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GENERAL APPEARANCE
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The Beauce Sheepdog is big,
solid, hardy, powerful, well built and muscular, but without
lumber. |
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IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS |
The
Beauce Sheepdog is medium in all its proportions. The length
of the body from the point of the shoulder to the point of
the buttock should be slightly greater than the height at
the withers.
The head is long : 2/5 the height at the withers. The height
and width of the head are slightly less than half its total
length. The skull and muzzle are of equal length. |
BEHAVIOUR
AND TEMPERAMENT |
Franc
approach and self-assured. The expression is candid, never
mean timid or worried. The character of the Beauceron should
be gentle and fearless. |
| HEAD |
HEAD : The head is well
chiselled with harmonious lines. Seen in profile, the
top lines of skull and muzzle lie roughly in parallel
planes.
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Flat or slightly rounded from
one side to the other. The median groove is only slightly
marked, the occipital protuberance can be seen on the
summit of the skull.
Stop : The stop is only slightly pronounced
and is equidistant from the occiput and the end of the
muzzle.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Proportionate to the muzzle, well
developed, never split and always black.
Muzzle : Neither narrow or pointed.
Lips : Firm and always well pigmented.
The upper lip should overlap the lower without any looseness.
At their commissure, the lips should initiate a very slight
pouch which should stay firm.
Jaws/Teeth : Strong teeth with a scissor
bite.
Eyes : Horizontal, slightly oval in shape.
The iris should be dark brown, and in case never lighter
than dark hazel even if the tan is light coloured. For
the harlequin variety, wall eyes are admitted.
Ears : Set high. They are carried upright
if cropped, neither convergent nor divergent, pointing
slightly forward. The well carried ear is one whose middle
falls on an imaginary line in prolongation of the sides
of the neck. Uncropped ears are half-pricked or drop-ears.
They should’nt be plastered against the cheeks.
They are flat and rather short. The length of the uncropped
ear should be half the length of the head.
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| NECK |
Straight,
strong, rather short with strong set on. Throat skin tight
fitting without folds.
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| BODY |
Top line : The back is straight. The loin
is short, broad and well muscled. The croup is only slightly
inclined.
Withers : Quite visible.
Chest : The girth of the chest is greater
than the height at the withers by more than one fifth. The
chest is well let down to the point of the elbow. It is
wide deep and long.
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TAIL |
Whole,
carried low, it reaches at least to the hock, without deviating,
forming a slight hook in the form of a “J”. When
in action, the tail can be carried higher, an extension of
the top line. |
LIMBS |
FOREQUARTERS
: Upright when seen from the front or in profile.
Shoulder : Sloping and moderately long.
Forearm : Muscled.
Feet : Large, round, compact. The nails
are always black. The pads are hard but nevertheless resilient.
HINDQUARTERS : Upright
when seen from profile and from behind.
Thigh : Wide and muscled.
Hock joint : Substantial, not too close
to the ground, the point situated roughly at ¼ the
height at the withers, forming a well open angle with the
second thigh.
Metatarsals (Rear Pasterns) : Vertical, slightly further
back than the point of the buttock.
Feet : Large, round, compact.
Dewclaws : By tradition, shepherds are
much attached to the conservation of double dewclaws. The
dewclaws form well separated “thumbs” with nails,
placed rather close to the foot. |
GAIT
/ MOVEMENT |
Supple and free. The limbs move well in line. The Beauce Sheepdog
should have an extended trot with long reaching movement. |
| COAT |
HAIR : Smooth on the head, short, thick,
firm and lying close to the body, 3 to 4 cm in length.
The buttocks and the underside of the tail are lightly
but obligatorily fringed. The undercoat is short, fine,
dense and downy, preferably mouse grey, very close, and
can’t be seen through the top coat.
COLOUR :
a) Black and tan (Black with tan markings) : “red
stockings”. The black is pure black and the tan,
red squirrel coloured. The tan markings are distributed
as follows :
· Spots over the eyes.
· On the sides of the muzzle, diminishing gradually
on the cheeks, never attaining under the ear.
· On the chest, preferably two spots.
· Under the neck.
· Under the tail.
· On the legs, disappearing progressively while
rising, without covering in any case more than 1/3 of
the leg and rising slightly higher on the inside.
b) Harlequin (blue-mottled with tan markings) : grey,
black and tan, the coat being black and grey in equal
parts, the spots well distributed, with sometimes a predominance
of black. The tan markings are the same as for the black
and tan.
A faint while spot on the chest is tolerated.
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| SIZE
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Height
at the withers : Male : from 65 cm to 70
cm.
Female : from 61 cm to 68 cm.
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| 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.
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
- Aggressive or overly shy.
- Size outside the standard limits.
- Too light-boned.
- Eyes too light, or wall eyes (except for harlequins).
- Split nose, of a colour other than black, with unpigmented
areas.
- Overshot or undershot with loss of contact, absence of
3 or more teeth (the first premolars not counting).
- Uncropped ears totally upright and rigid.
- Rear feet turned excessively to the exterior.
- Simple dewclaws or absence of dewclaws on hind legs.
- Shortened tail or tail carried over the back.
- Coat : Colour and texture other than those defined by
the standard. Complete absence of tan markings. Shaggy coat.
Well defined, quite visible white spot on chest. For the
harlequin variety :too much grey, black on one side and
grey on the other, head entirely grey (absence of black).
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| N.B. |
Male animals should have two apparently
normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
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