring of rib. In profile the forechest is prominent.

Underline : The underline of the chest well-let down, reaching the elbows, harmoniously and gently rising towards the belly, which has a moderate tuck-up, neither pendulous nor whippety.

TAIL : Missing but if there has been no docking the tail will be long, broad at its base, tapering towards the tip and reaching at least to the hock. In repose, preferably hanging down, the tip slightly curved back level with the hock. Can be raised when on the move, in line with the topline, but preferably carried not higher than this. The tail set must never destroy the line of the croup which must blend into a harmonious roundness with the thigh and give the impression of a Guinea pig rump. Curled tail tolerated but not desired.

LIMBS : Fine-boned and set well beneath the body.

FOREQUARTERS :

Overview : The front legs are straight viewed from all sides and are perfectly parallel when seen from the front; their length from the ground to the elbow equals approximately half the height to the withers.

Shoulders : Long and sloping, normal shoulder angulation.

Upper arm : Long and adequately sloping.

Elbows : Strong, neither turning in nor out.

Forearm : Straight, quite well-set apart when seen from the front. Carpus (Wrist) : Strong and not prominent.

Metacarpus (Pastem) : Quite short, from the front continuing the line of the forearm, in profile at most very slightly sloping.

Feet : Smal1, round and tight (cat feet), arched toes, short, strong nails, always black.

HINDQUARTERS:

Overview : The hindquarters must be situated under the body and be perfectly parellel when viewed from behind.

Thighs : Long, strongly muscled, seeming even wider than they are because of the thickness of the culotte.

Knee (Stifle) : Approximately in line with the hip; normal knee angulation.

Lower thighs : Approximately the same length as the thighs.

Hocks : Normal angulation.

Metatarsus (Rear Pastem) : Rather short; dewclaws not desirable.

Feet : Like front feet or marginally longer.

GAIT/MOVEMENT : Movement at the trot is supple and firm with a reasonable reach and good rear thrust, the topline remaining horizontal and the limbs moving parallel; the front movement should be in harmony with the rear movement and the elbows must not turn out. At faster speed the limbs converge.

SKIN : Tight fitting over the whole body.

COAT

HAIR : The top coat is abundant, thick, straight and sufficiently harsh, with quite firm texture, therefore dry and resistant to the touch, forming an excellent protection together with the soft thick undercoat. Very short hair on the ears, short hair on the head, the front part of the front legs, the hocks and rear pastems. On the body, the average length hair is close-lying. Around the neck the hair is much longer and more off-standing, beginning with the outer edges of the ears, forming, especial1y in the male but also in the female a wide and very typical ruff (long hair around the neck, in tufts on each side ), a « mane » (long hair on the top of the neck, continuing as far as the withers and even the shoulders) and a frill (long hair on the underside of the neck and on the chest, stretching between the forelegs and gradual1y fading away under the chest). On the back of the thighs long and abundant hair covering the anal region with tips angled inward in a very typical way form the culottes. The tail is furnished with hair the same length as that on the body.

COLOUR : Totally black. The undercoat need not be completely black but can also be dark grey provided it is totally hidden by the top coat.

WEIGHT :

Between 3 and 9 kg. An average weight of 4 to 7 kg is sought after.

Dog weighing less than 3 kg or those weighing more than 9 kg cannot be considered excellent.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

· General appearance : Cloddy, lacking substance; too long or too short in leg; long body, fitting into a rectangle.

Head : Too long or too short. Lines of skull and muzzle not parallel, foxy-faced; too prominent brows or cheek bones.
Cranial region : Too narrow, forehead too rounded or domed (apple-headed).
Muzzle : Too long, pinched; thick, truncated, convex top line.
Dentition : Unevenly spread or badly set incisors, lack of one incisor (1I), of three premolars 1 (3 PM1) or two premolars 2 (2 PM2) are serious faults.
Eyes : Large, round or protuberant, light in colour (hazel eyes still acceptable).
Chest : Narrow, flat, cylindrical. Not sufficiently let down.
Croup : Long, sloping, raised, break in the roundness of the rump (transition from croup to back of thighs).
Limbs : Limbs which have too little or too exaggerated angulation.
Movement : Close-moving, too short a stride, too little drive, bad dorsal transmission, too high a front movement or too hopping a rear movement.
Coat : Too short (close to body), too long, too thin, soft or silky, wavy , lying too flat to the body or hanging down; too little or no ruff, mane, frill or culotte (more serious a fault in the male, especially a lack of ruff). Not enough undercoat.
Colour : Grey, brownish or reddish lights in the top coat. Some occasional white hairs e.g. on the toes. A little greying for example on the muzzle as a sign of age is tolerated.
Temperament: Apathetic or timid.

