The Braque du Bourbonnais is a breed of

gundog Gun dogs, or bird dogs, are types of hunting dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game, usually quail, dove, or duck. Gun dogs are divided into three primary types: retrievers, flushing dogs, and pointing breeds. Types ...

, of rustic appearance, sometimes born with a short tail, with a coat ticked with liver, fawn, or white

History

Origins

It had been described for the first time during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

(Natural History from Aldrovandi, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris). In danger of disappearing, it thrived again after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

with the creation of the first club, in 1925.

Disappearance

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the number of births decreased and the club became less active until it ceased to function. From 1963 to 1973, there were no dogs registered in the LOF (French

studbook A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeder ...

). The reason for this is probably a selection on secondary characteristics (color of the coat, short tail) instead of the hunting capabilities and general construction of the dog; this led to have a Bourbonnais less suitable for hunting than other breeds.

Recreation

In 1970, Michel Comte decided to look for the last dog that had some Bourbonnais blood. He found only mixed breed dogs, which had some characteristics of the Braque du Bourbonnais (size, shape of the head, short tail). After some more or less inbred litters, he registered his first Bourbonnais on the LOF (under Titre Initial procedure) in 1973, 1974, and 1975; from then, several breeders joined him, who, from those dogs, created their own lines, and the number of births increased., In 1981, the Club du Braque du Bourbonnais was recreated. Michel Comte was its president until 2001. From this moment, the successes of the Bourbonnais in field trials made the breed thrive. In 1988, the first Bourbonnais was introduced in the USA. Since then the breed has been growing in that country, which became the second producer of Bourbonnais pointers after France.

Description

Appearance

Head

Rounded in every direction, with lateral sides rounded, with parietal bones and zygomatic arches well developed. The axes of the skull and muzzle are parallel, or slightly divergent towards the front.

Coat

Two coat colors exist in the Bourbonnais, each of them having specific name because the color is specific to the breed:
-Liver, also called « wine dregs » or « faded lilac ».
-Fawn, also called « peach blossom ».
Big spots are tolerated on the body if they are not bigger than the palm of a hand. On the head, the two eyes must not be inside the same spot. Image:Pink1DuRocherDesJastres.jpg, liver sire Image:ThemisDouCoudounie.jpg, liver bitch Image:UnoDuRocherDesJastres.jpg, fawn sire Image:PoukyDuPechDeCayrol.jpg, fawn bitch

Differences sire/Female

The females are generally thinner, more elegant and longer than the sires (see pictures above).

Short tail

In the past called "short-tail pointer", the braque du Bourbonnais is sometimes born with a short tail (brachyury) or no tail at all (anury). The gene responsible for this characteristic has been identified as being the same as the

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period o ...

one, of autosomal dominant type.

Head position

High or prolonging the shoulder.

Temperament

They have a good temper and can be a good agreement dog. But it is mostly a hunter. It is a continental dog, and must be judged as such.

Allure and style

They show a lot of activity, even if he does not go very far. Their natural pace is gallop, but under cover he can use trot. They can change direction quickly, like polo.

Pointing

They must point with authority, in a classical position.

References

External links

Full genealogy, standards, photos, drawings, and genetics of the breed
{{French dogs FCI breeds Rare dog breeds Gundogs Pointers Dog breeds originating in France