F.C.I. Standard No.: 35/24.01.1996/F

Name of the breed: BASSET BLEU DE GASCOGNE (Blue Gascogny Bassset)

Translation : Mrs. Peggy Davis

Origin : France

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE VALID ORIGINAL STANDARD : 24.01.1996.

Utilization: Hound used to hunt with the gun, sometimes for coursing, as much on his own as in a pack. His preferred quarries are the rabbit and the hare..

F.C.I. Classification: Group 6 Scent hounds
Section 1.3 Small sized hounds with working trial.

Brief historial summary: The breed was reborn at the end of the 19th century, under the instigation of some huntsman from the West. Since then its evolution has been constant as much in the plan of necessary morphological improvement as in the preservation of the qualities of the dog from "the South (Midi)".

GENERAL APPEARANCE: Really typical Basset, denoting the great breed he comes from; quite substantial but yet not too heavy.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:
size/body length about 5/8
depth of the chest/size about 2/3

BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT:
behaviour: Very fine nose. Active, agile and lively. Intent in his way of hunting; endowed with a beautiful howling voice. Works perfectly in a pack..
temperament: Affectionate and happy dog; needs to frisk about.

HEAD:
CRANIAL REGION:
skull: seen from the front, slightly domed and not too broad; the occipital protuberance is marked. Seen from above, the back of the skull is ogival in shape. The forehead is full.
stop: hardly accentuated.

FACIAL REGION
nose: black, large, nostrils well opened.
lips: quite drooping, covering well the lower jaw, giving the front part of the muzzle a square profile. The corner of the lips is well marked without being loose.
muzzle: same length as the skull; strong; nasal bridge slightly arched.
jaws: scissor bite. Incisors set well square to the jaws.
cheeks: lean; the skin may show one or two folds.
eyes: oval shape; seem deep set; brown. Gentle expression, a little sad.
leathers: characteristic of the "Blue : they are fine, curled in, ending in a point and must at least go beyond the extremity of the nose. The leather is narrow at its inset which is well below the eyeline.

NECK: Quite long; a little arched; dewlaps developed without excess.

BODY:
back: long, well supported.
loin: short, well connected, sometimes arched.
rump: slightly oblique.
chest: roomy, well developed in lenght,; comes down below elbow level. Sternum quite prominent in front and well extended to the back..
ribs: quite well sprung.
flank: quite deep.
tail: strong set-on; carried sabre fashion; sometimes there should be some longer and coarser, slightly offstanding hairs (like ears of grain) towards the tip. At rest, its tip must just touch the ground.

LIMBS:
FOREQUARTERS:
view of the ensemble: forelegs strong, slight torsion may be tolerated up to semi-torsion (semi-crooked).
shoulder: muscled, without heaviness, and oblique.
elbows: very close to the body.
feet: of a slightly elongated oval; toes lean and tight. Pads and nails black.
HINDQUARTERS:
view of the ensemble: from behind, a vertical line going from the point of the buttocks passing through the middle of the leg, the hock, the metatarsal and the foot.
thigh: long and muscled..
hock: large, slightly bent; quite let down.
metatarsal: short and strong

GAIT/MOVEMENT: Balanced and quite easy.

SKIN: Not too fine; supple. Black or strongly mottled with black patches, never entirely white. Mucous membranes (hairless zones) black.

COAT:
HAIR: Short, semi-thick; dense.

COLOUR: Entirely mottled (black and white) giving a slate blue colouring effect: either marked or not with more or less extended black patches. Two black patches are generally placed at either side of the head, covering the ears, surrounding the eyes and stopping at the cheeks. They do not meet up on the top of the skull; they leave a white interval in the middle of which there is often a small black oval spot, typical of the breed. Two more or less bright tan markings are placed above the superciliary arches giving a "quatreoeillë" appearance to the eyes. There are also traces of tan on the cheeks, lips, inner face of the leather, on the legs and under the tail.

SIZE:
HEIGHT AT THE WITHERS:
males and females: 34 to 38 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:
skull too broad and flat;
leathers set high, broad, thick, round;
round eye, globular.
Neck:
short neck.
Body:
long, soft topline; lack of substance;
xiphoid appendage drawn in;
flat ribs;
deviated tail.
Forequarters:
straight shoulder;
crooked pastern, knuckling over
out at the elbows;
down on pastern.
Hindquaters:
cow hocks or barrel hocks seen from behind.
Hair:
short (smooth and fine).
Colour:
tan too pale
Behaviour:
timid subject.

ELIMINATING FAULTS:
- Lack of type.
- Body too long.
- Frontlegs with more than semi-torsion.
- Deformation of ribs, absence of xiphoid appendage
- Light eye.
- Prognathism.
- Serious anatomical malformation.
- Visible disabling (invalidating) defect.
- Frightened or aggressive subject.
- Any coat other than that indicted in the standard.

 

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

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