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EPAGNEUL BRETON
(French Brittany)
Official Breed Standard
Adopted from the FCI (international) Epagneul Breton Standard
HISTORY
The Epagneul Breton originated in Brittany where it was probably first used by
hunters who trapped birds in nets. Breton-type dogs appear in 17th and 18th
century paintings. The first Epagneul Breton standard was written in France in 1907 and
was adopted by the Society Central Canine the following year. Epagneul Bretons were
imported into the United States in the 1930s and quickly became popular with hunters. Over
time, the American Brittany developed into a taller, longer-necked, racier type with a
different hunting style from its French ancestors. Also, unlike the French and other
European breeders,
the American breeders did not approve
of any black in the coat color. In 2002, UKC agreed to split the breed into two: the
Brittany and the Epagneul Breton.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Epagneul Breton is the smallest of the pointing breeds with a cobby,
short-coupled body that is the same length (point of shoulder to point of buttocks) as
height (withers to ground). The distance from the withers to the elbow is fractionally
less than half the dog’s height. The head is proportionate to the size of the dog
with high-set drop ears that are relatively wide and short. Epagneul Bretons may have a
naturally short tail, a docked tail or may be born without a tail. The overall picture is
that of a cobby (compact, square, muscular), energetic, intelligent hunter. The Epagneul
Breton should be evaluated as a working gun dog, and exaggerations or faults should be
penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with or affect the dog’s ability
to work.
CHARACTERISTICS
The Epagneul Breton is a versatile pointing dog, able to hunt any game on any
terrain. The breed often displays natural hunting ability at a young age. The breed is
noted for its natural hunting ability, scenting ability, its endurance and range in the
field, the steadiness of its pointing, its willingness to retrieve, its ease of training
and its eagerness to please. It is an adaptable, mentally balanced breed, comfortable in
any environment. Epagneul Bretons seek human attention and are sociable and intelligent
dogs, equally happy as working dogs and companions.
Fault: Timidity.
Serious fault: Sluggish.
Disqualifications: Aggressiveness toward
dog or man.
HEAD
Viewed from the side, the skull is slightly longer than the muzzle in a ratio of
3:2. Stop is moderate. Although the skull is slightly rounded, the topline of the muzzle
is parallel to the skull. There is a slight median furrow between the eyes at the
forehead. Skin is tight and features are finely chiseled.
Fault: Divergent head planes
(down-faced). The greater the divergence, the more serious the fault. Disqualifications: Convergent head planes (dish faced).
SKULL – The skull is slightly
rounded when viewed either from the front or side. Viewed from above, the sides of the
skull curve slightly outward, with the widest point of the skull being where the ear
attaches. The width of skull taken at level of zygomatic arches is slightly
less than its length. The occipital crest as well as the
zygomatic arches are moderately defined. The superciliary arches are not prominent but
form a slightly rounded curve. Cheeks are moderately flat and covered with close-fitting
skin.
Serious faults: Zygomatic or superciliary
arches too prominent, stop very pronounced.
MUZZLE – The sides of the muzzle
are nearly parallel, tapering only slightly toward the nose. The muzzle is close to half
the width of the skull. Lips are fine and rather tight fitting with full pigmentation
matching the nose. The top lip should fall naturally over the lower without folds or
drooping, giving a square appearance to the muzzle when viewed from the side.
Faults: Pinched or snipey muzzle; heavy,
pendulous upper lip; upper lip covering lower insufficiently or excessively.
"Ree" |
"Tess" |
TEETH – The Epagneul Breton has
a complete set of evenly spaced teeth meeting in a scissors bite. A limit of two second
premolars or one second and one third premolar can be missing, provided in both cases that
the missing teeth are not contiguous.
Faults: Level bite; crooked teeth.
Disqualifications: Overshot or undershot;
missing more than two second premolars; contiguous absence of second and third premolars;
missing any tooth other than as described above.
NOSE – Large, with wide and
well-open nostrils. Nose pigment may be black or self-colored, but darker pigment is
preferred.
Faults: Very slight depigmentation;
depigmentation of interior of nostrils; flesh-colored nose pigment.Disqualifications: Distinct unpigmented areas on the nose, butterfly
nose.
EYES – The eyes are set slightly
oblique, and are somewhat oval in shape with tight, well-pigmented eyelids that match the
nose color. Eye color is in harmony with the coat and nose colors, the darker the better.
Eye expression is intelligent, soft and frank. Eye expression coupled with upward movement
of the base of the ears give rise to the true Epagneul Breton expression. Very light amber
and yellow eyes are to be severely penalized.
Faults: Eyes prominent, round or almond shaped.
Serious faults: Light eyes.
Disqualification: Distinct unpigmented areas on eyelids, eyes of different colors; eyes very light in
color; entropion or ectropion.
EARS – The ears are drop, set
high, triangular in shape, slightly rounded at the tip, relatively wide
and rather short. The inside edge of the ear lies against the
cheek. Drawn forward, the tip of the ear reaches the stop. Ears are covered with wavy
hair, longer on the upper part of the ear and gradually becoming shorter toward the tip.
Always quite mobile when the dog is attentive or in action.
Faults: Ears set too low; inside edge of
ears not lying close to cheeks.
NECK
The neck is of medium length, never arched, and without dewlap, widening gradually
from the nape to the withers, blending smoothly into the shoulders, giving a sturdy,
muscular appearance.
Serious faults: Excessively long neck;
arched neck, dewlap.
