Date of publication of the original valid standard: 07.01.1991.
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BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
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.
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1. 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.
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2. IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:
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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.
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Length of muzzle equal or slightly less than that of the skull.
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3. 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.
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4. HEAD:
The axes of the skull and muzzle are parallel, or slightly divergent
towards the front.
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CRANIAL REGION:
Skull : Rounded in every direction, with lateral sides rounded, with parietal
bones and zygomatic arches well developed.
Stop : Slightly marked.
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FACIAL REGION:
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Nose big ; seen in profile projects sometimes beyond the perpendicularity of the lips, of the same colour as the coat; nostrils well open.
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Muzzle : Strong and wide at its base, truncated cone in shape, a little less wide in the bitches.
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Bridge of nose : Straight or very slightly convex.
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Lips : Upper lips hiding lower lips, not too thick, not making too much of a fold at the corners of the mouth.
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Jaws/Teeth : Jaws solid, with a complete dentition and a scissor bite; pincer bite tolerated.
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Eyes : Big, hazel or dark amber according to the colour of the coat. Intelligent gaze, soft and expressive.
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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.
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5. NECK:
Not too long, although muscled, still with good reach of neck, solidly
set into the shoulders; a slight dewlap is tolerated.
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6. BODY:
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Topline : well sustained.
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Withers : Muscular, well protruding.
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Back : Noticeably horizontal, short, solid, wide, muscular.
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Loin : Slight convexity at loin level. Short, solid, wide and muscular, very firm; loin a little longer in the bitch.
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Croup : Rounded, moderately oblique, with powerful muscles.
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Chest : Wide, long and deep, reaching or extending slightly below the level of the elbow; well-sprung ribs, well rounded.
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Underline : Slightly raised towards the back; flanks are flat and slightly raised.
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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.
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7. LIMBS:
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FOREQUARTERS:
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Overall picture: Straight forequarters, well constructed, very muscular, well upright.
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Shoulders : Oblique, strong, long with a solid and apparent musculature.
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Upper arm : Rather long, parallel to the vertical median plane of the body.
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Elbows : Neither out from nor too close to the thoracic side.
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Forearm : Well upright, solid, muscular.
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Pasterns : Very sligthly sloping seen in profile, supple.
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Front feet : lean pads, toes tight and arched, nails strong.
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HINDQUARTERS:
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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.
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Upper thigh : Long, well let down, muscular.
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Stifle : well angulated articulation.
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Lower thigh : Muscular , noticeably of the same length as the thigh, set well along the axis of the body.
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Hock joint : Well let down, lean, broad seen in profile.
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Metatarsus : Almost vetical.
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Hind feet : Same qualities as the front feet.
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8. GAIT/MOVEMENT:
Strides of average amplitude; when hunting, the movement
is a sustained gallop, balanced and supple.
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9. SKIN:
not too fine
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10. COAT:
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HAIR:
Fine, short and dense; a little coarser and sometimes a little longer
on the back.
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COLOR:
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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".
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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)
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11. SIZE AND WEIGHT:
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Height at the withers :
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dog from 51 to 57 cm.
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bitch from 48 to 55 cm.
A tolerance of + or - 1 cm is allowed in an otherwise typical subject.
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Weight :
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dog 18 to 25 kg
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bitch 16 to 22 kg
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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.
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Faults in general appearance:
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Frame: too big or too small,
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On the whole towards the rangy or stocky type,
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Too close to the ground or too short (vertical rectangle),
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General aspect coarse or too elegant.
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Regional faults.
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Head:
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Too small, too heavy, long or narrow; lateral sides flat; carnio-facial lines too converging.
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Stop: too accentuated
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Nose: black depigmented; nostrils not open enough. Split nose.
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Muzzle pointed and narrow, lacking substance.
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Nasal bridge: too short or too long, very convex, concave.
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Lips: too pendulous, forming too much of a fold at the corners.
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Slightly over-or undershot mouth.
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Absence of more than two premolars or more than one molar on each side.
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Eyes: too small, light, haw too apparent; protruding or too deep set; expression mean, timid or haggard. Traces of depigmentation on eyelids.
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Ears: too long, set too low, too curled.
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Neck: slender, long, too much dewlap.
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Body:
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Upper line raising towards the croup.
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Back: hollow.
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Croup: flat.
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Chest: not enough let down, narrow or shallow.
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Ribs: flat.
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Flanks: hollow or too tucked up.
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Tail: longer than fifteen centimeters.
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Limbs:
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Slender: limbs, light boned; turning in or outwards.
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Elbows: too tight or too loose.
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Thighs: with no muscle, too flat, resulting in narrow hindquarters.
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Hocks: straight, cow-hocks or spread-hocks.
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Feet: splayed, flat, long.
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Gait/Movement:
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Incorrect movement, restricted strides.
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Galop: rocking, stilted, slack, without impulsion.
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Coat
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Hair: long, too thick, without distinctive characteristics, forming breeches.
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Black colour.
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Blanket or markings on the body (bigger than the palm of the hand). Albinism.
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Size and weight:
Too small, too big, too light, too heavy.
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ELIMINATING FAULTS:
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.
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GENERAL TYPE :
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Total lack of type.
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Size out of the limits of the standard.
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PARTICULAR POINTS IN THE TYPE :
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Marked convergence towards the front of the cranio-facial lines.
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Upper profile of bridge of nose distinctly convex.
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Presence of dewclaws or traces of elimination of same on hindquarters.
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COAT AND COLOR :
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Black spots, black nose.
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Chestnut (brown) or fawn mantle or large markings of these colours on the body.
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Excessive depigmentation of the nose.
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Eyes too light (to be examined again after two years old)
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Eyes heterochromous.
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ANOMALIES :
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Entropion and ectropion
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No testicles, one testicle
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Under- or overshot mouth of more than 2 mm.
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TEMPERAMENT :
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Dog timid or shy.
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Excessive nervousness, unbalanced.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.