FCI Standard 176

FCI-Standard N° 176 (Dutch / Ned. standaard)

PICARDY SHEEPDOG (Berger Picard) Foto

TRANSLATION : Mrs. Peggy Davis.

ORIGIN : France.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE VALID ORIGINAL STANDARD : 31.10.1964.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 1    Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs).
                                              Section 1 Sheepdogs.
                                              With working trial.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Medium sized dog of rustic yet elegant appearance in its shapes, vigorous, well muscled, well structured, intelligent face, lively wide awake, characterised by his appearance resembling the Griffon.

SIZE : 60 to 65 cm for the male and 55 to 60 cm for the female.
Penalisation : Up to 2 cm above the maximum.
Disqualification : Below the minimum, even in the young classes. More than 2 cm over the maximum limit.

HEAD : Without being massive, must be in proportion with the size. Very slight stop, at equal distance from the tip of the nose and the summit of the skull; skull quite broad, without exaggeration. Hair about 4 cm, eyebrows well marked without ever veiling the eyes.
Penalisation : Stop too pronounced, or insufficient. Hair too short or too long, eyebrows absent or too marked.
Disqualification : Lacking in type, disproportionate, without furnishings or too hairy.

FOREHEAD : Seen from the front, must look flat but slightly vaulted with a light furrow between the frontal sinuses.
Penalisation : Insufficiently or too vaulted, furrow too accentuated.
Disqualification : Skull flat or domed, forehead too flat or too steep.

CHEEKS : Must not be too strong but without being flat, must have a certain roundness. Behind the cheeks the hair has the same length as that on the body.
Penalisation : Cheeks too full, flabby or lacking muscles.

MUZZLE : Strong and not too long, must not end in a point. Nose always black, lips lean and well closed, the bridge of the nose is straight. Slight moustache and small beard.
Penalisation : Too long, weak or too strong, snipey or too square; nose small, spotted with pink; corner of the lips thick, lippy; convex nasal bridge lack of moustaches and small beard (it must be remembered that the hair on the head must be of about 4 cm and that the moustache and small beard must stand out clearly).
Disqualification : Disproportionate at the skull, pendulous lips, nose of any other colour than black, depigmentation of the mucous membranes.

JAWS : Powerful, closing perfectly without being over- or undershot.
Penalisation : Very slightly under- or overshot; absence of two premolars does not allow any CAC nor reserve. Absence of four premolars : no "excellent"; decayed (caries) teeth depending on importance; broken or cut canines.
Disqualification : Absence of more than four teeth, distinctly over- or undershot.

EARS : Of moderate size, broad at their base, set rather high, the base resembling the ear of a sheep, always carried naturally erect, the tips slightly rounded; the slightly divergent carriage is tolerated. Length 10 cm. Never more than 12 cm for a male of maximum size.
Penalisation : Ear too big or similar to that of the Belgian Shepherd, set too low or too close together.
Disqualification : Ear not carried correctly.

EYES : Of medium size, not prominent, dark in colour, neither light nor wall eye; colour more or less dark according to the coat colour (in every cases never lighter than hazel).
Penalisation : Everything which does not correspond to the description.
Disqualification : Wall eyes, slanting, dissimilar, colour too light.

EXPRESSION : Must not be vicious, nor suspicious.
Disqualification : Haggard expression, shifty look.

NECK : Strong and muscular, of great length, carried erect in action and set well free of the shoulders, with proud head carriage.
Penalisation : Neck long and weak, short and thick, rising too abruptly from the shoulders, loose skin.

BODY : Chest deep without exaggeration, must not be deeper than the elbow level; the thoracic perimeter taken immediately behind the elbows must be superior by 1/5 of the height at the withers, the length of the body slightly superior to the height at the withers; back straight; solid loin; the ribs well sprung at their upper third, then gradually flattening up to the sternum; belly slightly tucked up; the rump merges progressively with the thigh; bone structure visible without exaggeration.
Penalisation : Depending on the importance of the fault; body too heavy or too light, too long, high on the legs or too close to the ground; ribs too flat or too sprung (barrel shape); built like a Bouvier (herder); rump too straight or falling away.
Disqualification : The above mentioned faults too accentuated.