FOREQUARTERS
Shoulder blade is long
(30% of the height at
the withers), close to the body and thickly muscled. It slopes backward at between 55 and
60 degrees from the horizontal. Tips of the shoulder blades are separated by two inches.
Upper arm is very muscular and slightly longer than the shoulder blade. The angle between
the shoulder blade and upper arm is between 115 and 120 degrees. The forearm is muscular
and clean, slightly longer than the upper arm, and should be practically perpendicular to
the ground when the dog is standing normally. Elbow is close to the body, neither in nor
out. Pastern is strong, flexible and slightly sloping (about 15-20 degrees from the
vertical).
Faults:
Fine bone; out at elbows; toeing in or out.
BODY
A properly proportioned Epagneul Breton is roughly square in shape. The length of
the front legs (measured from point of elbow to the ground) is only
slightly longer than the distance from withers to the point of elbow. Ribs are well
sprung but not barrel-chested. The rearmost ribs are long and
supple.
The topline is
mostly level, never exaggerated or overly sloped, with only a slight rise from the croup
to the withers. Withers are not pronounced. The back is short, strong, and straight. The
loin is short, broad and muscular. Hips are slightly prominent and very slightly lower
than the withers. The points of the hip are level with the back. The croup is short and
slightly sloping.
Chest is broad
and let down to the level of the elbow. Sternum is wide and rising slightly towards the
rear. Tuck-up is apparent but not exaggerated.
Faults: Roached or sway back; croup too
narrow or too steep; absence of or exaggerated tuck-up; long, narrow or weak loin; flank
too hollow.
HINDQUARTERS
Hindquarters are broad and well muscled. The upper thigh is broad and well let
down. Lower thigh is very slightly longer than the upper thigh with clean, defined
muscling. Broad in the upper part, the lower thigh diminishes gradually in size towards
its junction with the hock. The angle between the upper thigh and lower thigh is about 130
degrees. Hock joint is clean with visible tendons. When the dog is standing, the strong
rear pasterns are nearly perpendicular to the ground and, viewed from the rear, parallel
to one another.
FEET
Good feet are essential for a working gun dog.
Front feet are rather round, toes tight, pads firms, toenails short. Rear feet are
longer than the forefeet, while maintaining the same characteristics. Front
dewclaws may be removed.
Faults: Splayed feet, slew feet, feet too
round or too long.
Disqualification: Rear dewclaws, even if
rudimentary.
TAIL
The Epagneul Breton may be born without a tail, with a naturally short tail, or
with a long tail that is customarily docked to a length of 1.1 to 2.5 inches and no longer
than 4 inches. Tail is set high and carried horizontally or slightly lowered, often lively
when the dog is attentive or in action.
Fault: Tail carriage above the horizontal
line. Tail length over 4 inches.
COAT
The coat is fine but not silky, lying flat on the body or very slightly wavy. Never
curly. Short on the head and the front of the limbs. The hind part of the latter has a
heavier coat, furnished with abundant feathering, diminishing along their length down to
the wrist or the hock or even lower.
Faults: Thin body coat,
curly coat.
COLOR
The Epagneul Breton is divided into two varieties:
· Orange and
white, and
· All other
colors. This variety includes liver and white; black and white; liver, white and orange;
or black white and orange; with more or less extensive irregular white patches.
Acceptable color patterns include piebald, often with
ticking, and roan, or
ticking on the top and sides of the
muzzle or the limbs. In the case of tri-color coats, orange markings (orange to dark tan)
can be located on the top and sides of the muzzle, over the eyes, on the limbs, on the
chest and at the base of the tail. A narrow blaze is desirable with any color of
coat. A solid-colored (one color) coat is not allowed.
Disqualifications: Solid coat color;
white spot on the ear; eye in a white patch; albinism.
SIZE AND WEIGHT
Males: 18 ½ - 20 ½ inches. Ideal height: 19 - 19 ½ inches
Females: 18 - 20 inches. Ideal height: 18 ½ - 19 inches
Eliminating Fault: Size outside the limits of the standard.
GAIT
At any speed, gait is easy but powerful, even and lively. The legs move straight
without exaggerated bouncing of the body and without sideways rolling, the top line
staying level. The canter is the most common gait in the field, the strides are rapid and
of medium length with relatively short extension. When trotting, the gait is effortless,
smooth, powerful and well coordinated, showing good but not exaggerated reach in front and
powerful drive behind. The head is carried so as to utilize the wind with occasional
ground scenting. The backline remains level with a slight flexing to indicate suppleness.
Viewed from any position, legs turn neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere
with each other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward the centerline of
balance. Poor movement should be penalized to the degree to which it reduces the Epagneul
Breton’s ability to perform the tasks it was bred to do.
ELIMINATING FAULTS
Size outside the limits of the standard. (An
Eliminating Fault is a Fault serious enough that it eliminates the dog from obtaining any
awards in a conformation event.)
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Viciousness or extreme shyness. Aggressiveness toward dog or man. Unilateral or
bilateral cryptorchid. Marked convergence of head planes. Overshot or undershot. Missing
two second premolars. Contiguous absence of second and third premolars. Missing any tooth
other than as described above in the subparagraph entitled “TEETH”. Distinct
unpigmented areas on the nose or eyelids.
Eyes of different
colors. Entropion or ectropion. Rear dewclaws, even if rudimentary. Solid coat color.
White spot on the ear. Eye in a white patch. Albinism.
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