ELIMINATING FAUTLS :

Temperament : Highly-strung, aggressive or overly shy.
General appearance : Lack of breed type.
Teeth : Over- or undershot jaw, even without loss of contact (inverse scissor), wry mouth, lack of one canine (1 C), of one upper carnassial (1PM4) or one lower carnassial (1M1) of one molar (1M1 or 1M2 but not any M3), of one premolar 4 (lower PM4), of one premolar 3 (1PM3) as we1l as another tooth or in total 4 missing teeth or more (excluding the four premolars 1).
Nose, lips, eyelids : Lack of pigment.
Ears : Falling or half erect.
Coat : Long or soft or silky , i.e. an obviously «long-haired » type of coat; fringes of long hair on the ears, behind the limbs etc.; total lack of undercoat.
Colour : Any coat colour except black (apart from grey, brownish or reddish lights) or with very small white marks even on the toes.
Weight : Clearly outside the designated limits.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fu1ly descended into the scrotum.

FCI-Standard N° 84 / 12. 07. 2002 (Dutch / Ned. standaard)

BLOODHOUND (Chien de Saint-Hubert) Foto

UTILISATION : Scent hound for large game venery, service dog, tracking dog and family dog. It was and it must always remain a hound which due to its remarkable sense of smell is foremost a leash hound, often used not only to follow the trail of wounded game as in the blood scenting trials but also to seek out missing people in police operations. Due to its functional construction, the Bloodhound is endowed with great endurance and also an exceptional nose which allows it to follow a trail over a long distance and difficult terrain without problems.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : Large scent hound and excellent leash hound, with very ancient antecedents. For centuries it has been known and appreciated for its exceptional nose and its great talent for the hunt. It was bred in the Ardennes by the monks of the Abbaye de Saint-Hubert. It is presumed to descend from black or black and tan hounds hunting in packs which were used in the 7th century by the monk Hubert, who was later made a bishop and who when canonised became the patron saint of hunters. These big scent hounds spread throughout the Ardennes, due to the presence of large game, sheltering in the widespread forests of the region. These Saint- Hubert hounds were famed for their robustness and their endurance, especially when hunting wild boar.

The first Saint-Hubert hounds were black but later black and tan was also to be found. In the 11^th century these dogs were imported into England by William the Conqueror. At the same time, dogs of the same type but with an all-white coat, called Talbots, were also introduced there.

In England the imported dogs provided the basic root stock. The progeny of these Bloodhounds received their name as a derivation of " blooded hound " which means a dog of pure blood, therefore a pure-bred.

Subsequently the breed was also developed in the United States of America. In the Southern States especially, these dogs were used for hunting runaway slaves.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Large-sized hound and massive leash hound, the most powerful of all the scent hounds. It is harmonious in its lines, endowed with strong bone, good muscle and a lot of substance, but without ever appearing heavy. It is long in structure, fitting into a rectangle. The overall appearance is imposing and full of nobility. Its attitude is solemn. The head and neck attract attention because of their abundant, supple and thin skin, hanging in deep folds. Its movement is impressive, rather slow and with a certain rolling gait but lithe, elastic and free. No characteristic should be so exaggerated as to destroy the harmony of the whole, to give an over-done appearance or even less to harm the health or well-being of the dog.

Among possible exaggerations should be mentioned eyes which are too deep set or too small; distended eyelids; too much and too loose skin with too many and too deep folds; too much dewlap; too narrow a head. Dogs which are too big, with bodies too heavy or too massive, are equally undesirable because this impedes their function.

Gentle, placid, kind and sociable with people. Particularly attached to its owner. Tolerant of kennel companions and other domestic animals. Somewhat reserved and stubborn. Just as sensitive to compliments as to corrections. Never aggressive. Its voice is deep but it rarely barks.

The most characteristic point of the breed is the imposing and majestic head, full of nobility. It is deep but narrow in relation to its length and long in relation to the length of the body. The bone structure is clearly visible. The lateral sides are flattened and the profile is square. The topline of the muzzle is near1y on the same plane as the upper outline of the skull. On the forehead and cheeks, the abundant thin skin forms wrinkles and deep folds, falling when the head is carried low and continuing into the strongly developed folds of the dewlap. The skin is less abundant in the female.

CRANIAL REGION : The skull is deep, long, rather narrow with flattened sides. The brows are not prominent although they may appear so. The occipital peak is very developed and distinctly pronounced.

Nose : Black or brown, always black on black and tan dogs. The nose is broad, well-developed, with wide open nostrils.

Muzzle : As long as the skull, deep, broad near the nostrils and of equal width throughout its length. The topline of the muzzle is muzzle is either straight or slightly convex (slight ram's nose).

