FCI-Standard N° 196
/ 20.04.1998 / GB
BOLOGNESE
TRANSLATION : Mrs. Peggy Davis.
ORIGIN : Italy.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID
STANDARD : 27.11.1989.
UTILIZATION : Companion dog.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 9
Companion and Toy Dogs. Section 1 Bichons and related breeds.
Without working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : Its origins are
confused with those of the Maltese, because its distant ancestors are
the same little dogs mentioned in Latin by Aristotle (384-322 BC) under
the denomination of « canes melitenses ».
Already known in the Roman era, the Bolognese appears most
especially among the very appreciated gifts which were made during a
whole era by the powerful of that world.
Cosimo de Medici (1389-1464) brought no less than eight to
Brussels as gifts to as many Belgian noblemen.
Philipe II, king of Spain from 1556 to 1598, after having
received two as a gift from the Duke d’Este, thanks the donor in writing
saying « that these two little dogs are the most royal gifts one can
make to an emperor ».
Bolognese are represented in paintings of Titian, of Pierre Breughel
called le Vieux and Goya.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Small size, stocky and
compact, covered with a pure white coat, long and fluffy.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
Square built, the length of the body being equal to the height at
the withers.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Very serious,
generally not very active.
Enterprising, docile, very much attached to his master and his
entourage.
HEAD : Of medium length reaching 1/3 of the
height at the withers. Its
width, measured at the level of the zygomatic arches is the same as its
length.
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Of slightly ovoid (egg-shaped) shape
in the sagittal direction and rather flat in its upper part, has rather
convex sides; the protuberances of the frontal bones are well developed
- The longitudinal axes of the skull and muzzle are parallel; the
frontal furrow is only slightly accentuated and the occipital
protuberance only slightly marked.
The length of the skull is slightly more than that of the muzzle.
Stop : Rather accentuated.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : On the same line as the topline of
the muzzle; seen in profile, its front side is on the vertical.
Is large and must be black.
Muzzle : Its length is equal to 2/5 of the
length of the head; the topline of the muzzle is straight and the sides
of the muzzle are paralell, so that the forepart of the muzzle is almost
square. The lower orbital
region is well chiselled.
Lips : Upper lips being hardly developed in
depth, they do not cover the bottom lips, and the lower profile of the
muzzle is determined by the lower jaw.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws normally developed, with
top and bottom arches perfectly adapted.
Teeth white, evenly aligned, with strong and complete dentition.
Articulation of incisors as scissor bite; pincer bite tolerated.
Eyes : Set on an almost frontal plan; well
opened, of superior to normal in size.
Eyelid opening is round; the eyeball must not be prominent; the
white of the eye is not visible.
The rims of the eyelids must be black, and the iris of a dark
ochre colour.
Ears : High set, they are long and hanging,
but rather rigid at their base, so that the upper part of the external
ear is detached from the skull, giving thus the impression of the head
being larger than it really is.
NECK : Without dewlap; its length is equal
to the length of the head.
BODY : The dog being of a square
construction, the length of the body, measured from the point of the
shoulder to the point of the buttock bone is equal to that of the height
at the withers.
Withers : Only slightly prominent from the
top line.
Top line : The straight profile of the back,
and that of the loin, slightly convex, merge harmoniously in the line of
the croup.
Croup : Very slightly sloping; is very wide.
Brisket : Point of the sternum (manubrium)
only slightly prominent.
Chest : Ample, let down to level of elbows,
with well sprung ribs, the height reaching almost half of the height at
the withers.
Underline : Following the profile of the
sternum, then rises slightly towards the belly.
TAIL : Set in the line of the croup, carried
curved over the back.
LIMBS :
FOREQUARTERS : Considered on the whole, they
are perfectly straight and parallel in relation to the median plane of
the body.
Shoulders : The length of the shoulder
blades is equal to 1/4 of the height of the withers; in relation to the
horizontal, they are slanting and are near the vertical in relation to
the median plane of the body.
They are well free in their movements.
Upper arm : Well joined to the body, of an
almost equal length to that of the shoulder, but less slanting.
Elbows : They are on a parallel plane to the
median plane of the body.
Forearm : Its length is equal to that of the
upper arm; follows a perfect vertical direction.
Pastern joint and Pastern : See from the
front, they continue the vertical line of the forearm. Seen in profile,
the pastern is a little bit slanting.
Forefeet : Oval shaped, with well cushioned
dark pads and very hard black nails.
HINDQUARTERS : Considered on the whole and
viewed from the back, they must follow from the point of the buttock
bone to the ground a perfectly vertical line - they are parallel to each
other.
Upper thighs : Their length is equal to 1/3
of the height of the withers.
They are slanting from top to bottom and back to front and
perfectly parallel to the median plane of the body.
Lower thigh : Is longer than the upper thigh.
Hock joint : The tibia-tarsal angle is not
very closed.
Hocks : The distance from the point of the
hock to the ground is slightly less than a third of the height at the
withers.
Hindfeet : Same characteristics as the front
feet, but less oval.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Free, energetic, with a
noble and distinguished head carriage.
SKIN :
Well taut and welded to the body all over, the visible mucuous
membranes and the third eyelids strictly pigmented black.
COAT
HAIR : Long all over the body, from head to
tail, from the top line to the feet.
It is shorter on the muzzle.
Rather fluffy, thus not lying flat, but in flocks; never forms
fringes.
COLOUR : Pure white, without any patches nor
any shades of white.
SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Height at the withers : Males - 27
to 30 cm.
Females - 25 to 28
cm.
Weight :
: from 2.5 to 4 kg.
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.
Strabismus (Squinting).
SERIOUS FAULTS :
Accentuated convergence or divergence of the
upper longitudinal axes.
Convex muzzle (Roman nose).
Prognathism, if it alters the outer look of
the muzzle.
Size under 25 cm and more than 33 cm in the
males and under
22 cm or more than 32 cm in females.
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
Aggresive or overly shy.
Depigmentation of the nose.
Nose of any other colour than black.
Undershot mouth.
Bilateral depigmentation of the eyelids.
Wall-eyed.
Tail less.
Shortened tail whether natural or artificial.
Any other colour than white.
Patches and flecks.
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.
