FCI Standard n°105
(translation of the French version)
Classification FCI:
group 8 - Water dogs used for hunting wildfowl
Short historical summary:
very old breed, common troughout France, used for hunting wildfowl, described or mentioned in several works as early as the 16th ceintury
General appearance:
the barbet is a medium sized dog, characterized by a thick, woolly coat which garantees a efficient protection against cold and damp.
The barbets thanks his name to his beard (French: barbe) on his chin.
Important proportions:
- the muzzle is slightly shorter than the skull.
- the lenght of the body, measured from the shoulder point to the point of the buttock, is slightly more than the height at the withers.
Character:
- balanced
- very attached to his masters
- very social
- he loves the water (even when very cold)
Head:
- the coat on the skull must fall onto the bridge of the nose
- the beard is long and furnished
- the moustache entirely covers the bridge of the nose
Cranial region:
- skull: round and big
- stop: defined
Facial region:
- nose: big, with wide opened nostrils, the nose is black or brown depending on the colour of the coat
- muzzle: quite square. The bridge of the nose is big.
- lips: thick, well pigmented, completely covered by long hair. Black or brown edges.
- teeth: jaws of equal length. Scissors bite. Very strong teeth. Incisors well developed and well aligned.
- eyes: round, preferably dark brown. The rim of the eyelid is black or brown.
- ears: set on low (at eye level or a little lower), long, flat, wide, covered by long hair hanging in strands. When the ears are brought together in front of the nose, the ears (including the hair) reach at least 5 cm beyond it. The ear cartilage reaches further than the corner of the mouth.
Neck: short and strong
Forequarters:
the barbet moves easy, the limbs moving in the line with the body. Medium length foreleg stride with good thrust from the hindquarters.
Skin:
relatively thick skin
Coat:
- hair: long, woolly and curly; can form strands. The coat is furnished, covering the whole body in a natural state. This is an essential characteristic of the breed. The barbet may be groomed in a specific manner to accomodate its work and maintenance.
- colour: solid black, grey, brown, fawn, pale fawn, white or more or less pied. All shades of red-fawn and pale fawn are permitted. The shade should preferably be the same as the colour of the body.
Size:
studs: 58-65 cm
bithes: 53-61 cm
tolerance: +/- 1 cm
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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.
- head fine and narrow, muzzle thin and too long, lips thin.
- overshot or undershot. Wry jaw.
- light eyes.
- ears set high (higher than eye level), thin, short and narrow.
- neck long and thin.
- topline hollow.
- loin long and weak.
- croup straight.
- narrow chest
- tail set on high, curved over the back, curled over or lying on the croup or loin. Tail naturally absent or too short.
- shoulders straight.
- thin upper arm
- forearm with fine bone; feathering.
- hindquarters: upper thigh flat, hocks straight, feathering; presence of dewclaws. Feet fine and narrow, not covered by coat.
- thin skin.
- Coat short, harsh, not woolly, not curly.
- Colours: Any colour other than those mentioned in the standard.
Eliminating faults:
- dogs who are agressive or overly shy.
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.