Lips : Very long and limp; the upper lips fall over the lower lips and at the front form a right angle with the upper line of the foreface, which gives a square profile to the muzzle. Towards the corners of the mouth they become fleshy flews (less pronounced in the female) which blend imperceptibly into the abundant dewlap. The edge of the upper lips comes down about 5 cm below the lower jaw. The edge of the lips is well-pigmented, black or brown, depending on the nose colour.

Jaws/Teeth : Complete dentition, in correct scissor bite; strong white teeth, set regularly in well-developed jaws. A pincer bite is tolerated.

Eyes : Dark brown or hazel, of a lighter hue (amber) in dogs without black saddle or mantle. Eyes of moderate size, oval, not weeping, neither protruding nor sunk into the socket, leaving the iris totally visible. Lids with no irregularity in their contour, normally fitting around the eye-ball; lower lids a little slack so that a little haw is visible are nevertheless tolerated. At no time should the eye-lashes touch or interfere with the eyes. The expression is gentle, kind and dignified, with a rather melancholy air.

Ears: Thin and supple, covered in short hair, delicate and velvety to the touch; very long lobes, reaching at least beyond the end of the nose when they are laid on the upper line of the foreface; ears set very low, level with the eyes or even lower, on the side of the head, falling in graceful folds curling inwards and backwards (curling ears).

NECK : Long so that the dog can follow the trail with its nose on the ground; strongly muscled; the skin of the throat is loose and extremely developed, presenting a double dewlap, but this is less pronounced in the female.

Croup : Well-muscled, almost horizontal, never falling away, very broad and quite long.

Chest : Oval in shape, broad, well let down, clearly forming a keel between the forelegs; thoracic cage long enough; forechest and point of shoulder standing out, ribs well-sprung, neither flat nor barrel.

Underline and belly : Underline almost horizontal; underside of chest well let down; flanks well filled, broad and let down; belly only very slightly tucked up.

TAIL : Long, strong, thick, set high, in continuation of the dorsal line ,tapering gradually towards the tip; carried sabre fashion; on the move the tail curves gracefully above the line of the back, never curled or twisting sideways. The underside of the tail is furnished with harsher hair, about 5 cm long, which becomes progressively shorter towards the tip.

Metacarpus (Pastern) : Sturdy , upright seen from the front, slightly forward sloping seen from the side.

Forefoot : Compact, very solid, neither toeing in nor out; toes well-arched, well knuckled up and tight (cat feet); thick solid pads; short strong nails.

Overview: Solid, powerfully muscled, well-balanced with the forequarters; seen from behind perfectly parallel, neither close nor open.

GAIT / MOVEMENT: The assessment of the very typical movement of the Bloodhound is extremely important. At its normal gait, the trot, the movement is even, with measured steps, springy and free, covering more ground than any other scent hound and very characteristic of the breed, rolling but without crabbing. The hind legs move well at the back, there is good drive from the hindquarters, the reach of the fore and hindquarter movements is equal and the topline remains horizontal. The limbs move parallel but at greater speed the feet single-track. The tail is carried high like a sabre without the curve becoming too pronounced. The Bloodhound must be capable of maintaining a trot for a long period of time without showing signs of tiredness.

SKIN : Supple over all the body, loose and elastic. The thin skin, very loose and abundant over the head, is very characteristic. On the forehead and the lateral sides of the foreface, the skin forms folds which hang down and which are even more noticeable when the head is carried low. However over-done wrinkles and folds on the forehead and brows must never harm the eyes. Folds of skin on the body due to too much skin are not desirable.

HAIR : On the body, the close-lying hair is short, dense, quite harsh and weatherproof. On the head and ears the hair is very short and soft to the touch. The underside of the tail is furnished with hair a little longer and coarser.

COLOUR : There are three distinct coat colours: the bicolours black and tan and liver and tan and the unicolour red.

Among black and tan dogs the amount of black varies, according to whether it is a mantle or a saddle. In a dog with a mantle, black is predominant: the tan (fawn) is only found on the muzzle, the cheeks, above the eyes, on the forechest, on the limbs and the anal region. A dog with a saddle has a greater expanse of tan because the black is more or less limited to the dorsal region.

The same positioning of coloured zones is to be found in the bicoloured liver and tan. The colours are not always clearly stated nor distinctly defined. In the darker areas, it is possible to find them interspersed with lighter or badger hairs. Such a mixture of different coloured hairs is allowed.

A little white on the forechest, on the toes and at the tip of the tail is tolerated without being sought after.

FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

· General appearance : Cloddy; lacking in substance; light bone; too high or too low on leg, square construction rather than rectangular; lack of nobility.

· Head : Skull broad and voluminous or excessively narrow; receding forehead; skin on forehead falling too far forward; occipital peak not sufficiently pronounced; too marked a stop; bridge of nose concave; muzzle short or not deep enough; top lips not pendulous enough.

