F.C.I. Standard

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FCI-Standard N° 95 / 05. 05. 2003 / GB - BRITTANY SPANIEL (Epagneul Breton) - ORIGIN: France.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD:25.03.2003.

UTILIZATION: Pointing dogs.

F.C.I. CLASSIFICATION: Group 7 Pointing Dogs and Setters.
Section 1.2 Continental Pointing Dogs, Spaniel type.
With working trial.

 

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY

Of French origin and more precisely from the centre of Brittany. At present, in first place numerically among French sporting breeds.
Probably one of the oldest of the spaniel type dogs, improved at the beginning of the 20th century by diverse outcrosses and selections.
A draft of a breed standard drawn up in Nantes in 1907 was presented and adopted at the first General Assembly held in Loudéac (in former Côtes du Nord department, now Côtes d’Armor), June 7, 1908.
This was the first standard of the « Naturally Short-Tailed Brittany Spaniel Club ».

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Smallest of the pointing breeds.
The Brittany spaniel is a dog with a Continental spaniel-type head (braccoïde in French) and a short or inexistent tail. Built harmoniously on a solid but not weighty frame. The whole is compact and well-knit, without undue heaviness, while staying sufficiently elegant. The dog is vigorous, the look is bright and the expression intelligent. The general aspect is « COBBY » (brachymorphic), full of energy, having conserved in the course of its evolution the short-coupled model sought after and fixed by those having recreated the breed.

 

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT

Dog adapting itself to any environment, sociable, with an intelligent and attentive expression, mentally balanced. Versatile pointing dog, for any game on any terrain, precocious in revealing its hunting passion.
Remarkable in its searching for game, its gaits, its scenting ability, its ranging in the field, its spontaneity and duration of pointing, its retrieving and its aptitude for training.

HEAD

The features are finely chiselled. The skin fits tightly.

CRANIAL REGION

Skull: Slightly rounded as seen from the front or the side. Seen from above, the lateral surfaces are slightly convex.
The top lines of the head and the muzzle are parallel. The width of the skull measured between the zygomatic arches is less than its length.
The supercilliary arches are not prominent but form a slightly rounded curve. The frontal furrow as well as the sagittal crest are slightly defined. The occipital crest as well as the zygomatic arches are moderately defined.

Stop: moderate.

FACIAL REGION

Nose: Large, with very wide, humid and well-open nostrils, of a colour in harmony with that of the coat, as is the case of the edges of the eyelids and natural orifices.

Muzzle: Straight, with lateral surfaces practically parallel.

Lips: Not loose, not very large, relatively thin and fitting tightly. The lower is discreetly masked by the upper whose contour bends progressively until reaching the commisure, which is not too apparent and tightly closed. The whole is free of depigmentation.

Jaws/Teeth: The teeth are set square to the jaws and form a complete and healthy set. Scissors bite.

Cheeks: Not heavy, the skin fitting tightly.

Eyes: Slightly oblique. With an intelligent, soft and frank expression. Somewhat oval, not protruding, with fine, well pigmented, tightly fitting eyelids. The colour of the iris is in keeping with the colour of the coat, preferably dark. Eye expression coupled with upward movement of the base of the ears gives rise to the true « Brittany expression ».

Ears: Set high, triangular in shape, relatively large and rather short, (drawn forward, the tip of the ear reaches the stop). Partially covered with wavy hair, especially in the upper part, the extremity being covered by short hair. Always quite mobile when the dog is attentive or in action.

NECK

Of medium length and well muscled, in the form of a slightly curved, never arched, truncated cone. Set smoothly to the shoulders and without dewlap.

BODY

Top line: Level to the loins and the beginning of the croup.

Withers: Sufficiently mobile and hardly protruding, without being loaded.

Back: Straight, short and rigid, well coupled.

Loin: Short, broad and muscular.

Hip: Very slightly slanting, broad and muscular.

Chest: Let down to elbow level, broad with ribs well sprung but not barrel chested. Sternum wide and scarcely rising towards the rear. The rearmost ribs long and supple.

Abdomen: Slightly tucked-up.

Flank: Slightly rising and short.

TAIL

Set high, carried horizontally (or slightly lowered), often lively when the dog is attentive or in action. The Brittany Spaniel can be born tailless or with a very short tail.

When the tail is docked the ideal length is from 3 to 6 cm, the docked tail should not exceed 10 cm.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS

Limbs well poised. Joints flexible and sturdy.

Shoulder: Mobile, long (30% of the height at the withers), close to the body with thick muscle. Its slope is that of a galloper, between 55 and 60 degrees from the horizontal. The tips of the shoulder blades are separated by 5 cm (2’’).

Arm: Heavy, thick and very muscular. It is slightly longer than the shoulder blade. The scapulo-humeral angle (between the shoulder blade and the arm) is between 115 and 120 degrees.

Forearm: Muscular and clean. Slightly longer than the arm. It should be practically perpendicular to the ground.
Elbow: Close to body - neither in nor out.

Metacarpus (Pastern): Solid while maintaining a certain flexibility, slightly oblique (between 15 and 20 degrees from the vertical).

Feet: Rather round, toes tight, pads firm, toenails short.

HINDQUARTERS

Limbs well poised and parallel when seen from behind.

Thigh: Important with thick and bulging muscles. It should be slanted between 70 and 75 degrees from the horizontal.

Lower thigh: Very slightly longer than the thigh with clean, bulging muscles. Broad in the upper part, diminishing gradually in size towards its junction with the hock. The angle between the upper thigh and lower thigh is close to 130 degrees.

Hock: Clean, with visible tendons.

Metatarsus (Rear pastern): Solid, nearly vertical when seen from the side.

Feet: Longer than the forefeet, while maintaining the same characteristics.

GAIT / MOVEMENT

The different gaits are easy but powerful, even and lively. The legs move straight without exaggerated bouncing of the body and without rolling, the top line staying level. The canter is the most common gait in the field, the strides are rapid and of medium length, the hind legs having little extension to the rear (collected canter).

SKIN

Fine, tight fitting and well pigmented.

COAT

HAIR: The coat is fine but not silky, lying flat on the body or with a hint of a wave. Never curly. Short on the head and the front of the limbs. The hind part of the latter has a heavier coat, furnished with abundant feathering, diminishing along their length down to the carpus (wrist) or the tarsus (hock), or even lower.

COLOUR: White and orange, white and black, white and liver, with more or less extensive irregular white patches. Piebald or roan, sometimes with ticking on the top and sides of the muzzle or the limbs. 0
Equally, in the case of tricolour coats, with tan spotting (orange to dark tan) on the top and sides of the muzzle, over the eyes, on the limbs, on the chest and under the base of the tail.
A narrow blaze is desirable with any colour of coat.
A self coloured coat is not allowed.

SIZE

Height at the wither :

Males:

48 cm minimum (18.9’’) with a tolerance of 1 cm (0.4’’).
51 cm maximum (20.1’’) with a tolerance of 1 cm (0.4’’).

Females:

47 cm minimum (18.5’’) with a tolerance of 1 cm (0.4’’).
50 cm maximum (20.1’’) with a tolerance of 1 cm (0.4’’).

Ideal height

Males: 49 to 50 cm (19.3’’ to 19.7’’).
Females: 48 to 49 cm (18.9’’ to 19.3’’).

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.

SERIOUS FAULTS

ELIMINATING FAULTS

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B.: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.