TAIL : Hairy, the hair is of the same length as that of the body. At rest the tail must reach the point of the hock and hang straight with a slight curve at the tip; in action the tail may be carried higher without ever being carried over the back.
Penalisation : Rat tail or too hairy, too short, deviated, carried badly.
Disqualification : Continuously carried over the back; carried low as a result of a correcting operation (niquetage); rudimentary or tailless.

FOREQUARTERS : Shoulders long and oblique giving great freedom of movement, muscular without being heavy; the legs straight and vertical; lean bone structure; joints are evident without giving the impression of malformation; pasterns slightly inclined from back to front giving suppleness in the leg and thereby facilitating the sudden halts.
Penalisation : Shoulders too long (like a Greyhound) or too steep (like a Bouvier), weak or heavy, loose or impeding movements; bone structure weak or too strong; weak joints or giving the impression of being distended; pastern too straight or too inclined carrying foot too forward.
Disqualification : The above mentioned faults too accentuated.

HINDQUARTERS : Thighs long and well muscled. The upper part rather long, the articulation of the stifle strong; the dog must not be straight behind nor stand too far back; standing neither close nor wide. There must not be any lack of harmony between the thigh and the rump, the whole must dissolve into a pleasant curve. Legs solid supporting the hindquarters without weakness, but with suppleness; bone structure pronounced without exaggeration.
Hockjoints moderately angulated, neither spread nor too close, not set to high; a good angulation of the hock is absolutely essential in our Sheepdog. Hocks robust and lean, perpendicular to the ground when the dog is standing true; the legs seen from all sides are vertical and parallel.
Penalisation : Depending on the importance of the faults.
Disqualification : Hindquarters generally faulty.

FEET : Rounded and short, close-cupped, arched; nails strong and dark in colour. No dewclaws or extra toes; a dog with dewclaws is not disqualified but penalised. Firm pads, with a certain suppleness, the pad being a plantar cushion must absorb part of the jolts.
Penalisation : In accordance with the fault.
Disqualification : Double dewclaws on the four legs.

COAT

HAIR : Hard, semi-long, not curly, not flat, must be harsh and crisp to the touch. The length is 5 to 6 cm on the whole of the body including the tail. Undercoat fine and dense.
Penalisation : Hair less than 4 1/2 cm, not sufficiently harsh, tendency to be curly or flat.
Disqualification : Hair less than 4 cm, more than 6 cm, curly or very flat, soft or woolly.

COLOUR : Grey, grey-black, grey with black highlights, grey-blue, grey-red, light fawn or dark, or a mixture of these shades. No big white patches permitted, a slight white marking is tolerated on the chest and on the tip of the feet.
Penalisation : White patch on the chest forming a "shirtfront", white all over the toes.
Disqualification : Black, white, harlequin, pied, too much white on the chest, feet completely white; white in the coat elsewhere than on the parts indicated.

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.

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

FCI-Standard N° 177 / 07. 08. 1998 (Dutch / Ned. standaard)

ARIEGE POINTING DOG (Braque de l’Ariège) Foto

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The Ariège Pointer is issued from the old French Braques, which in the 19th century, were crossed with Braques of Meridional (Southern) stock of white and orange coat, to give them more lightness and activity. A few Ariègeois huntsmen continued to use him, which avoided a complete disappearance of the breed. In 1990 a team of breeders decided to devote themselves to its survival.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Braccoïd type. His construction is powerful but without excessive heaviness, robust and of strong appearance. One prefers subjects with lean legs, prominent muscles and well defined lines. His white coat mottled with preferably pale orange or sometimes flecked with brown, together with his size, makes him an elegant distinguished looking dog.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : Medium proportions: the length of the body is a little superior to the height at withers. The skull is slightly longer than the muzzle.

BEHAVIOUR /TEMPERAMENT : Adapted to all types of hunting, he is resistant, docile and easy to train.

Skull : Very slightly rounded, the frontal furrow only lightly accentuated. The lines of the skull and the muzzle are slightly divergent towards the front. The superciliary arches moderately marked. The occipital protuberance is quite pronounced.

Nose : Pink, reddish (flesh colour) or more or less pale brown according to the coat colour, never black. Nostrils well opened.

