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TRANSLATION
: Mrs Jeans-Brown, revised by Mr R. Pollet and R. Triquet.
ORIGIN
: Belgium.
DATE
OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD
: 13.03.2001.
UTILISATION
:
Scent hound for large game venery, service dog,
tracking dog and family dog. It was and it must always remain a
hound which due to its remarkable sense of smell is foremost a leash
hound, often used not only to follow the trail of wounded game as in the
blood scenting trials but also to seek out missing people in police
operations. Due to its functional construction, the Bloodhound is
endowed with great endurance and also an exceptional nose which allows
it to follow a trail over a long distance and difficult terrain without
problems.
CLASSIFICATION
F.C.I.
:
Group
6
: Scent hound and related breeds.
Section 1
: Scent hounds.
1.1
Large sized hounds.
With working trial.
BRIEF
HISTORICAL SUMMARY
:
Large scent hound and excellent leash hound, with very ancient
antecedents. For centuries it has
been known and appreciated for its exceptional nose and its great talent
for the hunt. It was bred in the Ardennes by the monks of the Abbaye de
Saint-Hubert. It is presumed to descend from black or black and tan
hounds hunting in packs which were used in the 7th century by the monk
Hubert, who was later made a bishop and who when canonised became the
patron saint of hunters. These big scent hounds spread throughout the
Ardennes, due to the presence of large game, sheltering in the
widespread forests of the region. These Saint- Hubert hounds were famed
for their robustness and their endurance, especially when hunting wild
boar.
The first Saint-Hubert hounds were black but later black and tan was
also to be found. In the 11th century these dogs were
imported into England by William the Conqueror. At the same time, dogs
of the same type but with an all-white coat, called Talbots, were also
introduced there.
In England the imported dogs provided the basic root stock. The progeny
of these Bloodhounds received their name as a derivation of "
blooded hound " which means a dog of pure blood, therefore a
pure-bred.
Subsequently the breed was also developed in the United States of
America. In the Southern States especially, these dogs were used for
hunting runaway slaves.
GENERAL
APPEARANCE
:
Large-sized hound and massive leash hound, the most powerful of all the
scent hounds. It is harmonious in its lines, endowed with strong bone,
good muscle and a lot of substance, but without ever appearing heavy. It
is long in structure, fitting into a rectangle. The overall appearance
is imposing and full of nobility. Its attitude is solemn. The head and
neck attract attention because of their abundant, supple and thin skin,
hanging in deep folds. Its movement is impressive, rather slow and with
a certain rolling gait but lithe, elastic and free. No characteristic
should be so exaggerated as to destroy the harmony of the whole, to give
an over-done appearance or even less to harm the health or well-being of
the dog.
Among possible exaggerations should be mentioned eyes which are too deep
set or too small; distended eyelids; too much and too loose skin with
too many and too deep folds; too much dewlap; too narrow a head. Dogs
which are too big, with bodies too heavy or too massive, are equally
undesirable because this impedes their function.
IMPORTANT
PROPORTIONS :
·
Length
of body / height at withers : 10 / 9.
·
Depth
of chest / height at withers : 1 / 2.
·
Length
of head / length of body : 3 / 7.
·
Length
of muzzle / length of head : 1/2 .
BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT
:
Gentle, placid, kind and sociable with people. Particularly attached to
its owner. Tolerant of kennel companions and other domestic animals.
Somewhat reserved and stubborn. Just as sensitive to compliments as to
corrections. Never aggressive. Its voice is deep but it rarely barks.
HEAD
:
The most characteristic point of the breed is the imposing and majestic
head, full of nobility. It is deep but narrow in relation to its length
and long in relation to the length of the body.
The bone structure is clearly visible. The lateral sides are
flattened and the profile is square. The topline of the muzzle is near1y
on the same plane as the upper outline of the skull. On the forehead and
cheeks, the abundant thin skin forms wrinkles and deep folds, falling
when the head is carried low and continuing into the strongly developed
folds of the dewlap. The skin is less abundant in the female.
CRANIAL
REGION
:
The skull is deep, long, rather narrow with flattened sides. The brows
are not prominent although they may appear so. The occipital peak is
very developed and distinctly pronounced.
Stop
: Only slightly marked.
FACIAL
REGION
:
Nose
: Black or brown, always black on black and tan dogs. The nose is broad,
well-developed, with wide open nostrils.