· Eyes : Too small, too sunken in sockets; lower lid too pendulous, too much haw visible.

· Ears : Too short, too thick, set above the eyeline, too close to the head, too flat.

· Body : Short or too long; chest not well let down, forechest not protruding enough in profile; slab-sided or barrel-chested; weak or arched back, croup overbuilt or falling away; belly too tucked up.

· Tail : Low set; squirrel tail, ring tail, curled tail; knotty or kinked tail; hook or deviated tail.

· Limbs : Under or over angulated; short upper arm; not upright seen in profile (front pasterns too sloping or wrists weak), nor from the front (feet turning out or in, forearm curved, elbows out etc.) or from behind (hind legs too close together, wide apart or barrelled; hocks closed or open etc.); spreading, hare or flat feet.

· Gait / Movement : Close movement or open; weaving, crabbing, restricted or stilted gait; mincing gait; poor transmission by the back.

· Temperament : Aggressive or overly shy. Any dog showing signs of physical anomaly should be eliminated.

· Nose and lips : Very lacking in pigment or pink; anything other than black in black and tan dogs; anything other than brown or black in dogs without black saddle or mantle.

· Coat colour : Any colours which do not correspond to those described; too widespread white markings, such as white going up as far as wrists or hocks, or too much white on the forechest; white patches anywhere other than the forechest, toes and tip of tail, like a white muzzle or a white blaze etc.

N.B. Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

FCI-Standard N° 85 / 20. 01. 1998 (Dutch / Ned. standaard)

WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER Foto

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Strongly built; deep in chest and back ribs; level back and powerful quarters on muscular legs and exhibiting in a marked degree a great combination of strength and activity.

BEHAVIOUR AND TEMPERAMENT : Small, active, game, hardly, possessed of no small amount of self-esteem with a varminty appearance. Alert, gay, courageous, self-reliant but friendly.

HEAD : Distance from occiput to eyes slightly greater than length of foreface. Head thickly coated with hair and carried at right angle or less to axis of neck. Head not to be carried in extended position.

Skull : Slightly domed; when handled across forehead presents a smooth contour. Tapering very slightly from skull at level of ears to eyes.

Stop : Distinct stop, formed by heavy, bony ridges immediately above and slightly overhanging eye, and slight indentation between eyes.

Nose : Black and fairly large, forming smooth contour with rest of muzzle. Nose not projecting forward.

Muzzle : Foreface gradually tapering from eye to muzzle. Not dished nor falling away quickly below eyes, where it is well made up.

Jaws/Teeth : Jaws strong and level. As broad between canine teeth as is consistent with varminty expression required. Teeth large for size of dog, with regular scissor bite, i. e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Eyes : Set wide apart, medium in size, not full, as dark as possible. Slightly sunk in head, sharp and intelligent, which, looking from under heavy eyebrows, imparts a piercing look. Light coloured eyes highly undesirable.

Ears : Small, erect and carried firmly, terminating in sharp point, set neither too wide nor too close. Hair short and smooth (velvety), should not be cut. Free from any fringe at top. Round-pointed, broad, large or thick ears or too heavily coated with hair most undesirable.

NECK : Sufficiently long to allow proper set on of head required, muscular and gradually thickening towards base allowing neck to merge into nicely sloping shoulders.

Chest : Deep and ribs well arched in upper half presenting a flattish side appearance. Back ribs of considerable depth and distance from last rib of quarters as short as compatible with free movement of body.

TAIL : 12,5-15 cm (5 to 6 inches) long, covered with harsh hair, no feathering, as straight as possible, carried jauntily, not gay or carried over back. A long tail undesirable, and on no account should tails be docked.

FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs short and muscular, straight and thickly covered with short, hard hair.

Shoulders : Sloping backwards. Shoulder-blades broad and lying close to chest wall. Shoulder joint placed forward.

HINDQUARTERS : Strong, muscular and wide across top. Legs short, muscular and sinewy.

Hocks : Bent and well set in under body so as to be fairly close to each other when standing or moving. Straight or weak hocks most undesirable.

FEET : Forefeet larger than hind, round, proportionate in size, strong, thickly padded and covered with short harsh hair. Hindfeet are smaller and thickly padded. Under surface of pads and all nails preferably black.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Free, straight and easy all round. In front, legs freely extended forward from shoulder. Hind movement free, strong and close. Stifle and hocks well flexed and hocks drawn under body giving drive. Stiff, stilted movement behind and cowhocks highly undesirable.

HAIR : Double coated. Outer coat consists of harsh hair, about 5 cm (2 ins) long, free from any curl. Undercoat, which resembles fur, short, soft and close. Open coats most undesirable.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.