The Portuguese name for this breed is "Perdigueiro Portugueso," derived from "perdigon," the Portuguese word for "partridge." The Portuguese Pointer is probably descended from the dogs used by Portuguese falconers in the fifth and sixth centuries. Portuguese Pointers were described in a 12th century Portuguese book of hunting by Joao I and appear in the 13th century paintings of Alfonso III. The Portuguese were a great seafaring people and it is quite likely that this well-established breed influenced the development of a number of European gun dogs. The breed was introduced to England where its influence can still be seen in the English Pointer.
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General
Appearance 
The Perdiguero de Burgos has a lot of skin and is not as heavily
built as it looks. The extra skin comes from is close relationship with
the Sabueso Espanol. It has muscular shoulders and a deep and broad
chest. It has a large square shaped head and a moderately defined stop.
The muzzle is long, very broad and square shaped. The long, wide,
high-set, soft ears hang down in folds. It has hanging flews and a
dewlap. The coat is short and dense and the coloring is always liver and
white, which can include or exclude patches and ticking. Most
Perdigueros de Burgos have very heavy ticking, giving an almost grizzled
appearance.
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| Temperament
The
Perdiguero de Burgos was used to hunt deer for most of its history.
Today it is mainly used as a pointer and retriever of small, fast game
such as hare, quail and partridge. Its excellent nose could fairly
qualify it as a scenthound and it is known for not giving up on a scent.
It is a much faster and more athletic dog than it looks and is able to
easily clamber over rough and hilly terrain and to master steep slopes.
At the same time, like other gun dogs, this is a very obedient dog and
easy to train. It swims well and works in the water. It is a very
patient dog with children and other dogs and is very eager to please its
master, as befits its gun dog status.
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| Exercise
Exercise
is of paramount importance for these tireless energetic animals. They
are more than a match for even the most active family and they should
not be taken on as family pets unless they can be guaranteed plenty of
vigorous exercise. If under- exercised, this breed can become restless
and destructive.
Height, Weight
Height- 20-25 inches (52-64 cm.) Conditions These dogs are not recommended for apartment life. They are moderately active indoors and do best with acreage. Life Expectancy About 12-14 years
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| Grooming
The
smooth coat of the Perdiguero de Burgos is very
easy to groom. Just brush regularly with a firm bristle brush and bathe
only when necessary. A rub with a piece of toweling or chamois will
leave the coat gleaming. Check the feet also, especially after the dog
has been exercising or working. Dry the dog thoroughly after hunting to
prevent chilling. Examine the ears regularly. This breed is an
average shedder.
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| Head
The
head is free of wrinkles and proportional to the size of the dog. Viewed
from the front, the head gives the impression of being square. Viewed
from the side, the stop is abrupt, forming an angle of about 100 degrees
between the line of the muzzle and the line of the forehead. There is a
slight median furrow between the eyes at the forehead and the occipital
bone is not conspicuous.
SKULL * The skull is broad and slightly domed. Viewed from the front, the forehead is high, wide, and almost flat. Viewed from the side, the ratio between the length of skull and the length of muzzle is 3:2.
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| MUZZLE
In profile, the
muzzle is deep and the bridge of the muzzle is straight. Viewed from
above, the muzzle is wide with very little taper from stop to nose. Lips
are slightly pendent but not overly thick, with dark pigment. 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.
TEETH Perdiguero de
Burgos has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in
a scissors bite.
Faults* Overshot or undershot bite. NOSE * The nose leather is black on dogs with darker coats and brown on dogs with lighter coats. Nostrils must be large and open. Disqualification: Split nose.
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| EYES
The eyes are
large, oval, and brown in color. Darker color is preferred. They are set
close to the surface and on a horizontal axis. Eyelids are tight with
pigment to match the nose color. The bony arches over the eyes are well
defined but should not be so excessive as to make the skull appear
coarse. Expression is bright and intelligent.
EARS * The ears are drop, medium in length (no more than six inches) and set on high. They should be approximately 2½ times wider at the base than the tip, which is rounded. The ear leather is thin and the outer side is covered with short, silky hair. At rest, the ears should hang nearly flat and close to the cheeks. When the dog is alert, the ears will roll forward and may create some wrinkles on the head and face but these wrinkles should not be accentuated.
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Neck ForeQurters * The shoulders are smoothly muscled. The shoulder blades are long and well laid back, with the upper tips fairly close together at the withers. The upper arm appears to be equal in length to the shoulder blade and joins it at an apparent right angle. The elbows are close to the body. The forelegs are straight, strong and sturdy in bone, with strong, short, slightly sloping pasterns.
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| Body
The body
is just slightly longer (measured from prosternum to point of buttocks)
than tall (measured from the withers to the ground). The length of the
front leg (measured from point of elbow to the ground) equals slightly
more than one-half of the dog's height. The back is short, strong, and
straight with only a slight downward slope from the withers to the root
of the tail. The loin is strong, of moderate length, and slightly arched.
The croup is slightly sloping. The ribs extend well back and are well
sprung out from the spine, then curving down and inward. The forechest
extends in a shallow oval shape in front of the forelegs. The chest is
deep, reaching to the elbows, and of moderate width. The deepest part of
the chest is just behind the elbows. Tuck-up is apparent but not
exaggerate
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| Hindquarters
The hindquarters are strong and
well-muscled. The angulation of the hindquarters is in balance with the
angulation of the forequarters. The stifles are well-bent, and the hocks
are well let down. When the dog is standing, the short, strong rear
pasterns are perpendicular to the ground and, viewed from the rear,
parallel to one another.
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| Feet
Good feet
are essential for a working gun dog. Feet are compact, well-knit, and
round to oval in shape. Toes are well arched. Pads are thick and hard.
Nails are strong. Front dewclaws may be removed.
Tail * The tail is a natural extension of the topline and is docked to about one-half its natural length or long enough to cover the dog's genital area when the tail is hanging down. The tail is thick and muscular at the base. When the dog is relaxed, the tail hangs down naturally. When the dog is moving or alert, the tail is carried level with the back or only slightly above level. When hunting, the tail may wag laterally. The tail should never curl over the back or be carried between the legs.
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| Coat
The
coat is short and flat-lying. On the back, the coat is dense and
somewhat coarse to the touch. From the back to the abdomen the coat
texture and density changes gradually so that the coat under the elbows,
in the groin, and inner thighs is less dense and softer. The hair on the
head is very short, fine, and soft, and even more so on the ears, which
should feel velvety to the touch.
Colour Color may be any shade of yellow or brown. White markings are allowed on the neck or throat; on the legs from the elbow down; and on the abdomen. White may also form a muzzle band and a stripe up the muzzle and between the eyes and ears. Disqualification: Albinism.
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| Gait
When
trotting, the gait is effortless, smooth, powerful and well coordinated,
showing good but not exaggerated reach in front and drive behind. The
backline remains level with only 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 center line of balance. It is recommended that dogs be
shown on a loose lead and moved at a moderate speed to reflect true gait.
Poor movement should be penalized to the degree to which it reduces the
Portuguese Pointer's ability to perform the tasks it was bred to do.
Disqualifications * Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or extreme shyness. Split nose. Albinism. Bob tail. Screw tail.
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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.
Note * Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully decended into the scrotum.
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Perdiguero De Burgos 
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