FCI-Standard N° 202
/ 07. 08. 1998
/ GB
ITALIAN POINTING DOG
(Bracco Italiano)
TRANSLATION : Mrs
Peggy Davis.
ORIGIN : Italy.
DATE OF
PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 27. 11. 1989.
UTILIZATION :
Pointing dog.
CLASSIFICATION
F.C.I. : Group 7 Pointing Dogs. Section 1.1 Continental Pointing Dogs, type
« Braque ». With working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL
SUMMARY : This dog of ancient Italian origin used for bird hunting has modelled
itself and developed over the ages; from the hunting of yesteryear by means of
nets, he has adapted himself to the present hunting and shooting.
Frescoes from the 14th century are proof of the indisputable timelessness
of the Italian pointer over the centuries, whether either regarding his
morphology or his aptitudes at hunting as a pointing dog.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
: Of strong and harmonious construction, powerful appearance.
The preferred subjects are those with lean limbs, well developed muscles,
well defined lines with a markedly sculpted head and a very obvious lower
orbital chiselling, elements which all contribute to give distinction to this
breed.
IMPORTANT
PROPORTIONS : Length of the body is the same or a little more than the height at
the withers. Length of head is equal
to 4/10 of the height at the withers; its width, measured at the level of the
zygomatic arches, is less than half its length.
Skull and muzzle are of equal length.
BEHAVIOUR /
TEMPERAMENT : Tough and adapted to all types of hunting, reliable, endowed with
an excellent ability to understand, docile and easy to train.
HEAD : Angular and
narrow at the level of the zygomatic arches; its length corresponds to 4/10 of
the height at the withers; the middle of its length is at the level of a line
which unite the inner angles of both eyes.
The upper longitudinal axes of the skull and muzzle are divergent, i.e.
if extending the top line of the muzzle, this one must emerge in front of the
occipital protuberance, ideally at mid-length of the skull.
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Seen in
profile, the skull is in the shape of a very open arch.
Seen from the top, it forms lengthwise an elongated ellipse.
The width of the skull, measured at the level of the zygomatic arches,
should not exceed half of the length of the head.
The bulge of the forehead and the supraorbital ridges are perceptible.
The frontal groove is visible and ends at mid-length of the skull.
The interparietal crest is short and not very prominent.
The occipital protuberance is pronounced.
Stop : Not
pronounced.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Voluminous,
with large well opened nostrils, protrudes slightly over the lips with which it
forms an angle. Colour : More or less pink to flesh-colour or brown, depending
on the colour of the coat.
Muzzle : Foreface
either slightly arched or straight.
Its length is equal to half of the length of the head and its depth measures 4/5
of its length. Seen from the front,
the lateral sides of the muzzle converge slightly, still presenting a foreface
of good width. The chin not very
apparent.
Lips : Upper lips
well developed, thin and floppy without being flaccid, covering the jaw; seen in
profile, they overlap the lower jaw slightly.
Seen from the front, they form an inverted « V » below the nose; the
corner of the lips must be marked without being droopy.
Jaws/Teeth :
Dental arches well adapted, with the teeth square to the jaw; scissor bite -
pincer bite is also acceptable.
Cheeks : Lean.
Eyes : Semi-lateral
position with a soft and submissive expression, neither deep set nor prominent.
Eyes fairly large, eyelids oval-shaped and close fitting (no entropion or
ectropion). The iris is of a more or
less dark ochre or brown colour depending on the coat colour.
Leathers : Well
developed, in length they should, without being stretched, reach the tip of the
nose. Their width is at least equal
to half their length; raised only very slightly; base rather narrow, set rather
backwards at level of zygomatic arches; a supple ear with a front rim well
turned inwards and really close to the cheek is appreciated; the lower extremity
of the ear ends in a slightly rounded tip.
NECK : Powerful,
in truncated cone shape, length not less than 2/3 of the length of the head,
well detached from the nape. The
throat shows a soft double dewlap.
BODY :
Topline : The
upper profile of the back is made up of two lines : one, almost straight, slopes
from the withers to the 11th dorsal vertebra; the other is slightly arched,
joining with the line of the rump.
Withers : Well
defined, with the points of the shoulder-blades well separated.
Loin : Wide lumbar
region, muscled, short and slightly convex.
Croup : Long
(about 1/3 of the height at the withers), broad and well muscled; the ideal
pelvic angulation (angle formed by the pelvic girdle with a horizontal line) is
30°. Pelvis wide.
Chest : Broad,
deep and well let down to level of elbows, without forming a keel, with well
sprung ribs, particularly in their lower part, and sloping.
Underline : Lower
profile almost horizontal in its ribcage part, rising slightly in its abdominal
part.
TAIL : Thick at
the base, straight, with a slight tendency to taper; hair short.
When the dog is in action and especially when questing, is carried
horizontally or nearly like that.
Should be docked at 15-25 cm from the root.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS :
Shoulders : Strong,
well muscled, long and sloping, very free in their movement.
Upper arm :
Sloping, fitting to the ribcage.
Elbow : The point
of the elbow should be on perpendicular line from the rear point of the shoulder-blade
to the ground.
Forearm : Strong,
straight, with strong and well marked sinews.
Pasterns : Well
proportioned, lean, of good length and slightly sloping.
Front feet :
Strong, slightly oval shaped; well arched and tight toes, with strong nails well
curved towards the ground. Colour of
nails is white, yellow or brown, of a more or less dark shade depending on the
colour of the coat; pads elastic and lean.
HINDQUARTERS :
Upper thigh :
Long, parallel, muscular, with a rear edge almost straight.
Lower thigh :
Strong.
Hocks : Wide.
Metatarsus :
Relatively short and lean.
Hind feet : With
all the characteristics of the front feet; they have dewclaws, the absence of
which is not a fault. Double dewclaw
is tolerated.
GAIT / MOVEMENT :
Extended and fast trot, with powerful impulsion from the hindquarters; head
raised, nose held high in such a way that, when hunting, the nose is higher than
the topline.
SKIN : Tough but
elastic; finer on the head, the throat, the armpits and on the lower parts of
the body. The visible mucous
membranes must be of a corresponding colour with the coat, but never show black
spots. The mucous membranes of the
mouth are pink; in the roans or white and chestnut coloured dogs they sometimes
show brown or pale chestnut spotting.
COAT
HAIR : Short,
dense and glossy, finer and shorter on the head, the ears, front part of the
legs and feet.
COLOUR :
White.
White with patches
of varied size of an orange or more or less dark amber colour.
White with more or
less large chestnut patches.
White speckled
with pale orange (melato).
White speckled
with chestnut (roano-marrone). In
this last combination, a metallic sheen is appreciated, and a warm shade of
chestnut is preferred, recalling the colour of a monk’s frock.
A symmetrical
facial mask is preferred, but the absence of a mask is tolerated.
SIZE AND WEIGHT
:
Height at the
withers : Between 55 and 67 cm.
Preferred size for
males : 58 - 67 cm.
Preferred size for
females : 55 - 62 cm.
Weight : Between
25 and 40 kg depending on size.
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.
ELIMINATING FAULTS
:
Aggresive or
overly shy.
Convergence of
cranial-facial axes.
Split nose.
Accentuated
undershot mouth, overshot mouth.
Wall eye.
Coat black, white
and black, tricolour, fawn, hazel, unicolor, with tan markings.
Absence of
pigmentation (Albinism).
Mucous membranes,
skin and annexes with traces of black.
Size of 2 cm above
or below the limits indicated in the standard.
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.
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