FCI-Standard N° 115/  05. 05. 2003 / GB

SAINT GERMAIN POINTER

(Braque Saint-Germain)

TRANSLATION :  John Miller and Raymond Triquet

ORIGIN : France.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 25.03.2003.

UTILISATION : Pointing breed used principally on feather but can also hunt fur bearing game.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I : Group 7 Pointing Dogs and Setters Section 1.2 Continental Pointing Dogs With Working Trial

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : It is a descendant of dogs obtained by crossing an English pointer with a Continental pointer.

The breed was created around 1830 in the royal kennels at Compiègne, then in Saint Germain en Laye.

This dog was in great vogue until the beginning of the 20^th century and was the most shown pointing breed in the first dog shows, notably at the first French dog show of 1863.

The French breed club was created in March, 1913.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : A breed of medium general proportions with planes of the head and of the muzzle parallel, or very slightly divergent, and with a moderately marked stop.

The bone is relatively heavy, the muscular system adapted to work requiring endurance.

The coat is fawn and white in colour, without any black being present.

In action, its quest is of average range and its gallop regular and supple.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT :Hunter above all, it is very sociable, equable and affectionate and won’t suffer brusque treatment during its training. Everything considered, it is easy to train.

It hunts with passion pheasant, partridge and woodcock on any terrain, retrieving with a soft mouth.

Very close to man, it appreciates living with the family.

 
HEAD

CRANIAL REGION :

Skull: Slightly rounded, ogival at the rear, with a prominent occipital protuberance. The zygomatic arch is hardly emphasized.

Stop: Not too pronounced.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose: Broad, with well-open nostrils, dark pink in colour.

Muzzle: Bridge of the nose straight or very slightly convex; muzzle of the same length as the skull.

Lips: They completely cover the lower jaw; they are relatively fine and devoid of black spots.

Jaws/Teeth: The jaws are sturdy, of equal length; the teeth are large, well aligned. Scissors bite.

Palate: Devoid of black.

Eyes: Well open, relatively large, golden-yellow in colour, well set in the orbits; the look is candid and mild.

Ears: Set on level with the eye, not too long. The pinna presents a longitudinal crease. They are rounded at their extremities and are slightly detached from the head.

NECK : Muscled, relatively long, somewhat arched, a very slight dewlap is tolerated.

BODY :

Back: Horizontal.

Loin: Relatively short, broad and sturdy. 

Croup: Slightly slanting.

Chest: Long, deep and broad. The point of the sternum is slightly protruding. The ribs are long and well sprung.

Abdomen: Slightly tucked-up and joining the chest progressively, without rupture. The chest being long, the flank is short.

TAIL : Set relatively low, it doesn’t reach further than the point of the hock, is thick at the beginning and terminates in a point; in action, it is carried horizontally

LIMBS : Good bone, at rest the muscles are discernable under the skin.

FOREQUARTERS :

Shoulder : Long, oblique, muscled, as suits a galloper

Arm: Slightly sloping

Forearm: Strong, muscular, vertical.

Metacarpus (Pastern): Short, very slightly sloping seen in profile.

Foot: Long, toes tight, toenails very light in colour, even white, pads firm.

HINDQUARTERS : Limbs well poised when seen from behind.

Thigh: Long and muscled.

Lower Thigh: Well muscled.

Hock: Broad and in the axis of the body.

Metatarsus (rear pastern): Short, vertical, dry.

Foot: Identical to the forefoot.

GAIT/MOVEMENT : The normal gait is the gallop; it should be supple, balanced and capable of being maintained; its reach is average.

At any gait, the head is carried slightly above the topline, never lower.

The Saint Germain pointer covers ground well, whatever the gait.

SKIN : Rather fine.

COAT

HAIR : Short, not too fine.

COLOUR: Dull white with orange (fawn) markings; some mottling is tolerated, but not sought after. The ear is fawn (a very sparse amount of white is tolerated but not sought after).

HEIGHT

MALES:           56 cm minimum (22”)

                        62 cm maximum (24.4”)

                        with a tolerance of +2 cm (0.8”) for exceptional

subjects

FEMALES:       54 cm minimum (21.3”)

                        59 cm maximum (28.7”)

                        with a tolerance of +2 cm (0.8”) for exceptional

subjects

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.

• Skull :  Too broad.
• Eyes: Small, wild looking, lemon-coloured.
• Ears: Reminding one of the corkscrew ears of scent hounds
• Croup:  Too slanted.
• Feet : Splayed, presence of dewclaws

ELIMINATING FAULTS :

• Temperament: Aggressive or overly shy.

·         Lack of type:    Insufficient breed characteristics, which means the animal on the whole doesn’t resemble other samples of the breed.

• Jaws/Teeth: Absence of more than one tooth, aside from the first premolars; faulty position of the teeth. Overshot or undershot mouth.
• Eyes: Brown or black in colour.
• Abnormal markings:   Presence of black, notably:

On the nose

On the lips

On the palate

In the nails

• Height: Outside the limits defined by the standard.

 Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.