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General Appearance
One of the larger French hunting hounds with aristocratic long head, characteristic head markings and distinctive colour.

Characteristics
Highly developed sense of smell and deep bay.

Temperament
Gentle and kind.

Head and Skull
Large, long and distinguished. Occiput pronounced. Slight stop, loose skin covering head and forming one or two wrinkles along cheeks, lips pendulous and well pigmented. Black palate.

Eyes
Dark chestnut colour, not prominent. Sad, trusting expression.

Ears
Set low, fine, curled inward reaching at least to tip of nose.

Mouth
Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Medium length, rounded, carrying dewlap.

Forequarters
Strong, straight and well boned. Elbows close to body, shoulders well laid and muscular.

Body
Chest well developed, being long, wide and deep. Ribs moderately rounded; back rather long and muscular. Flanks deep and wide.

Hindquarters
Broad and well muscled. Hocks low to ground, set wide apart and parallel. Sloping croup. Prominent hip bones.

Feet
Long, oval, deep and well padded.

Tail
(Stern) Well set on, rather thick, fairly long and carried sickle fashion.

Gait/Movement
Loose limbed and long striding.

Coat
Smooth, weather resistant and not too short.

Colour
Black marked on a white base but covered entirely with black mottling which gives a blue appearance. Two black marks are found on head, covering each ear, enveloping eyes and stopping at cheeks. Blaze also mottled, but a small black mark is often found on skull, a characteristic of the breed. Above each eye a spot of tan gives breed ‘four-eyed’ effect. Tan marks also found on cheeks, lips, inside ears, on legs and under tail. Some hounds completely mottled, but always have required tan marks.

Size
Height: dogs: 64-70 cms (25-271/2 ins); bitches: 60-65 cms (231/2-251/2 ins).

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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Last Updated - September 2000

Glossary of Canine Terms

Health Information

The Kennel Club operates health screening schemes with other organisations.  Some are clinical veterinary screening schemes and some are DNA screening schemes, which may be relevant to this breed.

The current health screening requirements and recommendations for Kennel Club Accredited Breeders of this breed show what is required and recommended for the sire and dam of any litter of this breed bred by an Accredited Breeder.

Breed specific summary results from the Purebred Dog Health Survey in 2004 are available.  Individual summaries are only available where the breed response rate was greater than 15%.

Recommended Reading

All the below publications are available from the Online Shop.

Kennel Club Breed Standards Pages: varies per group Punched: 2 hole for filing Paper: 80gsm Bind: Loose Leaf Breed Standards are available for most breeds indicating the qualities which competition judges normally take into account and the standard or model which breeders endeavour to achieve.

The Kennel Club Illustrated Breed Standards Pages:418 Punched: No Paper: Glossy Bind: Hard Back Bound Containing full descriptive standards for 192 breeds, as well as representation for the six Kennel Club recognised breeds that are currently without standards, this beautifully illustrated volume is a must for all dog enthusiasts. This third edition has been completely revised and updated by a panel of experts and incorporates the very latest standards for breeds in each group.

Breed Clubs and Societies

• BLEU DE GASCOGNE CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN. Sec. Mr C Roberts. Tel No: 01422 370855.

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