bloodhound
HISTORICAL SUMMARY: Great hound and scent dog par excellence, with very ancient origins. It has been known and appreciated for centuries for its exceptional nose and good hunting skills. He was raised in Ardennes by the monks of the Abbey of Saint Hubert. He would be the descendant of the black or black and fire hounds, who worked for the monk Hubert who was later named Bishop and later, when canonized, became the patron saint of hunters. These large bloodhounds spread in the Ardennes due to the presence of large hunting animals that hid in the great forests of this region. Saint Hubert's dogs were of very robust build. His endurance especially in the wild boar chase hunt was highly praised. Saint Hubert's first dogs were black, later black and fire. In the 11th century, dogs of the same type, but with a completely white coat, called “TALBOT”, were also imported. In England, imported dogs began to be bred. The product of the breeding of these Saint Hubert dogs were called BLOODHOUND (blood dog), which comes from “blooded hound”, meaning a purebred hound, therefore, purebred. Later the race also developed in the United States; in the southern states they were used especially for the search for runaway slaves.
Country of Origin: Belgium
GENERAL APPEARANCE L : Hunting dogs and hounds, massive, of great size, the most powerful of all hounds. It is harmonious in its lines, endowed with strong bones, good musculature and a lot of substance, but without the impression of being heavy. Its structure is elongated, inscribed in a rectangle. The set is powerful and full of nobility. His attitude is imposing. The head and neck attract attention due to their abundant, flexible and thin skin, hanging in deep folds. His movement is impressive, more to slow, with a certain balance. It is flexible, elastic and free. No feature can be exaggerated to the point of breaking the harmony of the whole, of giving a rough appearance and even less of harming the health or well-being of the dog. Possible exaggerations can be mentioned: very deep or very small eyes, distended eyelids, abundant and loose skin, with many folds and these, quite deep. Many dewlaps, very narrow head. Dogs that are too large, with a body that is too heavy or massive, are equally undesirable, because they have a detriment to their usefulness.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
• Body length / height at the withers: 10/9.
• Height of chest / height at withers: 1/2.
• Head length / body length: 3/7.
• Muzzle length / head length: 1/2.
BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT : Docile, gentle, placid and sociable with people. Particularly attached to its owner. Tolerant of their kennel mates and other pets. It is above all reserved and obstinate. He is sensitive to both praise and correction. Never aggressive. His voice is very gravelly, but he is not a barker.
HEAD : Imposing, majestic and full of nobility, it is the characteristic point of the breed. It is tall, but narrow in relation to its length. The bone structure is clearly visible. The side faces are flat and the profile is square. The muzzle is sensibly parallel to the extended topline of the forehead. The skin, abundant and thin, forms deep wrinkles and folds on the forehead and cheeks, falling off when the head is carried low and extending into the folds of the heavily developed dewlaps. The fur is less abundant in females.
CRANIAL REGION
skull : The skull is tall, long, rather narrow, and the sides are flat. The brow ridges are not very prominent, despite what they may seem. The occipital protuberance is very developed and distinctly protruding.
Stop : little marked
FACIAL REGION
Truffle : As long as the skull; tall, broad near the nostrils and of equal width along its entire length. The nasal bridge is straight or slightly convex (slight sheep nose).
Muzzle : As long as the skull; tall, broad near the nostrils and of equal width along its entire length. The nasal bridge is straight or slightly convex (slight sheep nose).
lips : Very long and drooping. The upper lips cover the lower lips, which gives the muzzle a square profile. Close to the commissures, behind, they become fleshy (less pronounced in females) and merge imperceptibly into the abundant dewlaps. The edges of the upper lips descend about 5 cm lower than the lower jaw. The edge of the lips is well pigmented, black or brown, depending on the color of the nose.
Jaws and Teeth : Complete dentition; scissor bite; strong, white teeth, regularly set in well-developed jaws. Pincer bite is tolerated.
cheeks : They are thin with cavities, especially under the eyes.
eyes : Dark brown or hazel, a lighter shade (amber) in dogs without a saddle or black cape. Medium-sized eyes; ovals; without tearing; neither protruding nor deep in the orbits, leaving the iris completely visible. Eyelids without irregularity in their contours, normally adapted to the eyeball; lower eyelids slightly distended so that some conjunctiva is visible are tolerated. In no way can the eyelashes touch or bother the eyes. The expression is sweet, kind and dignified, the look is slightly melancholy.
Ears : Fine and flexible, covered with short hair, delicate and velvety to the touch; the ear cartilage is very long, extending at least beyond the tip of the nose when placed over the bridge of the nose. Ears set very low at eye level or lower to the side of the head, falling in graceful folds, curled inwards and backwards (corkscrew ears).
NECK : Long, so the dog can follow the track with its nose to the ground. Heavily muscular. The throat skin is loose and extremely developed, with a double dewlap, less pronounced in females.
TRUNK
Withers: Slightly marked
Back: Straight, wide, long and solid.
Loin : Broad, strong, short, very slightly arched.
Croup : Well muscled, almost horizontal, never drooping, very wide and quite long.
chest : Oval in shape, long, tall, clearly forming a crest between the forelegs. Rib cage, long enough. Chest and point of shoulder, well protruding. Ribs well sprung, neither flat nor barrel-shaped.
