FEDERATION CYNOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONALE
Standard: Cirneco Dell'Etna
Country of Origin: Sicily

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: the classical studies on the subject of canine breeds disseminated in the Meditteranean basin have come to the conclusion that the Cirneco dell'Etna would descend from ancient hunting dogs bred in the valley of the Nile at the time of the Pharaos, dogs which would have arrived with the Phoenicians, but very recent researches speak in favor of a new conception, according to which it would concern a native breed of Sicilian origin from precisely the vicinity of Eva. Coins and engravings prove in effect that the Cirneco existed in those parts many centuries B.C.

GENERAL APPEARANCE: primitive dog type of elegant and slender shapes, medium size, not cumbersome, robust and strong. Of morphological conformation slightly longish line, of light construction, his body fits into a square; the coat is fine.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: length of body equal to the height at the withers (built in a square). Depth of chest is slightly less than the height from ground to elbow. Length of the muzzle does not reach half the length of the head ( the ratio skull-muzzle is of 10 to 8, but preference is given to subjects whose length of muzzle reaches that of the skull.

BEHAVIOR / TEMPERAMENT: hunting dog, adapted to difficult terrain suitable especially to the hunting of wild rabbits; endowed with a lot of temperament, he is at the same time gentle and affectionate.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION: oval shaped lengthwise, the superior axes of the skull and muzzle are hardly divergent or parallel. The upper profile of the skull is so slightly convex as to appear almost flat; the width of the skull between the zygomabc arches must not be more than half the length of the head; the superciliary arches are not very protruding; the frontal furrow is only slightly marked; the occipital crest and the occipital protuberance are only slightly developed.

STOP: well accentuated, in shape of about 140 angle.

FACIAL REGION

NOSE: of quite rectangular shape, rather large, its color corresponding to color of the coat (rather dark chestnut, light chestnut, flesh color ).

MUZZLE: the length of the muzzle is at least 80% of the length of the skull; its depth or height ( measured at the middle of the muzzle ) reaches at least its proper length; its width ( measured at the middle of the muzzle ) is less than half its length. The muzzle is therefore pointed with a straight topline of the foreface; its lower lateral profile is defined by the mandible.

LIPS: fine, thin and taught, only just covering the teeth of the lower jaw. The mucous membrane at the corner of the lips is hardly visible.

JAWS: normally developed although do not appear strong; lower jaw lightly developed, with receding chin. Incisors, set square in the jaws, are perfectly in line and adapted.

CHEEKS: flat

TEETH: well developed and complete, scissor bite.

EYES: the eyes, which seem rather small, are of an ochre color, not too dark, amber or even grey, never brown or dark hazel; in lateral position; soft expression; oval shaped, with pigmentation of the eyelid rims corresponding with the color of the nose.

EARS: set quite high and close together, erect and rigid, the opening towards the front; triangular shape with narrow up, must not be cropped. their length is not more than half the length of the head.

NECK

PROFILE: upper profile well arched ( convex ).

LENGTH: same length as the head.

SHAPE: of similar shape to a truncated cone; the muscles are apparent; especially along the crest of the neck.

SKIN: fine and taught, tiffing closely the sub-cutaneous; no dewlap.

BODY

TOPLINE: straight, sloping gracefully from the withers towards the rump.

WITHERS: raised above dorsal line, narrow because of the convergence of the shoulder-blades; joins harmoniously into the neck without any break in the line.

BACK: upper profile straight, with moderately developed muscles; the length of the thoracic part measures about 3 ffmes the length of the lumbar part; the length of the loins reaches about 1/5 of the height at the withers and its width is close to its length; muscles are short and slightly visible, but firm.

RUMP: upper profile rather flat, obliqueness below the horizontal reaching around 45 degrees. The length of this lean and solid sloping rump reaches about the third of the height at the withers, and its width is nearly half of its length; muscles of the rump are not visible.

CHEST: the length of the chest is slightly more than half the height at the withers ( about 57% ) and its width ( measured at the point of its largest width ) is slightly less man the third of the height at me withers; the thorax reaches to, or nearly, the level of the elbow, but without going beyond that level; the ribs are only slightly sprung, but never flat; the perimeter of the chest which is more than the height of the withers by about 1/8 th, determines a rather narrow chest

UNDERLINE: the lower profile corresponds with an evenly ascending line along the belly without any sudden interuption. Belly lean and tucked up, flanks of equal length to that of the renal region.

TAIL: low set, rather thick and equal thickness in its entire length, this tail quite long, goes down to or slightly lower than the level of the hock; carried sabre fashion when in repose, is lifted over the back, trumpet fashion, when the dog is alert; hair smooth.