Muzzle : Long and straight, sometimes very slightly convex. Seen from the front the lateral faces of the muzzle converge slightly forward.

Lips : Quite fine, well let down, the corner of the lips quite folded without being droopy.

Jaws/Teeth : Dental arches well adapted. Scissor bite. Pincer bite (incisors meeting edge to edge) is tolerated.

Eyes : Gentle expression. Eye well open, slightly oval, frank and intelligent, well set in the eye socket. The iris is of a dark amber colour or brown according to the colour of the coat.

Leathers : Quite fine, long, curled in, set on either at eye level line or below, carried not close to the head. Their length permits them, without being stretched, to reach the beginning of the nose.

Topline : The front part descends in a nearly straight line from the withers down to the eleventh dorsal vertebra, the second part slightly convex makes the junction with the croup.

Chest : Broad, deep and well let down to elbow level. The ribs are rounded without exaggeration.

TAIL : Set in the extension of the croup line. Strong at its root, tapering to its tip. Generally docked by 4/10. The long tail is admitted. Must not be carried higher than the topline.

Forefoot : Tight and well arched giving a compact ensemble, almost round. The nails are strong and the pads well cushioned.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Sustained and active trot, interrupted with times of gallop. Great suppleness and lightness of movement.

SKIN : Moderately thick, finer on the head; quite supple. The outer mucous membranes must be of a corresponding colour to that of the coat; never with black patches.

COLOUR : Pale orangy fawn or sometimes brown, strongly flecked with fawn or brown ticked white; certain dogs are even white with fawn or brown ticks.

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.

ELIMINATING FAULTS : Taking into account the reduced stock of this breed, the aim is not to be too severe, but to isolate from the reproduction the subjects outside the type and the subjects with serious faults.

· « Double » nose, (nose of which the nostrils are separated by a deep furrow).

· Entropion or ectropion, or any sign of surgical intervention to correct the defect.

· Size outside the limits of the standard, with a tolerance of 1 cm more or less.

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

CLASSIFICATION FCI : Group 7       Pointing Dogs.
                                           Section 1.1 Continental pointing Dogs, Type "Braque".
                                           With working trial.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Big dog, elegant, noble and of a supreme distinction, mixture of lightness, suppleness and strength. The males are generally more angulated than the females, especially in the hindquarters (haunches and buttocks).

Ensemble : Long, narrow, fine, lean.
Skull : Narrow and long, rounded; occiput very accentuated, frontal bone prominent, cheeks flat.
Muzzle : Long, narrow and receding, linked to the skull in a straight line and without a break or "stop".
Nose : Dark brown, large, jutting out above the lip and slightly pointed; well open nostrils.
Lips : Fine, lean, thin, tight, receding, the upper lip simply covering the lower lip without being lippy or pendulous.
Jaws : Adapting correctly; dentition very powerful.
Eyes : Golden or brown colour, open, soft and dreamy look.
Leathers : Thin, narrow, very fine and supple, rather longer than short, well curled and carried slightly backwards, having the point of insertion of the eye level.

NECK : Very long, arched, light, fine, without any trace of dewlap, well free of the withers and shoulders and linking finely with the head.

STERNUM : Very developed, distinctly prominent between the points of the shoulders.

LOIN : Slightly arched, powerful, well muscled, rather short and in harmony with the whole of the animal.

TAIL : Set on neither too high nor too low; of medium thickness, neither too fine nor too thick, sometimes fairly well furnished; rather long, reaching the point of the hock, carried low, straight or very slightly curved.

FOREQUARTERS : Vertical and straight, strong, bony with good tendons; forearm very powerful, elbows close to the body; pasterns of good length, straight or slightly oblique from back to front.

HINDQUARTERS : Thighs long, flat, muscular, well let down, very broad; point of the buttock slightly prominent; hockjoints very broad and lean, slightly bent. Hock-bone quite long, strong and vertical.

FEET : Long, very lean, toes strong and tightly closed (hare feet); nails strong and quite long, their extremities touching the ground when the animal is in repose.

SKIN : Very fine on the whole of the body, especially on the head and the leathers.

HAIR : Always smooth, more or less short, except on the head and the leathers where it is always very short and extremely fine; rough to the touch, especially on the back and the loins.

