meet the... Braque Francais (Gascogne and Pyrenees Type)

Head

• General Appearance: Gascogne:
  Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size and in proportion to the rest of the body. It is neither heavy nor light in substance or size. The topskull is moderately broad and almost flat to just very slightly arched. The occiput is only slightly pronounced. A faint median furrow starts at the stop and disappears toward the occiput. The brows are well-developed. Although the head is lean, it is powerfully equipped with strong, smooth, well-developed, yet never overly prominent muscle. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
  
  Pyrenees:
  Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. It is neither heavy nor light in substance or size. The topskull is moderately broad and slightly arched on the side and top. The occiput is only slightly pronounced. A faint median furrow starts at the stop and disappears toward the occiput. The brows are well developed. Although the head is lean, it is powerfully equipped with strong, smooth, well-developed, yet never overly prominent muscle. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
• Expression: Keen, watchful, sincere, lively, intelligent, and eager.
• Stop: The stop is only moderately defined and should never be shallow or accentuated.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 5:4, with the topskull being just longer than the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
• Muzzle: Fairly long, broad, deep, full, and strongly developed. The plane of the muzzle may be straight or with a very slight curvature. However, it must never appear concave or dish-faced. Upper and lower jaws are equal in length and have good bone substance, appearing strong and well-developed, never appearing snipey or weak.
• Lips or Flews: Gascogne Type
  The lips fit rather well over the teeth and jaws. They just cover the lower jaw, giving the muzzle a deep, full, and convex appearance. They should never appear overly pendulous or tight.
  
  Pyrenees Type
  The lips are clean and fit well over the teeth and jaws, just covering the lower jaw, giving the muzzle its deep and full appearance. The lips are never pendulous, yet never to so tightly fit that the muzzle appears tapered.
• Nose: Gascogne Type
  The nose is well pigmented and liver in color. The nose is broad, and the nostrils are well-opened.
  
  Pyrenees Type
  The nose is well pigmented and liver to chestnut in color. The nose is broad, and the nostrils are well-opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are strongly muscled with smooth muscle. They should not appear chiseled or coarse.
• 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 is not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and amber to chestnut 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: Gascogne Type
  Medium in length and rounded at the tip. They are set high on the skull, at the level of the eye. They hang flat and close to the head and face. When held forward, the tips should extend approximately to the edge of the nose leather. The ears are never long, overly large, or "fly-away."
  
  Pyrenees Type
  Medium in length and rounded at the tip. They are set high on the skull, slightly above the level of the eye. They hang flat and close to the head and face. When held forward, the tips should extend approximately two centimeters from the nose leather. The ears are never long, overly large, or "fly-away."

Body and Tail

• General Description: The body is that of a canine endurance and agility athlete. It is deep, solid, and of moderate substance. The body is never cloddy or heavy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for a proud head carriage. Strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well-developed but not protrusive.
• Topline: Straight and may be level or slightly sloped from slightly prominent withers to croup. The back is of a good length, broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is short, taut, flat, and level or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Broad, long, and gently sloped.
• Underline: A slight 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: Gascogne Type:
  Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried horizontally when working, but also kept in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, never tucked or carried high above the topline. The tail may be left naturally long or naturally bobbed short. Bobbed tails can be almost any length shorter than that of a natural tail. Natural tails are of a moderately long length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, sabered, or gently curved.
  
  Pyrenees Type:
  Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried horizontally when working, but also kept in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, never tucked or carried high above the topline. The tail may be docked short (least desirable), left naturally long, or naturally bobbed short. Docked tails are cut to allow four remaining tail vertebrae. Bobbed tails can be almost any length shorter than that of a natural tail. Natural tails are of a moderately long length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, sabered, or gently curved.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are long, 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, medium to moderately fine 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 equal in length, strong, sturdy, medium to moderately fine 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: Short, hard, rough, dense outer coat with a short, dense undercoat.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Solid liver, liver with or without white markings or ticking. Predominantly white with liver markings, liver roan with or without black or liver markings, all with or without tan point markings.

Movement

The Braque Francais breed moves with powerful and agile motion. Their action is effortless, efficient, and energetic. 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 good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The Braque Francais breed is a loyal, intelligent, and devoted hunting dog and companion. They take their work very seriously and thoroughly enjoy the field. They are steady and consistent with endurance, stamina, and powerful hunting instincts. They are also a calm and engaging companion dog in the home as well. Their versatility makes them a favorite amongst those who know and love them. They should never appear nervous, shy, or fearful. 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.