F.C.I. Standard No.: 21/2006/F

Name of the breed: GASCON SAINTONGEOIS (one breed, two varieties)

Free translation : M. de Haas-Hiemstra

Origin : France

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE VALID ORIGINAL STANDARD : 14-05-2007

Utilization:
Grand: Scent hound used for hunting with the gun and sometimes for coursing big game, but also hare hunting, generally in a pack or individually as a tracking hound.
Petit: Multipurpose hound used for hunting with the gun. His favourite game is the hare, but he also is adapted for big game hunting.

F.C.I. Classification: Group 6 Scent hounds
Grand: Section 1.1 Large sized hounds with working trial.
Petit: Section 1.2 Medium sized hounds with working trial.

Brief historial summary:
Grand: Mid 19^th century Count Joseph de Carayon Latour would regenerate the hounds of Saintonge by mixing them with the Bleus de Gascogne of De Ruble. Thus he created the Gascon-Saintongeois but provoked the disappearing of the hounds of Saintonge.
Petit: At the beginning of the 20th century hunters in the south-west of France selected the smallest subjects out of their Grand Gascon-Saintongeois litters and created this breed for the hare hunting.

GENERAL APPEARANCE :
Grand: Well constructed hound, giving an impression of strength and nobleness. Of outstanding French type when it comes to the head, the coat and the expression.
Petit: Medium sized hound, well proportioned; distinguished.

BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT:
behaviour: excellent chien d'ordre, fine nose; endowed with howling voice, Instinctively a pack hound.
temperament: Calm, obeys orders easily.

HEAD:
CRANIAL REGION:
skull: seen from the front, domed and more or less small; occipital protuberance is well marked. Seen from above, the back of the skull is ogival in shape.
stop: slightly accentuated.

FACIAL REGION
nose: black, well developed, nostrils well opened.
lips: just covering the lower jaw. The corner of the lips is slightly marked. Lips are black
muzzle:  strong; nasal bridge slightly arched.
jaws: scissor bite. Incisors set well square to the jaws.
cheeks: lean;
eyes: oval shape; brown. Gentle and confident expression. Black eyelines.
leathers: they are fine, curled in, ending in a point and must reach at least the extremity of the nose. The leather is situated well below the eyeline and sufficient to the back of the head, so that the skull is clear.

NECK: Moderately long; slightly arched; with a slight dewlap.

BODY:
back: very well supported; without excess in length.
loin: slightly arched, sufficient muscled.
rump: of good width, more or less horizontal.
chest: long, broad; let down to elbow level. Forechest quite broad.
ribs: slightly rounded and long.
flank: slightly raising.
tail:: strong at its root; thin out at the end; reaching the point of the hock; carried sabre fashion.

LIMBS:
FOREQUARTERS:
view of the ensemble: powerful forehand.
shoulder: quite long, muscled, moderately sloping.
elbows: close to the body.
forearm: strong bone structure.
feet: of a slight elongated oval; toes lean and tight. Pads and nails black.
HINDQUARTERS:
view of the ensemble: solidly built.
upper thigh: long and muscled.
hock: broad, slightly bent, well let down.

GAIT/MOVEMENT: Regular and easy.

SKIN: Supple and not too thick.White with black spots. Mucous membranes (hairless zones) black.

COAT:
HAIR: Short and thick.

COLOUR: White with black spots, sometimes mottled. Two black patches are generally placed at either side of the head, covering the ears, surrounding the eyes and stopping at the cheeks. The cheeks have a preferably light tan coulour.
Two tan markings are placed above the superciliary arches giving a "quatreoeillé" appearance to the eyes. There are also traces of tan on the inner face of the leather and the legs. Some tan spots can appear on the upperside of the leather without giving the head a tricolour appearance. Sometimes a patch in the form of a leaf appears on the upper thigh: the sign of the roebuck.

SIZE:
HEIGHT AT THE WITHERS:
Grand:    males:    65 to 72 cm
              females: 62 to 68 cm
Petit:      males:    56 to 62 cm
              females: 54 to 59 cm

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.

Head:
short,
skull too broad,
leathers short, set high,
absence of tan.
Body:
lack of substance,
slack (soft) back,
rump falling away,
deviated tail.
Limbs:
bone structure insufficiently developed.
shoulder too sloping or too straight,
splayed feet,
cow hocks, seen from behind.
 

ELIMINATING FAULTS:
- Lack of type.
- Any coat other than that indicted in the standard.
- Light eye.
- Serious anatomical malformation.
- Visible disabling (invalidating) defect.
- Frightened or aggressive subject.
- Prognathism.

 

N.B. Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles descended into the scrotum.

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