COLOUR : White and dark brown. Basic colour of the coat is a beautiful white with more or less large brown patches or brown mantle (preferably a mantle) with or without flecking, with or without mottling. Either brown flecking or mottling always apparent on the legs, especially the front legs. Never fawn nor faded brown on eyebrows, lips nor on buttocks.

SIZE : Large, slender, going to 67 cm or 68 cm for the males and 65 to 66 cm for the females.

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.

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

FCI-Standard N° 179 / 07. 08. 1998 (Dutch / Ned. standaard)

BOURBONNAIS POINTING DOG (Braque du Bourbonnais) Foto

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The Bourbonnais Pointing Dog is already known in 1598 as a dog « skilful at hunting quail (ALDOVRANDI’S Natural History, National Library). He is described by the ancient authors as a pleasant companion of the hunter, of rustic and healthy appearance, born with a short tail, showing a white coat with widespread pale brown or fawn fine ticking.

The breeders have for a long time wanted to impose an original coat of « faded lilac » and also of being born with a natural short tail. Such a strict selection, on secondary points, cannot be imposed on a breed with a reduced gene pool, and in addition submitted to working trials. The result of that reverse selection ended in a total disaffection of the breeders: between 1963 and 1973 there were no registrations with L.O.F.

In 1970, under the influence and impetus of Michel COMTE, a team of breeders gave themselves the task of helping towards the survival of the Bourbonnais Pointing Dog. Today, thanks to a careful and effective selection, they have succeeded; and thanks to the experience in the past, it will hereafter be possible to avoid the former errors.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Short-haired « Braque » type Pointing Dog, of medium size, medium proportions, muscular, giving the impression of strength and power, yet with a certain elegance; the bitch is slightly less stocky and a bit more elegant.

BEHAVIOUR /TEMPERAMENT : At home, kind and affectionate. When hunting full of passion, cautiousness, balance and cooperative intelligence; remarkable ease of adaptation to the most varied terrains and game; if necessary, aptitude to tracking, but usually testing the air by carrying the head reasonably high. Aptitude to point, useful and precise.

Skull : Rounded in every direction, with lateral sides rounded, with parietal bones and zygomatic arches well developed. The axes of the skull and muzzle are parallel, or slightly divergent towards the front.

Nose : Big, seen in profile projects sometimes beyond the perpendicularity of the lips; of the same colour as the coat; nostrils well open.

Muzzle : Strong and wide at its base, truncated cone in shape; a little less wide in the bitches.

Lips : Upper lips hiding lower lips, not too thick, not making too much of a fold at the corners of the mouth.

Jaws/Teeth : Jaws solid, with a complete dentition and a scissor bite; pincer bite tolerated.

Eyes : Big, hazel or dark amber according to the colour of the coat. Intelligent gaze, soft and expressive.

Ears : Set at eye line level or slightly above. May extend slightly below the throat in their natural position; only slightly curled, falling naturally along the cheek.

NECK : Not too long, still with good reach of neck although muscled, solidly set into the shoulders; a slight dewlap is tolerated.

Loin : Slight convexity at loin level. Short, solid, wide and muscular, very firm; loin a little longer in the bitch.

Chest : Wide, long and deep, reaching or extending slightly below the level of the elbow; well-sprung ribs, well rounded.

Underline : Slightly raised towards the back; flanks are flat and slightly raised.

TAIL : Set rather low; in principle the Bourbonnais Pointing Dog must have the tail naturally short. The tail must therefore be either absent or naturally short with a maximum of 15 cm length.

FOREQUARTERS : Seen as a whole: Straight, well constructed and muscular, well upright.

HINDQUARTERS : Seen as a whole: Good bone structure, muscular masses very apparent; seen from behind, the limbs are upright; in stationary profile, a vertical line from the point of the buttock falls in front of the point of the hock.

Lower thigh : Muscular, noticeably of the same length as the thigh, set well along the axis of the body.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Strides of average amplitude; when hunting, the movement is a sustained gallop, balanced and supple.

HAIR : Fine, short and dense; a little coarser and sometimes a little longer on the back.

· Chesnut-brown coat with spotting, strongly to moderately ticked, hairs closely mixed. The whole effect can show a colour like « wine dregs » or « faded lilac ».