Muzzle
: As long as the skull, deep, broad near the nostrils and of equal width
throughout its length. The topline of the muzzle is muzzle is either
straight or slightly convex ( slight ram's nose ).
Lips
: Very long and limp ; the upper lips fall over the lower lips and at
the front form a right angle with the upper line of the foreface, which
gives a square profile to the muzzle. Towards the corners of the mouth
they become fleshy flews ( less pronounced in the female ) which blend
imperceptibly into the abundant dewlap. The edge of the upper lips comes
down about 5 cm below the lower jaw. The edge of the lips is
well-pigmented, black or brown, depending on the nose colour.
Jaws/Teeth
: Complete dentition, in correct scissor bite; strong white teeth, set
regularly in well-developed jaws. A pincer bite is tolerated.
Cheeks
: Hollowed and lean, especially under the eyes.
Eyes
: Dark brown or hazel, of a lighter hue ( amber ) in dogs without black
saddle or mantle. Eyes of moderate size, oval, not weeping, neither
protruding nor sunk into the socket, leaving the iris totally visible.
Lids with no irregularity in their contour, normally fitting around the
eye-ball ; lower lids a little slack so that a little haw is visible are
nevertheless tolerated. At no time should the eye-lashes touch or
interfere with the eyes. The expression is gentle, kind and dignified,
with a rather melancholy air.
Ears:
Thin and supple, covered in short hair, delicate and velvety to the
touch ; very long lobes, reaching at least beyond the end of the nose
when they are laid on the upper line of the foreface; ears set very low,
level with the eyes or even lower, on the side of the head, falling in
graceful folds curling inwards and backwards (curling ears).
NECK
:
Long so that the dog can follow the trail with its nose on the ground ;
strongly muscled ; the skin of the throat is loose and extremely
developed, presenting a double dewlap, but this is less pronounced in
the female.
BODY
:
The topline and underline are almost parallel.
Withers
: Slightly pronounced.
Back
:
Straight, broad, long and solid.
Loins
: Broad, strong, short, very slightly arched.
Croup
: Well-muscled, almost horizontal, never falling away, very broad and
quite long.
Chest
: Oval in shape, broad, well let down, clearly forming a keel between
the forelegs; thoracic cage long enough ; forechest and point of
shoulder standing out, ribs well-sprung, neither flat nor barrel.
Underline and belly
: Underline almost horizontal ; underside of chest well let down ;
flanks well filled, broad and let down ; belly only very slightly tucked
up.
TAIL
:
Long, strong, thick, set high, in continuation of the dorsal line
,tapering gradually towards the tip; carried sabre fashion ; on the move
the tail curves gracefully above the line of the back, never curled or
twisting sideways .The underside of the tail is furnished with harsher
hair, about 5 cm long, which becomes progressively shorter towards the
tip.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS
:
Overview:
Well-muscled, powerful forequarters, straight and perfectly parallel.
Shoulder
: Long, well-sloping, well-muscled but not over-loaded.
Upper arm
: Long, sloping and forming good angulation with the shoulder.
Elbow
:
Well set, neither turning out nor in.
Forearm
: Straight, strong round bone.
Wrist
: Firm.
Metacarpus (Pastern)
: Sturdy , upright seen from the front, slightly forward sloping seen
from the side.
Forefoot
: Compact, very solid, neither toeing in nor out ; toes well-arched,
well knuckled up and tight (cat feet) ; thick solid pads ; short strong
nails.
HINDQUARTERS
:
Overview:
Solid, powerfully muscled, well-balanced with the forequarters; seen
from behind perfectly parallel, neither close nor open.
Upper thigh
: Good length and strongly muscled.
Stifle (Knee)
: Well-angulated, neither turning in nor out.
Lower thigh
: Sufficiently long and strongly muscled.
Hock
: Solid , close to the ground and well-angulated.
Metatarsus (Rear Pastern)
: Strong and short.
Hind foot
: Like front foot.
GAIT
/ MOVEMENT:
The assessment of the very typical movement of the Bloodhound is
extremely important. At its normal gait, the trot , the movement is
even, with measured steps, springy and free, covering more ground than
any other scent hound and very characteristic of the breed, rolling but
without crabbing. The hind legs move well at the back , there is good
drive from the hindquarters, the reach of the fore and hindquarter
movements is equal and the topline remains horizontal. The limbs move
parallel but at greater speed the feet single-track. The tail is carried
high like a sabre without the curve becoming too pronounced. The
Bloodhound must be capable of maintaining a trot for a long period of
time without showing signs of tiredness.
