TRANSLATION : Mrs. Peggy Davis.
ORIGIN : France.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 24.07.1996.
UTILIZATION : The Artois Hound is a Briquet (small type), nowadays especially used in hunting with the gun. He drives the game closer taking advantage of their faults with cleverness, and his speed is average but maintained.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 6 Scenthounds, and related breeds.
Section 1.2 Medium sized scent hounds.
With working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : This breed, formerly named Picard, was much appreciated in ancient hunting at the time of Henri IV and Louis XIII and much sought after. Selincourt already made much of it, wondering and amazed to see these dogs pulling in a hare which had passed by one hour ago in dry weather.
Le Couteulx de Canteleu, in Manuel de Vénerie Française (1890), (Manual of French Hunting (1890)), praises also the Artois Hound. He reports that the artesien breed of his time was crossbred and difficult to find pure but, in spite of that, it still remained one of the best breeds for hare hunting. He has taken care, however, of placing representatives of the breed in the big kennel of the Jardin d’Acclimatation, so that it would be know by the general public. At the end of the XIXth century and at the beginning of our century, M. Levoir in Picardy has attempted the re-establishment of the old Artois type without really succeeding. During that period and until the beginning of the First World War, it was another Picard breeder, M. Mallard, who dominated the raising of the breed. But if he produced very pretty dogs, as witnessed by his numerous awards in canine shows, they were not always in the type conformed with the description given by the old authors. After the second World War, it was believed that the Artois Hound was one of the breeds lost for ever. But at the beginning of the 1970s M. Audrechy, of Buigny les Gamaches in the Somme, has fixed as a task to reconstitue the kennel. It is thanks to his efforts and those of Mme Pilat that this breed regains its place amongst the scenthounds.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Well constructed dog, muscled and not too long, giving the impression of strength and energy.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Vigorous and hardy dog, with a very fine nose, assembling well in the pack, balanced and affectionate.
HEAD :
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Strong, broad, quite short, rounded and flat at its upper part but with the occipital protuberance only slightly pronounced.
Stop : Accentuated.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Black, strong, with well opened nostrils.
Muzzle : Straight and, seen in profile, moderately elongated.
Lips : The upper lip largely covering the lower lip and must be rather important so as to give a square shape to the extremity of the muzzle, seen in profile.
Jaws/Teeth : Scissor bite, the upper incisors covering the lower in a narrow contact and are well set squarely in relation to the jaws.
Eyes : In relation to the width of the forehead, the eyes are not very close together; they are round, level with the head surface, with a melancholic and soft expression; dark brown in colour. The mucous membranes of the lower lids must not be visible.
Leathers : Set at eye level, a little thick, broad, round at the tip, almost flat and quite long, reaching the beginning of the nose.
NECK : Moderately long, powerful; very little dewlap.
BODY :
Back : Broad and well supported.
Loin : Slightly arched.
Croup : The hips give a slight inclination to the croup, which is well muscled.
Chest : Broad and long, rather let down so that the sternal line arrives at elbow level. Ribs well sprung.
Belly : Flanks full.
TAIL : Strong, quite long; there should be some longer and coarser, slightly offstanding hairs (like ears of grain) towards the tip; carried sickle fashion, never falling forward.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS :
View of ensemble : The limbs are strong and vertical.
Shoulders : Oblique and muscled.
Elbows : Set well in the axis of the body.
Forearm : Slightly oblique.
HINDQUARTERS :
View of ensemble : Seen from behind, the point of the buttock, the middle of the leg, the hock, the metatarsal and the foot are on the same vertical line.
Upper thighs : Let down and well muscled.
Hock joints : Strong and moderately angulated.
Metatarsals : short and strong.
FEET : Slightly elongated, strong but sufficiently tight; the pads are black, tough and compact.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Even and easy.
SKIN : Quite thick.
COAT
HAIR : Short, thick and quite flat.
COLOUR : Dark fawn tricolour, similar to the coat of the hare or the badger, with mantle or large patches, the head usually fawn, sometimes with black overlay.
SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Height at withers :
Males and females : 53 to 58 cm
With a tolerance of 1 cm.
Weight : On average 28 to 30 kg.
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 :
Neck :
Body :
Tail :
Forequarters :
Hindquarters :
Colour :
Behaviour :
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
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.