· Fawn coat, with spotting, strongly to moderately ticked, hairs closely mixed. The whole effect can produce the shade of « peach blossom ».

The coloured spots on the head, symmetrical or not, are tolerated on condition that they are not predominant and that both eyes are not included in the same spot.

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.

· Head : Too small, too heavy, long or narrow; lateral sides flat; carnio-facial lines slightly converging.

· Eyes : Too small, light, haw too apparent; protruding or too deep set; expression mean, timid or haggard. Traces of depigmentation on eyelids.

· Black colour. Black blanket or markings on the body (bigger than the palm of the hand).

Taking in account the reduced gene pool of this breed, the aim is not to be too severe, but to isolate from reproduction the untypical subjects and those with serious transmissible faults.

· Entropion, ectropion; eyes to light; excessive depigmentation of the eyelids; eyes heterochromous.

· Chestnut (brown) or fawn mantle or large markings of these colours on the body.

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.

AUVERGNE POINTER (Braque d’Auvergne) Foto

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The Auvergne pointer is a very ancient breed, present in the Cantal region for more than two centuries. Descending from a multi-pointer common source, derivation has been made by a selection to which the Knights of Malta might have participated. Created by and for hunters, it has a strong identity reinforced by its coat.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Rectilinear, of medium proportions. Robust dog, strongly boned, but without heaviness, showing a characteristic Braque type, lightness in its gait, with elegance enhanced by the coat and harmonious proportions. Its conformation predisposes it to cover long distances with a supple-action, permitting it to maintain its activity the whole day on the most difficult terrains.

The length of the body (from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock) is approximately equal to the height at the withers.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Gentle dog, very affectionate, intelligent and obedient. Its training consists mainly of developing its natural qualities. Its sense of smell is powerful. It adapts well to family life.

Skull and muzzle : The lines of the skull are slightly divergent towards the front (a characterized braque).

Seen from above, the shape of the skull is nearly oval. The occipital protuberance is only slightly prominent.

Nose : Always black, relatively broad, shiny, with well-open nostrils. Its upper profile is in prolongation of that of the muzzle.

Lips : Relatively important. The upper lip overlaps the lower. Neat commissure, without important inner fold. Seen from the front, the lips form a square end to the muzzle.

Jaws/Teeth : Sturdy, of equal length. The teeth are strong. Scissors bite or level bite.

Eyes : Relatively large, oval, of dark hazel colour, well set in the orbit, giving an expressive candid and kind look.

Ears : Attached rather towards the rear. At rest, the ear is set below a line running from the upper level of the nose to the eye. When attentive, the ear may move up to that line. Turned slightly inward, neither curled nor flat, the ear is supple and slightly satiny.

The tip is fairly round. Drawn forward, it should reach the root of the nose, without going further than the tip.

NECK : Relatively long, well inserted between the shoulders, slightly arched. Presence of a slight dewlap. The length of the neck is roughly equal to that of the head.

Chest : Long and deep, reaching elbow level. A transversal section is egg shaped, regularly sprung, without rupture in the lower part.

Underline and Belly : Rises gently towards the belly, not whippety. The flank is wide, only slightly hollowed, joined smoothly to the hips.

TAIL : Set rather high. It should be carried horizontally. Cylindrical and not too fine. Docked, it has a length of 15 to 20 cm (6” to 8”). Undocked, it reaches the point of the hocks without going further.

FEET : A little longer than what’s called a « cat food » and a little shorter than a « hare foot ». Turned neither inward nor outward.

The nails are strong and short; the pads are hard and resistant; the toes are tightly knit.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Movement of average amplitude but with a sustained rhythm which confers its notorious endurance to the dog. Its habitual hunting gait is an average gallop, regular and slightly rocking.

The particularity of the marking generates two recognized types: Flecked or Greying. This difference cannot be used to separate two subjects of the same quality.

The head should be black preferably with a white blaze on the muzzle extending to the skull. The white of that blaze can extend laterally on the muzzle.

A white and flecked ear or the side of the head white and flecked cannot be considered as faults.

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.

· Lack of first premolars is tolerated. The lack of 2 other premolars (PM2 or PM3) or of any other tooth including PM4 is eliminatory.

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