ORIGIN
: France.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY
:
Present in the Pyrenees from time immemorial, known in the Middle Ages
and used as a guardian of castles, it is mentioned by Gaston Phoebus in
the 14th century.
Already appreciated as a companion dog in the 17th
century, it reached glorious heights at the court of Louis XIV.
The first detailed description of this breed dates from 1897 in
the book by Count de Bylandt. Ten years later the first breed clubs were
set up and in 1923 the Réunion of Pyrenean Dog Fanciers ( Réunion des
Amateurs de Chiens Pyrénées – R.A.C.P.), at the instigation of Mr
Bernard Sénac-Lagrange, registered the official standard with the SCC (Société
Centrale Canine, French K.C.) the current standard is still very close
to the standard worked out in 1923, only a few clarifying amendments
having been made.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
:
Dog
of great size, imposing and strongly built, but not without a certain
elegance.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS
:
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT
:
Used on its own to guarantee
the protection of flocks from attacks by
predators, its selection depended on its aptitude for guarding
and dissuading as much as on its attachment to the flock.
The resulting main qualities are strength and agility, allied to
gentleness and attachment to those it is protecting.
This protecting dog has a propensity for independence and a sense
of initiative which demand a certain degree of authority from its owner.
HEAD
: Not too large in comparison with the size of the dog.
Its sides are fairly flat.
CRANIAL REGION
:
Skull
:
The widest part of the skull is equal to its length. It is slightly
rounded due to the sagittal crest being perceptible to the touch.
Because the occipital protuberance is apparent,
the back of the skull has on ogival shape. Superciliary ridges
are not pronounced. The median furrow is scarcely perceptible to the
touch between the eyes.
Stop
: Gentle slope.
FACIAL REGION
:
Nose
: Totally black.
Muzzle:
Broad,
slightly shorter than the skull, narrowing progressively towards the
tip. Seen from above it
forms a blunt “V”. Well filled below the eyes.
Lips
: Not very
droopy, just enough to cover the lower jaw. Black or heavily marked with
black, as is the palate.
Jaws/Teeth
: Complete dentition with
healthy, white teeth.
Scissors bite (upper incisors overlapping lower incisors without losing
contact). Pincer bite
tolerated as are the two lower pincers tipping forward.
Eyes
: Rather small,
almond-shaped, set slightly obliquely, with intelligent and
contemplative expression, of amber-brown colour. Eyelids never loose.
Gentle, dreamy look.
Ears
: Set on level with the eye, fairly small, triangular in shape and
rounded at the tip. They
fall flat against the head and are carried slightly raised when the dog
is alert.
NECK
: Strong,
relatively short, with very
little dewlap
BODY
: The
length of the body from the point of the shoulder to the point of the
buttock is
slightly greater than the height of the dog at the withers.
The distance between the sternum and the ground is approximately
half the height at the withers, never less.
Topline
: Well-supported.
Withers
: Broad.
Back
: Of good length and strong.
Loin
: Of moderate length.
Croup
: Slightly oblique with fairly prominent haunches.
Flank
: Scarcely pronounced.
Chest
: Not too low, but broad and long.
Let down as far as the elbow but not lower.
Its height is equal to or slightly less than half the height of
the dog at the withers. The
ribs are slightly rounded.
TAIL : It reaches at least as far as the point of the hock. It is bushy and forms a plume. Carried low in repose with its tip forming a hook for preference. When the dog is alert, the tail rises towards the back, forming a strong circle with only the tip touching the loins (making the wheel “arroundera” to quote the expression used by the people of the Pyrenees).
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS
: Upright, strong.
Shoulders
: Moderately oblique.
Upper arm
: Well muscled and moderately long.
Forearm
: Straight, strong and well-fringed.
Carpal joint (Carpus)
: The wrist is in line with the forearm.
Pasterns (Metacarpus)
: Slightly oglique.
Forefeet
: Not long, compact, with slightly arched toes.
HINDQUARTERS
: The hind legs have long,
more abundant fringes than the forelegs.
Seen from behind, they are perpendicular to the ground.
Thigh
: Well muscled, not very long and moderately oblique, well-defined
muscle.
Stifle (knee)
: Moderately angulated and parallel to the body.
Lower thigh
: Of moderate length, strong.
Hock
: Broad, lean, moderately angulated.
Hind feet
: Not long, compact, with slightly arched toes.
Dewclaws
: The hind legs cach have double well-formed dewclaws.
The front legs sometimes have single or double dewclaws.
GAIT / MOVEMENT
:
The movement of the Pyrenean Mountain Dog is powerful and free, it is
never ponderous, the movement is extended rather than fast, and not
without a certain suppleness and elegance.
The angulation of the dogs permits an unflagging gait.
SKIN
: Thick and supple, often showing patches of pigmentation over the whole
body.
COAT
HAIR
: Well-furnished,
flat, quite long and supple, rather crisp on the shoulders and back,
longer on the tail and around the neck where it can be slightly wavy.
The trouser hair, finer and woollier, is very thick. The undercoat is
also thick.
COLOUR
: White or
white with patches appearing grey (badger or wolf) or pale yellow or
orange (arrouye) on the head, ears, base of the tail and sometimes on
the body. The most appreciated are badger grey patches.
SIZE:
Height at withers
: Males :
from 70 cm to 80 cm.
Females :
from 65 cm to 75 cm.
A tolerance of + 2 cm is allowed for perfectly
typed specimens.
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.