BOURBONNAIS POINTING DOG

FCI-Standard N° 179
(Braque du Bourbonnais) 

ORIGIN: France (Province of Bourbonnais)
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL VALID
STANDARD: 21. 02. 2006.
UTILIZATION: Pointing Dog
FCI-CLASSIFICATION: Group 7 Pointing Dogs
Section 1.1 Continental Pointing
Dogs,Type “Braque”.
With working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: The Bourbonnais Pointing
Dog was already known in 1598 (“Natural History”, Aldovrandi –
National Library).
The ancient authors described him as a pleasant companion of the
hunter, of hardy and healthy appearance. His white coat is entirely
covered with fine brown or fawn ticking.
The breeders of the 1930’s wanted to impose a “faded lilac” coloured
coat along with the obligation of being born with a naturally short
tail. This strict selection put the existence of the breed in danger. In
the 1970’s, a team of breeders decided to work for the survival of the
Bourbonnais Pointing Dog.
The present state of the breed allows us to be confident about the
future of the breed.
GENERAL APPEARANCE: Medium sized, short-haired “Braque”
type (“braccoid”), medium proportions tending towards
brachymorphic type, of robust build, compact and muscular. He
gives the impression of strength and power, without excluding a
certain elegance.
The silhouette of the female is less stocky and more elegant.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:
• The length of the body is equal to, or slightly more than the
height at the withers.
• The depth of the chest is equal to, or slightly more than half
the height at the withers.
• The length of the muzzle is slightly less than that of the
skull.
BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT: In the home he is kind and
affectionate. When hunting, his passion and intelligence allow him
to easily adapt to the most varied terrains and game. When
searching, he naturally carries the head high to find the scent,
proving his aptitude for useful and precise pointing.
HEAD: The essential breed characteristic is the so-called “pear”
shape. Neither too fine nor too heavy, it is well proportioned to the
body.
CRANIAL REGION:
Skull: Round, seen from all sides. The lateral sides are rounded, the
parietal bones and zygomatic arches well developed. The axes of the
skull and the muzzle are parallel, or very slightly divergent towards
the front.
Stop: Moderately defined.
FACIAL REGION:
Nose: Broad, with well opened nostrils. It sometimes protrudes over
the perpendicular line of the lips. Its colour matches that of the coat,
without unpigmented patches.
Muzzle: Strong and broad at its base, tapering slightly towards the tip
to form a truncated cone.
Not as broad in females.
Bridge of the nose: Straight or slightly convex.
Lips: Not too thick, the upper lip covers the lower lip without
forming too much of a fold at the corners of the mouth; the edges of
the lips are well pigmented.
Jaws/teeth: Strong and of equal length, with complete dentition,
forming a scissor bite. A level bite is tolerated.
Eyes: Large, more or less rounded, hazel or dark amber depending
on the colour of the coat. The look is expressive, kind and intelligent.
The eyerims are well pigmented.
Ears: Of medium length, they can either reach or extend beyond the
throat. Their base, rather broad, is attached at eye level or slightly
above, which is appreciated. They hang naturally against the cheeks,
flat or slightly curled inwards.
NECK: Not too long, muscled and with good reach, it fits smoothly
to the shoulders. A slight dewlap is tolerated.
BODY:
Topline: Straight and well sustained. The withers are well defined.
Back: Solid and well muscled.
Loin: Short, broad and muscled; well coupled to the back. Slightly
longer in females.
Croup: Rounded, moderately oblique, with powerful muscles.
Chest: Wide, long and deep, reaching or extending slightly below the
level of the elbow. The sternum reaches as far back as possible. Ribs
well sprung.
Underline: Progressively rising. The flank is flat and only slightly
raised.
TAIL: Some dogs are born naturally without a tail. If this is not the
case, the tail should be docked at its base. It is set rather low. In
countries where docking is illegal, the long tail should be carried
below the topline when the dog is standing.
LIMBS:
FOREQUARTERS:
General appearance : Seen as a whole: Very muscular. Seen from the
front: Upright .
Shoulders: Oblique, fitting tightly against the thorax. Solid and
apparent musculature.
Upper arm: Rather long and muscled.
Elbows: Fitting close to the body but not too tightly; neither turned in
nor out.
Forearm: Straight and muscled, with strong bone without appearing
coarse.
Carpus (wrist): Strong.
Metacarpus (pastern): Sloping very slightly in comparison to the
forearm.
Front feet: In line with the body, round or spoon shaped, pads firm
and resistant, toes tight fitting and arched, strong nails.
HINDQUARTERS:
General appearance : Seen as a whole: Strong bone with a very
apparent musculature. Seen from behind: upright and parallel.
Upper thigh: Long, well muscled, well let down.
Stifle: Strong, with good angulation between upper and lower thigh.
Lower thigh: Muscled, practically as long as the upper thigh.
Hock joint: Well let down, strong and well angulated.
Metatarsus (rear pastern): Vertical and strong, without any deviation.
Hind feet: Identical to front feet.
GAIT/MOVEMENT:
Strides of average reach. When hunting, the gait is a sustained
gallop, balanced and supple.
SKIN: Supple, without being too thin, without folds.
COAT:
HAIR: Fine, dense and short; a little coarser, and sometimes longer,
on the back. On the head and ears, the hair must be finer and shorter.
COLOUR: The white patching is very invasive, with fine brown
ticking (formerly called “wine dregs”) or fawn flecking (formerly
called “peach blossom”) and all variants.
The ear is generally the same colour as the ground colour and more
or less ticked. An intimate mix of white and coloured hairs, giving an
overall roan colour, is also accepted.
On the head, as for the body, coloured patches are only accepted in
small numbers and sizes.
SIZE:
Height at the withers: Dogs: 51 – 57 cm
Bitches: 48 – 55 cm
Tolerance of +/- 1cm
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.
Faults in general build:
• Long assembly.
• Ears too long and too curled inwards.
SERIOUS FAULTS:
• Overall build, too heavy or light boned. Stocky appearance.
• Head disproportioned in comparison to the body.
• Muzzle pointed and pinched. Lips too important, forming a
square muzzle.
• Eyes too light.
• Coat with too large patches of colour. Overwhelming
patches on the head.
• Height over or below standard (+/- 2 cm)
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS:
• Aggressive or overly shy.
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural
abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• Cranio-facial lines converging towards the front. Bridge of
the nose distinctively convex.
• Overshot or undershot, with lack of contact between incisors.
• Incisor arcade deviated.
• Xiphoid process deviated inwards.
• Presence of dewclaws or evidence of their removal.
• Presence of black (hair or nose)
• Hair long and coarse
FCI-St. N°179 / 29.03.2006
7
• Coat entirely white. Any colour not conform to standard.
• Height at withers over or below standard (+/- 3 cms)
N.B.:
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles
fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed
typical conformation should be used for breeding.

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