Bourbonnais Pointing Dog

		Bourbonnais Pointing Dog
		FCI standard Nº 179

Origin		France
Translation		Jennifer Mulholland
Group		Group 7 Pointing Dogs
Section		Section 1.1 Continental Pointing Dogs « Braque » Type
Working		With working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Wednesday 29 June 1955
Publication of the official valid standard		Tuesday 21 February 2006
Last update		Wednesday 29 March 2006
En français, cette race se dit		Braque du Bourbonnais
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Bourbonnaiser Vorstehhund
En español, esta raza se dice		Braco del Borbonesado
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Braque du Bourbonnais

Usage

Pointing Dog.

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
Cranial region
Head		The essential breed characteristic is the so-called “pear” shape. Neither too fine nor too heavy, it is well proportioned to the body.
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.
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.
Nasal bridge		Straight or slightly convex.
Jaws and 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.
Withers		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		Ribs well sprung.
Side		The flank is flat and only slightly raised.
Underline and belly		Progressively rising.

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
Generality		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.
Carpal		Strong.
Pastern		Sloping very slightly in comparison to the forearm.
Forefeet		In line with the body, round or spoon shaped, pads firm and resistant, toes tight fitting and arched, strong nails.

Hindquarters
Generality		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.
Lower thigh		Muscled, practically as long as the upper thigh.
Stifle		Strong, with good angulation between upper and lower thigh.
Metatarsus		Vertical and strong, without any deviation.
Hock		Well let down, strong and well angulated.
Hind feet		Identical to front feet.

Gait and 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 and weight
Height at 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 and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

General faults

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.

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.

Coat entirely white.

Any colour not conform to standard.

Height at withers over or below standard (+/- 3 cms).

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• 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.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

Details: Written by: Francis Vandersteen; Also available:; Last Updated: 25 January 2024; Hits: 460

Bourbonnais Pointing Dog