meet the... American Blue Gascon Hound

Head

• General Appearance: Somewhat elongated mesaticephalic to somewhat dolichocephalic skull type. It is in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is fairly broad, giving the skull some breadth and oval in profile and from above. The head exhibits good substance in the form of padding and muscle throughout without appearing coarse and bulky. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin, wrinkles, or folds.
• Expression: Somewhat stately, like a southern gentleman. Alert, eager, and friendly.
• Stop: The stop is slight but easily distinguishable.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is between 1:1 and 5:4, with the topskull being equal to or just longer than the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis may be parallel or slightly divergent.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, broad, and rectangular throughout. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight or slightly arched. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, have good bone substance, and are never snipey or weak.
• Lips or Flews: The lips may be fairly clean and fit somewhat tightly over the teeth and jaws, giving the muzzle a very slight taper, or they may appear somewhat clean and fit well over the teeth and jaws. The upper lip should extend to just cover the lower jaw without protruding well below it or appearing pendulous and “wet.”
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks may appear flat and smooth, or some padding of the cheeks may be present to denote strength.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Moderate in size, open almond, lemon, or almost round in shape, and dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
• Ears: Moderate to fairly long in length, set somewhat back and slightly low on the skull, with the base falling between the plane of the skull and eye level. They are fairly narrow, drop or pendant, and hang rolled/folded. They fall close to the head. They should extend to approximately the point of the nose but never well beyond. They are mobile and reactive to sound.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Deep and substantial but never cloddy or racy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for good head carriage and movement. It is powerfully muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is fairly clean-cut. Slightly loose skin at the throat is permissible, without excess skin folds, heavy throatiness, or pendulous dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
• Topline: Level to just slightly sloped from prominent withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, and level or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Broad and gently sloped.
• Underline: A slight to moderate tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set somewhat low on the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, often well-up in a gentle curve to approximately a right angle with the topline, and it may be lowered to a neutral position when relaxed (never tucked). The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters. They are well-angulated and feature well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are long and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, moderate (yet sturdy) bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are long, equal in length, strong, moderate (yet sturdy) bone, and well-muscled.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: Protective, dense, short, close, smooth, and fine.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Predominantly heavily black roan, mottling, or ticking (referred to as “blue”) with or without varying degrees of jet-black or jet-black with tan markings or ticking. Markings not exceeding 30% of the dog’s coat are preferable. A white spot, or “kiss” on the head, is considered a hallmark of the breed.

Movement

The movement of the American Blue Gascon Hound breed is smooth, easy, effortless, efficient, and steady. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and a good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The American Blue Gascon Hound breed is confident, active, fast, and even-tempered, yet eager for the trail. Primarily raised and hunted in a pack, these dogs are known to be very sociable with other dogs. Their trailing instincts and drives are exceptionally high, and if they are not allowed to exercise their senses and drive, they can get into trouble. They are independent thinkers, doggedly persistent to the point of stubbornness when on a trail and in other tasks. They are known to be somewhat reserved or indifferent toward strangers but affectionate and loyal toward family. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper, healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.