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Pyrenese Herdershond

History

The Pyrenean Herdershound is probably one of the oldest French breeds, and was spoken of at a conference on sheepdogs in 1893, M. Pierre Megnin described the breed to the National Society of Acclimatisation. In 1897, Count Henri de Bylandt presented a rough draft of a standard for the breed. The dog known in its locality as Le Berger des Pyrenees was virtually unknown to the outside world, but the 1914-18 war brought him out of the shadows and into a larger arena than he was accustomed to. In 1916, the French army recruited the Pyrenean sheepdog with great enthusiasm, this little dog, being highly intelligent and capable of running at great speed was a most suitable candidate for the duties that the army required of him, a 'Communications dog'. Many fell carrying out this dangerous work, it was written that, 'No other French breed has paid such a high ransom of blood as he' After the war the numbers were drastically diminished, so the shepherds started to rebuild the breed, but were mainly concerned for the herding ability of the Berger and type was of secondary importance, Around this time a group of devotee's of the Pyrenean sheepdog met in the town of Pau to form a club, and to draw up a standard for the long haired Pyrenean Sheepdog which was presented in 1921 by them for confirmation to the Central Society for the improvement of breeds of dogs in France, and also for the first time gave a description of a smooth -faced Pyrenean Sheepdog, it was also in this year the breed took part in a dog show in Toulouse. In 1923, breeders and devotees came together and resolved to put into place a more defined and accurate standard for the Pyrenean Sheepdog, their willingness to achieve this brought about unity, and so they founded the Reunion des Amateurs de Chiens Pyreneens. This club has remained to this day the main representative club for the Pyrenean Sheepdog in France and also represents three other Pyrenean Breeds.

General appearance Energetic, small sheepdog. Medium or long coated with windswept appearance. Alert, lean and racy outline. Mischievous, inquiring.

Characteristics * Highly intelligent, strong herding instinct. Tremendous energy and stamina for size.

Temperament *Alert, lively, wary of strangers.

Head and Skull Head almost triangular when viewed from above, length of skull equal to its widest point, flat on top with central furrow, showing slight occipit, side of skull slightly rounded. Muzzle slightly shorter in length than skull; tapering evenly to nose with no apparent stop; well filled below eyes. Toplines of nose and skull parallel. Nostrils well open. Well pigmented on nose, lips and in roof of mouth.

Eyes Expressive, almond, wide open, not bulging nor sunken. Dark brown, but one or both may be blue or flecked with blue in merle or slate coloured animals. Eye rims black. Never obscured by head coat.

Ears * Fairly short, moderately wide at base, placed on top of head but neither too close nor wide apart. Bottom part of ear erect and mobile, with top ideally hanging forward or to the side when alert, but laid back in repose.

Mouth Strong teeth, scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to jaws.

Neck * Rather long, muscular, and set well into shoulder.

Forequarters * Forelegs lean, sinewy and straight when seen from front, with single dewclaws. From side, pasterns slope gently and are flexible. Shoulder fairly long and well angulated, with upper arm joining shoulder blade at right angles. Withers prominently visible.

Body Lean, strong. Ribs slightly rounded and extending well back. Brisket reaching to elbow. Loins strong and slightly arched.

Hindquarters * Short, sloping croup; fairly low set tail. Strong, well muscled thigh, second thigh well developed and long. Well angulated stifle. Hocks lean, low set and well angulated. Single or double dewclaws on rear.

Feet * Lean, rather flat, oval shape. Dark pads and nails, well furred between pads.

Gait Movement Walks with fairly short strides, trots freely with vigour. Smooth gait, feet never raised very high. Head carried high with slow action, tending to drop with faster action. Good angulations ensure effortless gait. Pacing should not be penalized.

Tail *Set low, not too long, reaching to hock joint with upward hook at end. Well covered with hair. Never carried higher than topline. May be docked. Sometimes born with short or stump tail.

Coat * Long or semi-long. Fairly harsh; dense, almost flat or slightly wavy; denser and more woolly on rump and thighs. Hair on muzzle short. Longer on face and cheeks, where it grows away from the nose and eyes.

Semi*long coats short hair with fringing on forelegs and short hair below hocks.

Long coats * Long hair on legs to cover toes.

Colour * Various shades of fawn, with or without black hairs, there may be a little white on chest and feet. Light to dark grey, often with white on head, chest and legs. Blue merle, slate blue or brindle. Black or black and white. Unmixed colours preferred. Large areas of white, predominance of white, or black and tan undesirable.

Size Height, Dogs: 40 - 48 cms ( 16 - 19 ins ).

Bitches * 38 - 46 cms ( 15 - 18 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.

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