Grand griffon vendéen

		Grand griffon vendéen
		FCI standard Nº 282

Origin		France
Translation		John Miller and Raymond Triquet
Group		Group 6 Scenthounds, and related breeds
Section		Section 1.1 Large-sized Hounds
Working		With working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Tuesday 08 April 1969
Publication of the official valid standard		Saturday 09 January 1999
Last update		Friday 18 February 2000
En français, cette race se dit		Grand griffon vendéen
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Grosser griffon vendéen
En español, esta raza se dice		Gran Grifón Vendeano
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Grand griffon vendéen

Usage

Scenthound used by hunters with or without guns, of large game, stag, roe-deer, wild boar, fox, generally in a pack or individually as a limer (dog held on a lead and used for picking up a cold trail).

Brief historical summary

Initially only the Grand Vendéen existed. It was a short-haired variety of Vendéen descending from the « Greffier » * or from the so-called « King 's white hound »*. Neither should we forget mentioning the « griffon fauve de Bretagne » in its origins because the former enters for an important part into the bloodlines of the « Greffier ». The « Chien Gris de St. Louis » and the « Griffon de Bresse » (descendant of Segusian ancestors) brought as well their contribution to the creation of the Grand Griffon.
(* Early 16th century - Translator's note.)

General appearance

A very old breed, French in type, receptive and determined, distinguished in its shapes and gaits. Well proportioned construction, robust without heaviness.

Behaviour / temperament

Behaviour : Fine nose, has a beautiful voice; assiduous on the track, does not refuse thorny undergrowth, needs large territories.
Temperament : Docile, but wilful and passionate, needs to be kept well in hand.

Head
Cranial region
Skull		Seen from the front, rather well domed, but not too wide between the leathers.
Stop		Slightly defined.

Facial region
Nose		Strong, black except for white and orange coats where a brown nose is tolerated; nostrils well open.
Muzzle		Of equal length to that of the skull, strong, straight or slightly convex.
Lips		Pendulous flews covering well the lower jaw and giving the front of the muzzle a square profile; they are well covered with moustaches.
Jaws and teeth		Scissor bite. Incisors set square to the jaws.
Eyes		Dark colour, large and bright, the eyebrows well pronounced but not covering the eye. The conjunctiva must not be apparent.
Ears		Typical of a French scenthound, they are supple, narrow and fine, covered with long hair and ending in an elongated oval, well turned inwards; low set below the level of the eye, they must be able to reach beyond the end of the nose.

Neck

Elegant, without dewlap.

Body
Back		Solid, straight or rising very slightly.
Loin		Well muscled.
Chest		Not too wide, quite deep, reaching elbow level.
Ribs		Moderately rounded and long.
Side		Rather dawn up but well filled.

Tail

Thick at the base, tapering progressively, set high, carried as sabre tail, but never as a sickle; rather long.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Powerful.
Shoulders		Long, lean and oblique.
Elbows		Close to the body.
Forearm		Strong bone construction, straight.

Hindquarters
Generality		Hip bones solid. Apparent.
Upper thigh		Long and muscled.
Hock		Broad and well let down; seen from the rear, neither cow-hocked nor bandy-legged; seen in profile angle of hock moderate.

Feet

Not too strong, pads hard, the toes well arched and tight, the nails solid. A good pigmentation of pads and nails is desirable.

Gait and movement

Supple, even, active.

Skin

Not too fine, supple. Often marbled in the tricolour subjects. No dewlap.

Coat
Hair		Long without exaggeration, sometimes bushy and harsh (coarse and hard); undercoat dense; the belly and the inside of the thighs must not be bare; eyebrows well pronounced but not covering the eye.
Colour		Black with white spotting (white and black). Black with tan markings (black and tan). Black with light tan markings. Fawn with white spotting (white and orange). Fawn with black mantle and white spotting (tricolour). Fawn with black overlay. Pale fawn with black overlay and white spotting. Pale fawn with black overlay. Traditional name : hare colour, wolf colour, badger colour or wild boar colour.

Size and weight
Height at withers		Male from 62 cm to 68 cm. Female from 60 cm to 65 cm. With a tolerance of 1 cm more or less.

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

Head :

Too short.

Flat skull.

Muzzle short.

Depigmentation of the nose, lips or eyelids.

Pincer bite.

Light eye.

Leathers set high, short, insufficiently turned in or lacking hair.
Body :

Lacking volume.

Appearance too heavy.

Topline not firm enough.

Croup falling away.
Tail :

Deviated.
Limbs :

Insufficient bone.

Angulation too straight.

Hocks too close.

Slack in pasterns.
Hair :

Insufficiently dense, fine hair.
Behaviour :

Timid subject.

Disqualifying faults

Aggressive or overly shy dogs.

Lack of type.

Prognathism (overshot or undershot mouth).

Wall eye.

Eye of different colours (Heterochromia).

Lack of space in the sternal region; ribs too narrow towards the lower end.

Kinky tail.

Woolly coat.

Self coloured coat black or white.

Important depigmentation.

Size outside the standard.

Noticeable invalidating defect.

Anatomical malformation.

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/

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Grand griffon vendéen