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PROPOSED
INTERIM STANDARD
For
The
Pyrenean Sheepdog
(Le
Bérger de Pyrénées)
Long and semi-longhaired
Interpreted
from the official French Standard of the FCI
In
consultation with M. Pécoult President of the RAPC
(la
Réunion des Amateurs de Chiens Pyrénéens)
Submitted
to the Kennel Club by Mrs.B. Judson
General appearance:
A small long
or semi-longhaired Sheepdog with tremendous energy and stamina for
its size.
Characteristics:
Highly
intelligent, always active with a great liveliness of movement. Shows
a strong herding instinct. These characteristics combine with
the Pyrenean Sheepdog's mischievous, inquisitive expression to give a
unique overall appearance.
Temperament:
Alert, lively,
wary of strangers.
Head and skull:
In general the
head is triangular with the length of the skull being 3/5ths of the
whole. The length of the skull equals its width at its widest point.
The skull is almost flat on top with a central furrow. Occiput is not
too pronounced and the sides of the skull are slightly rounded. The
skull joins the muzzle with a gentle slope between the eyes. Viewed
in profile the top of the muzzle is flat and is in a parallel plane
with the skull. The muzzle tapers evenly to the nostrils with rounded
sides and is well filled in below the eyes. The upper lips, which are
not thick, cover the lower jaws and do not show any flews. The lips
and palate are black, or strongly marked with black. The nose is black.
Eyes:
Expressive,
wide open, almond shaped not round, set in thin black eye rims. They
must neither bulge nor be sunken. Generally the colour should be dark
brown, but in blue merle or slate blue dogs one or both eyes may be
blue or flecked with blue.
Ears:
The ears
should be fairly short, moderately wide at the base and placed
neither too close to the top of the head nor too far apart. The
bottom half of the ear should be erect and mobile. Ideally the top
half, or third, should be sensitive in use and hang forward or to the
side when alert and laid back in repose.
N.B. In
France the ears are generally cropped so it will take some time to
establish the correct natural ear.
Mouth:
Strong
canines, and the set of teeth should be complete and close preferably
in a scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower
teeth and set square in the jaw. Level or pincer bite is tolerated.
Neck:
Rather long,
well muscled and well set off from the shoulders.
Forequarters:
The
forequarters are lean, sinewy and straight when seen from the front
and have single dewclaws. From the side the pasterns are slightly
sloping and flexible without weakness. The shoulders are well laid
back and fairly long with the shoulder blade joining the upper arm at
an angle of approximately 90 degrees. The tops of the shoulders are
clearly higher than the line of the back.
Body:
The framework
is lean, the back is strong with the ribcage extending well to the
rear. The ribs are slightly rounded. Chest should not be too broad
and should extend to the elbow. The loins are strong and slightly
arched. They are emphasised as the coat is often thicker on the rear
end of the dog.
Hindquarters:
Croup is short
and sloping obliquely to the set of the tail. The thighs are strong
and well muscled. The upper thigh is shorter than the second thigh
which is long and well developed. Well angulated at the stifle. Hocks
are lean, set low and well angulated, sometimes rather close.
The hind legs may have single or double dewclaws.
Feet:
Narrow, rather
flat and oval. Dark pads and hard dark toenails. Well
furred between the pads.
Tail:
The natural
tail is low set, the bone reaching to the hock with a crook at the
end. It is well covered with hair. The tail should never be carried
higher than the level of the back. N,B. Some dogs are bom with a
short tail or a stump. In France the tail is usually docked close to
the body to give a rounded rear end. Dogs with or without a tail
should be judged on equal merit.
Gait/movement:
A trot which
is smooth, free and vigorous, feet not raised high, the pads almost
scrape the floor. At a slow trot the head is held high but at a fast
trot the head is carried in a line with the back. When walking
the stride is fairly short. Pacing should not be penalised. The
correct effortless gait is a result of the balance between shoulder
and rear end angulation.
Coat:
The coat is
long or semi-long. It is almost straight or slightly wavy, more dense
and woolly on the rump and thighs. Its texture is between that of
goat-hair and sheep-wool. The hair on top of the muzzle should be
fairly short; it is longer on the sides and under the chin but must
not give the impression of a moustache or beard. Like the hair on the
skull, cheeks and sides it grows away from the face to give a
wind-swept effect. The eyes must show and must not be covered with
hair. The ears are fringed with long hair. In the long-haired variety
the coat extends down the legs and covers the toenails. The
semi-longhaired has shorter hair on the front legs with fringing and
short hair from the hock joint to the feet on the hind-legs.
The coat should be natural, not over groomed or trimmed.
Colours:
Various shades
of fawn, with or without black hairs. Sometimes a little white on the
chest and feet. Light to dark grey, often with white on head,
chest and legs. Blue merle, slate blue or brindle. Black or black and
white coats are rare. Coats of unmixed colours are preferred. Large
areas of white or a predominance of white or black and tan coats are undesirable.
Height:
Dogs 40cm -
48cm (16 -19ins)
Bitches 38cm-
46cm (15 - 18ins)
A tolerance of
two cms (approximately 1/2 inch) above the maximum height is
tolerated in subjects of perfect type.
Faults:
Any departure
from the foregoing points should be regarded as a fault and the
seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in
exact proportion to its degree.
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copyright Carabrae 2002 |