QUARTERS

FOREQUARTERS; straight and parallel. Seen in profile a verticalline drawn from the point of the shoulder touches the tip of the toes. Another verticle line, going from the radial-humeral articulation, divides the forearm and the carpus in two, more or less equal parts ending at half-length of the metacarpus. Seen from the front, the limb must correspond to a verticle line lowered from the point of the shoulder which divides forearm, carpus, metacarpus and foot in two, more or less, equal parts. The height of me foreleg from the ground to the elbow is slightly more than half the highs at the withers.

SHOULDER: the length of the shoulder-blade must reach about 1/3 of the height at the withers with an obliqueness below the horizontal of 55 degrees; the upper tips of the blades are close to each other; the scapulo-humeral angle measures 115- 120 degrees.

UPPERARM: its length is equal to half the length of the leg measured from ground to elbow; the arm is almost perfectly parallel or almost so to the median plane of the body, slightly oblique below the horizontal, with noticeable and distinct muscles.

ELBOW: set at level or below the sternal line, parallel to the median plane of the body; the humeral-radial angle measures about 150 degrees.

FOREARM: its length is equal to the third of the height at the wipers; straight and parallel; the cubital-carpal groove is well obvious; bone structure is light but solid.

PASTERN JOINT: extends the straight line of the forearm; pisiform bone prominent

PASTERN: its length must not be less than 1/6 of the height of the foreleg, measured from the ground to the elbow; wider than the carpus, but flat and dry, the pastern is slightly sloping from back to front; bone structure is flat and lean.

FOREFOOT: oval shaped (hare foot ) with well knit and arched toes; nails strong and curved, brown or fleshy pink nearing brown, but never black; pads hard of the same color as the nails.

HINDQUARTERS: straight and parallel. Seen in profile, a verticle line, which descends from the rear point of Me pelvic tuber to the ground, touches or just the tips of the toes. Seen from behind, a verticle line drawn from the rear point of the buttock to the ground, splits in two equal parts the point of the hack, the metatarsal and the hind foot. The length of the hindlimb measures about 93% of the height at the withers.

UPPER THIGH: long and wide. Its length measures the third of the height at the withers; muscles are flat and the rear edge of the buttock is slightly convex; its width (outer surface) is equal to 3/4 of its length; the ileum-femoral angle measures about 115 degrees.

LOWER SECOND THIGH: of slightly inferior length to that of the upper High, shows an obliqueness of 55 degrees below the horizontal. The covering muscles are lean and very distinct; bone structure is light; the groove along the Achilles tendon is well marked.

STIFLE JOINT: must be on the verticlewhich goes from the buttock to the ground; the tibial-femoral is about 120 degrees.

HOCK: the distance from the sole of the foot to the point of the hock is not more than 27% of the height at the withers; its outer surface is wide; the ffbial-tarsal angle is about 135 degrees.

METATARSAL: its length is equal to a third of the length of the foreleg measured from ground to elbow; of cylindrical shape and in verticle position, Bus perpendicular to the ground; no cowclaws.

HINDFEET: slightly more oval than the forefoot, with otherwise all the same characteristics.

GAIT / MOVEMENT: gallop, with intermittent trotting phases.

SKIN: fine, well tiffing to the underlying tissues on all parts of the body, color varies according to that of the coat. The mucous membranes and the skin of the nose are in the colors described for the nose and must never show black nor be depigmented.

COAT

TEXTURE: hair smooth on the head, on the ears and legs; semilong (about 3 cm) but sleek and close lying on the body and the tail; hair straight and stiff like horse hair.

COLOR: a) self-colored fawn, more or less intense or diluted like Isabella, sable, etc... b) Fawn with more or less extensive white ~ white blaze on the head, white mark on the chest, white feet, white tip on tail, white belly; a white collar is less appreciated ). Self colored white or white with orange patches is tolerated; a fawn coat with a mixture of slightly lighter and darker hairs is allowed.

SIZE: males : from 46 to 50 cm. Tolerance upto 52 cm. females: from 42 to 46 cm. Tolerance upto 50 cm.

WEIGHT: males : 10 to 12 kg. females: 8 to 10 kg.

FAULTS: any departure from the foregoing points constitutes a fault which when judging must be penalised according to its seriousness and extension.

ELIMINATING FAULTS: convergence of the cranial-facial axis; concave foreface; accentuated undershot mouth; black pigmentation, even limited; totally hanging ears or bat ears; black nails; black pads; tail curved over the back; self-colored browned or liver; black or brown patches; presence of black or brown hairs; size above or below themargins indicated by the standard; brindle coat; black mucous membranes.

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS wall eye. overshot mouth, total depigmentation.

NOTE: males should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Reproduced with the permission of the FCI