TAIL: Long, strong, thick, set high in the extension of the dorsal line, gradually decreasing towards the tip. Saber cover. In action, the tail is curved gracefully above the dorsal line, never curled or sideways. The underside of the tail is covered with a stiff hair of about 5 cm that becomes progressively shorter at the tip.
MEMBERS
PREVIOUS :
Shoulders : Long, well slanted and muscular, but not loaded.
arms : Long, oblique and form a good angle with the shoulders.
Elbows : well adherent; neither closed nor loose.
Forearms : Straight, strong-boned and round
legs : firm.
Metacarpals : Robust and well-appointed, seen from the front; seen in profile, slightly leaning forward.
Paws: Compact, very solid, turning neither outwards nor inwards. Well-arched, well-jointed, and clenched toes (cat's feet); Thick, solid pads. Short, strong nails.
HINDQUARTERS :
Thighs : Of good length and heavily muscled.
Knees : Well angled.
legs : Sufficiently long and heavily muscled.
Hocks : Solid, well let down and well angulated.
Paws : Like the previous ones.
DRIVE : Judging the Bloodhound's movement is extremely important. Moving normally, trotting, the gait is slow, springy and free, covering more ground than any other hound and characteristically, rolling, without walking obliquely. The hindquarters are well behind, with good drive. The range of motion of the forelegs and hindquarters is equal and the topline remains horizontal. The limbs move in parallel, but at great speed they come together (single tracking). The tail is carried high, saber-shaped (without the curvature being too pronounced). The Bloodhound must be able to maintain a long-lasting trot without showing signs of fatigue.
SKIN: Flexible over the entire body, loose and elastic. The thin, very loose and abundant skin on the head is very characteristic. On the forehead and the sides of the muzzle, the skin forms folds that are pendant and even more marked when the head is carried low. In any case, wrinkles or exaggerated folds in the forehead and eyebrows should never harm the eyes. Skin folds on the body, due to an overly wide skin, are not desired.
COAT
By : On the body, the coat is shallow and short, dense, quite hard and weather resistant. On the head and ears, the fur is very short and soft to the touch. The underside of the tail is covered with slightly longer and stiffer fur.
COLOR:
Black and Fire: the black part varies by whether it is a saddle or a cape. In the cape dog, black is predominant; the fire (fawn) is found only on the muzzle, on the cheeks, above the eyes, on the chest, on the limbs and in the region of the perineum. A saddled dog has more extended fire spots because the black is more or less limited to the back.
Liver and Fire: The same dispositions of the colored zones are more present in the liver and fire.
Red: In unicolor red, red can vary from light to dark. A faded color of is undesirable.
A little white on the chest, fingers, and tail end is tolerated without being desired.
SIZE : Males 68 cm
females 62 cm
FAULTS
Any deviation from the terms of this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well being of the dog.
• General appearance: Very heavy; little substance; light bone; leggy or short-legged; construction more square than rectangular; lack of nobility.
• Head: Skull broad and voluminous or excessively narrow; fleeing forehead; forehead skin carried too far forward; little pronounced occipital protuberance; very marked stop; concave nasal bridge; muzzle short or not very high; upper lips slightly drooping.
• Nose and lips: Lack of pigmentation.
• Teething: Lack of teeth.
• Eyes: Very small, very deep; lower eyelid very drooping; with the conjunctiva quite visible.
• Ears: Too short, too thick; set above eye level; too sticky or flat.
• Neck: Short; little dewlap.
• Body: Short or very long; chest little let down; forechest slightly protruding in profile; flat or barrel ribs; weak or arched back; croup too high or dropped; belly tucked up
• Tail: Set low; squirrel tail; ring; rolled up; knotted or broken; forming hook or deflected;
• Limbs: Too much or insufficiently angled; short arm; poor profile straightness (eg, very oblique anterior metatarsals or weak carpal bones); from the front (e.g. turning outwards or inwards, short forearm, loose elbows, etc.) or from behind (closed, open or barreled hindquarters, closed or open hocks, etc.), open feet, hare or flattened.
• Movement: Closed, open movement; dog that crosses, that crosses; short or very rigid movements; little impulsion, poor transmission through the back.
• Color: Light or faded colors.
• Characteristics: Insecure or nervous.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.
• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.
• Characteristics: Aggressive or very shy dog.
• General Appearance: No racial type.
• Dentition: Upper and lower prognathism; cross occlusion; twist.
• Nose and lips: Strongly depigmented or pink; of any color other than black, in black and fire dogs; any color other than brown or black, in dogs without a black saddle or cape. • Eyes: Light yellow eyes (prey eyes).
• Coat color: All colors that do not correspond to the description of the pattern: from very large white spots such as the white that goes up to the carpus or hock, or very white on the chest. White patches anywhere other than on the chest, fingers, or the end of the tail, as well as a white muzzle, a white stripe, etc.
• Size: Out of tolerances.
• A dog with any sign of physical anomalies must be eliminated.
GRADES
• Males must present both testicles, of normal appearance, well let down and accommodated in the scrotum.
• Only clinically and functionally healthy dogs with typical breed conformation should be used for breeding.