SKIN
:
Supple over all the body , loose and elastic. The thin skin, very loose
and abundant over the head, is very characteristic. On the forehead and
the lateral sides of the foreface, the skin forms folds which hang down
and which are even more noticeable when the head is carried low .However
over-done wrinkles and folds on the forehead and brows must never harm
the eyes. Folds of skin on the body due to too much skin are not
desirable.
COAT
HAIR
: On the body , the close-lying hair is short, dense, quite harsh and
weatherproof. On the head and ears the hair is very short and soft to
the touch. The underside of the tail is furnished with hair a little
longer and coarser.
COLOUR
: There are three distinct coat colours : the bicolours black and tan
and liver and tan and the unicolour red. Among black and tan dogs the
amount of black varies, according to whether it is a mantle or a saddle.
In a dog with a mantle, black is predominant : the tan ( fawn ) is only
found on the muzzle, the cheeks, above the eyes , on the forechest, on
the limbs and the anal region. A dog with a saddle has a greater expanse
of tan because the black is more or less limited to the dorsal region.
The same positioning of coloured zones is to be found in the bicoloured
liver and tan. The colours are not always clearly stated nor distinctly
defined. In the darker areas, it is possible to find them interspersed
with lighter or badger hairs. Such a mixture of different coloured hairs
is allowed.
For the unicoloured red, the red can vary from light red to dark red.
A washed-out tan for bicolours or red for unicolours is not sought after
.
A little white on the forechest, on the toes and at the tip of the tail
is tolerated without being sought after.
SIZE
AND WEIGHT :
Height
at withers
: The ideal height is 68 cm
for males.
62 cm for females.
Tolerance of 4cm more or less.
Weight
: Males about 46 - 54
kg.
Females about 40 – 48 kg.
Height and weight must be balanced.
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.
·
General
appearance
: Cloddy; lacking in substance; light bone; too high or too low on leg,
square construction
rather than rectangular ; lack of nobility.
·
Head
: Skull broad and voluminous or excessively narrow ; receding forehead ;
skin on forehead falling too far
forward; occipital peak not sufficiently pronounced;
too marked a stop; bridge of nose concave; muzzle short or
not deep enough; top lips not pendulous enough.
·
Nose
and lips
: Loss of pigment.
·
Dentition
: Teeth missing.
·
Eyes
: Too small, too sunken in sockets ; lower lid too pendulous, too much
haw visible.
·
Ears
: Too short, too thick, set above the eyeline, too close to the head,
too flat.
·
Neck
: Short, slender, very little dewlap.
·
Body
: Short or too long; chest not well let down, forechest not protruding
enough in profile; slab-sided or
barrel-chested ; weak or arched back, croup overbuilt
or falling away; belly too tucked up.
·
Tail
: Low set; squirrel tail, ring tail, curled tail; knotty or kinked tail;
hook or deviated tail.
·
Limbs
: Under or over angulated ; short upper arm ; not upright seen in
profile ( front pasterns too sloping or
wrists weak ), nor from the front ( feet turning out
or in, forearm curved, elbows out etc. ) or from behind ( hind
legs too close together, wide apart or barrelled ;
hocks closed or open etc); spreading, hare or flat feet.
·
Gait
/ Movement
: Close movement or open; weaving, crabbing, restricted or stilted gait
; mincing gait; poor
transmission by the back.
·
Coat
colour
: Light or washed-out colours.
·
Temperament
: Lacking in confidence or shy.
ELIMINATING
FAULTS :
·
Temperament
: Aggressive or overly shy. Any
dog showing signs of physical anomaly should be eliminated.
·
General
appearance
: Lack of breed type.
·
Dentition
: Over or under shot; wry jaw; crooked mouth.
·
Nose
and lips
: Very lacking in pigment or pink ; anything other than black in black
and tan dogs; anything other
than brown or black in dogs without black saddle or
mantle.
·
Eyes
: Light yellow ( hawk eyes ).
·
Coat
colour
: Any colours which do not correspond to those described ; too
widespread white markings, such as
white going up as far as wrists or hocks, or too much
white on the forechest ; white patches anywhere other
than the forechest, toes and tip of tail, like a
white muzzle or a white blaze etc.
·
Size
: Outside the tolerated limits.
N.B.
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended
into the scrotum.
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