One of the oldest breeds of Pointers, an excellent hunter and a valued breed since the Middle Ages is the Bohemian wire-haired Pointing Griffon.
A nimble, hardy and hardy dog, perfect for the woods and fields, where his excellent hunting skills can be used. It is mainly used for showing game, but it is also a good retriever.
It is a loyal and friendly dog, and it is usually easy to behave with its own pack, whether human, canine or animal.
Yet he is also an honest watchdog who can take care of the garden or yard entrusted to him.
It should be used for what it has been bred to do for centuries, which is to hunt. He will be happier when he has other dogs around him.
It is not suitable for the apartment and as a pet, there are many other breeds available for this purpose.
BOHEMIAN WIRE-HAIRED POINTING GRIFFON (Cesky Fousek)
TRANSLATION : Mrs. C.Seidler.
ORIGIN : Formerly Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 21.05.1963.
UTILIZATION : Pointing dog.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 7 Pointing Dogs.
Section 1.3 Continental Pointing Dogs, « Griffon » type.
With working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The Cesky Fousek was the most widely kept wirehaired Pointing dog in the region of the present day Czech and Slovakian Republics in the time before the first World War. This World War and its consequences were responsible for the Cesky Fousek nearly dying out in the twenties. The regeneration of the breed was implemented. The foundation for this regenaration was brought about by some of the original typical specimen from which the modern type of Cesky Fousek was evolved by planned breeding. At present its numbers are in second place for all hunting breeds used in the Czech and Slovakian Republics.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : The Cesky Fousek is a medium sized, wirehaired, noble pointer, whose general appearance shows strength and endurance. It is a multipurpose dog with inherent qualities for field and water, as well as for work in woodland. In spite of his innate sharpness to vermine, he is easily trained and very devoted to his mater.
HEAD : The lean, somewhat narrow and long head is set high on the neck. The muzzle is somewhat longer than the skull and the nasal bridge is moderately arched (Ram’s nose).
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : In the upper part of the forehead and the cranial region moderately domed and slightly rounded, somewhat broader in dogs than in bitches. The superciliary arches clearly defined and pronounced so that they emphasize the impression of angularity of the head and form deeper eye sockets. The occiput is barely noticeable.
Stop : Moderate, yet marked towards the forehead.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Broad with open sensitive nostrils. The colour of the nose leather must always be dark brown.
Muzzle : Narrows moderately from eyes to nose.
Lips : Fairly strongly developed; form a flexible edge to the muzzle, with the upper lip forming a moderate overlap.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws strong, clearly defined and well muscled. Teeth strong, with scissor bite and full complement of teeth.
Eyes : The almond shaped eyes show a kind expression and denote an astute nature. The eye should be deep set, dark amber to deep chestnut in colour. The eyelids fit close to the eye, which they enclose completely and are well developed; they are grey - black in colour.
Leathers : Set on high and broad, narrowing markedly towards the tips. The length of the leathers reaches to two thirds of the cheeks and the end of the leathers are moderately rounded. They must lie close to the head.
NECK : Of medium length with well developed muscles, yet dry and set high at the withers. The crest of the neck is moderately arched.
BODY :
Back : The short firm back slopes from the well developed withers towards the croup.
Loins : Short, relatively broad and moderately arched.
Croup : Moderately sloping, sufficiently broad and suitably long.
Chest : Together with the shoulder blade, seen from the front, the chest forms a lyre shape. The ribcage must be oval and its width in proportion to the overall build of the dog. The lower chest must reach at least to the elbow joint. The forechest should be well developed. Seen from the side, the sternum should protrude clearly. The ribcage is formed by well sprung ribs which are arranged in good proportion throughout its entire length.
Belly : Should be somewhat tucked up to facilitate free movement, yet it must not give the impression of leanness.
TAIL : The sacral bone must be positioned so that the musculature does not influence the tail carriage which should be horizontal or only very slightly upwards. Set-on should form a continuation of the topline. It is medium strong and docked by 3/5 of its length.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS :
Shoulders : The shoulder blade is distinguished by well developed muscles. The shoulder placement should be really sloping and form a blunt angle with the upper arm.
Elbow : Must be firmly made and muscled.
Forearm : Upright and straight with pronounced, dry muscles.
Pastern : Should be relatively short, almost vertical and only moderately sloping towards the front.
Forefeet : Compact; they have the shape of a blunt spoon, with well arched, tight toes and strong nails of dark grey to black colour. The pads are thick and coarse and fully pigmented. There is a noticeable atrophied remnant of webbing between the toes.
HINDQUARTERS :
Pelvis : Must be sufficiently long.
Upper thigh : Broad, with well developed muscles.
Lower thigh : Slopes backwards; must have correct angulation to enable flexible movement.
Hock joint : Not too high set, lean, with a long only moderately protruding heel bone.
Rear pastern : Almost vertical, short and adequately strong.
Hind feet : The same shape as the front feet. Dewclaws are removed.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Movement should be completely regular at walk and trot with the backline showing barely any deflection and the footprints virtually covering each other at the trot.
COAT
HAIR :
Make up of coat : The coat consists of three types of hair :
• Undercoat : Soft and dense, 1,5 cm long. Prevents dampness penetrating to the skin and is almost completely shed in the summer.
• Topcoat : 3 to 4 cm long, suitably harsh and coarse. Close fitting.
• Guard hair : 5 to 7 cm long, specially harsh and straight. Particularly noticeable on forechest, topline, flanks and shoulders.
On the front part of the front and hind legs, the coat is shorter and coarse; it is longer on their rear side, forming feathering. The tail must not have a brush on the underside.
Coat on head : On lower jaw as well as on lips, the hair is longer and softer, forming the beard, typical on this breed. The hair on the eyebrows points obliquely and noticeably upwards. The forehead, cranial region and cheeks are covered by short coarse hair. Leathers are covered by short, softer, smooth hair.
COLOUR : Permitted colours are :
• Dark roan with or without brown patches.
• Brown with ticked markings on forechest and lower part of the limbs.
• Brown without any markings.
SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Height at the withers : Dogs : 60 to 66 cm.
Bitches : 58 to 62 cm.
Weight : Dogs: Minimum 28 kg,
maximum 34 kg.
Bitches : Minimum 22 kg,
maximum 28 kg.
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.
• Wrong proportion between length of the body and height at withers.
• Short, wedge shaped or round head.
• Portruding eyes. Eye colour other than as laid down in the standard.
• Leathers too long or too low set.
• Neck too strong and too short with loose skin.
• Withers insufficiently defined.
• Steep croup.
• Insufficiently developed forechest, insufficiently defined sternum.
• Splayed feet or harefoot. Too much hair on feet.
• Coat too fine, too short or too long.
• Insufficiently defined beard or eyebrows.
• Lack of pigment.
• Predominance of white colour (particolour is not permitted).
MAIN MEASUREMENTS :
Dogs Bitches
Body weight 34 kg 25 kg
Height at shoulder 63 cm 60 cm
Length of head 28 cm 23 cm
Length of skull 14 cm 11 cm
Width of skull 12 cm 10 cm
Length of bridge of nose 13 cm 11 cm
Width of chest 20 cm 18 cm
Depth of chest 25 cm 23 cm
Length of body 56 cm 53 cm
Girth behind elbows 80 cm 72 cm
Girth at last rib 72 cm 64 cm
ANGULATIONS :
Between shoulder-blade and upper arm 110 degrees.
Between upper arm and radius 135 degrees.
Between pelvis and upper thigh 110 degrees.
Between upper and lower thigh 125 degrees.
Between lower thigh and hind pastern 135 degrees.
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.