DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 07.01.1991.
UTILIZATION : Pointing dog.
CLASSIFICATION FCI :
Group 7 : Pointing dogs
Section 1.1 : Continental Pointing Dogs, type " Braque ". With working
trial.
The Bourbonnais Pointing Dog is already known in
1598 as a dog " skilful at hunting quail (ALDROVANDI'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.
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.
Length of body equal or slightly superior to the
height at withers. Depth of chest equal or slightly superior to the height
at the withers/2.
Length of muzzle equal or slightly less than that of the skull.
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.
The axes of the skull and muzzle are parallel, or slightly divergent
towards the front.
Skull : Rounded in every direction, with lateral sides rounded, with parietal
bones and zygomatic arches well developed.
Stop : Slightly marked.
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.
Bridge of nose : Straight or very slightly convex.
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.
Not too long, although muscled, still with good reach of neck, solidly set into the shoulders; a slight dewlap is tolerated.
Topline : well sustained.
Withers : Muscular, well protruding.
Back : Noticeably horizontal, short, solid, wide, muscular.
Loin : Slight convexity at loin level. Short, solid, wide and muscular, very
firm; loin a little longer in the bitch.
Croup : Rounded, moderately oblique, with powerful muscles.
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.
Overall picture: Straight forequarters, well constructed, very muscular, well
upright.
Shoulders : Oblique, strong, long with a solid and apparent musculature.
Upper arm : Rather long, parallel to the vertical median plane of the body.
Elbows : Neither out from nor too close to the thoracic side.
Forearm : Well upright, solid, muscular.
Pasterns : Very sligthly sloping seen in profile, supple.
Front feet : lean pads, toes tight and arched, nails strong.
Overall picture : 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.
Upper thigh : Long, well let down, muscular.
Stifle : well angulated articulation.
Lower thigh : Muscular , noticeably of the same length as the thigh, set well
along the axis of the body.
Hock joint : Well let down, lean, broad seen in profile.
Metatarsus : Almost vetical.
Hind feet : Same qualities as the front feet.
Strides of average amplitude; when hunting, the movement is a sustained gallop, balanced and supple.
not too fine
Fine, short and dense; a little coarser and sometimes a little longer on the back.
. Chestnut-brown coat, with predominant white patching, strongly to moderately
ticked, hairs closely mixed. The whole effect can show a colour like "
wine dregs " or " faded lilac ".
. Fawn coat, with predominant white patching,, 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.
Color code:
20 00 00 00 410 (Brown with predominant white patching ticked)
50 00 00 00 420 (Fawn with predominant white patching ticked)
Height at the withers : dog from 51 to 57 cm.
bitch from 48 to 55 cm.
A tolerance of + or - 1 cm is allowed in an otherwise typical subject.
Weight : dog 18 to 25 kg
bitch 16 to 22 kg
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.
Faults in general appearance:
. Frame: too big or too small,
. On the whole towards the rangy or stocky type,
. Too close to the ground or too short (vertical rectangle),
. General aspect coarse or too elegant.
Regional faults.
Head:
. Too small, too heavy, long or narrow; lateral sides flat; carnio-facial
lines too converging.
. Stop: too accentuated
. Nose: black depigmented; nostrils not open enough. Split nose.
. Muzzle pointed and narrow, lacking substance.
. Nasal bridge: too short or too long, very convex, concave.
. Lips: too pendulous, forming too much of a fold at the corners.
. Slightly over-or undershot mouth.
. Absence of more than two premolars or more than one molar on each side.
. Eyes: too small, light, haw too apparent; protruding or too deep set; expression
mean, timid or haggard. Traces of depigmentation on eyelids.
. Ears: too long, set too low, too curled.
Neck: slender, long, too much dewlap.
Body:
. Upper line raising towards the croup.
. Back: hollow.
. Croup: flat.
. Chest: not enough let down, narrow or shallow.
. Ribs: flat.
. Flanks: hollow or too tucked up.
Tail: longer than fifteen centimeters.
Limbs:
. Slender: limbs, light boned; turning in or outwards.
. Elbows: too tight or too loose.
. Thighs: with no muscle, too flat, resulting in narrow hindquarters.
. Hocks: straight, cow-hocks or spread-hocks.
. Feet: splayed, flat, long.
Gait/Movement:
. Incorrect movement, restricted strides.
. Galop: rocking, stilted, slack, without impulsion..
Coat
Hair: long, too thick, without distinctive characteristics, forming breeches.
Black colour. Blanket or markings on the body (bigger than the palm of the
hand). Albinism.
Size and weight:
Too small, too big, too light, too heavy.
Non confirmation points registered in 1989.
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.
GENERAL TYPE :
. Total lack of type.
. Size out of the limits of the standard.
PARTICULAR POINTS in THE TYPE :
. Marked convergence towards the front of the cranio-facial lines.
. Upper profile of bridge of nose distinctly convex.
. Presence of dewclaws or traces of elimination of same on hindquarters.
COAT AND COLOR :
. Black spots, black nose.
. Chestnut (brown) or fawn mantle or large markings of these colours on the
body.
. Excessive depigmentation of the nose.
. Eyes too light (to be examined again after two years old)
. Eyes heterochromous.
ANOMALIES :
. Entropion and ectropion
. No testicles, one testicle
. Under- or overshot mouth of more than 2 mm.
TEMPERAMENT :
. Dog timid or shy.
. Excessive nervousness, unbalanced.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended
into the scrotum.
©2007 Michaël Comte