Barbet:French National Treasure

Standard FCI N°105 / 08.07.1999
FCI-Standard N° 105 / 08. 07. 1999 / GB (OFFICIAL)

FRENCH WATERDOG
(Barbet)

TRANSLATION : Miss C. Seidler.

ORIGIN : France.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 08.07.1999.

UTILIZATION : Waterdog used for hunting gamebirds. The Waterdog is not just a retriever, he must search for game hidden in water vegetation, must locate it and flush it out. He then retrieves the shot game to his master. He withstands cold and will go into water in any weather.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 8 Retrievers, Flushing dogs, Water dogs.
Section 3 Water dogs.
With working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : This is an ancient breed seen all over France, used for hunting water game. It is already mentioned and described in 16th century scripts. The Barbet was also used as a retriever by the Navy.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Dog of medium size and proportions with characteristic thick woolly fleece which protects him from cold and damp. The coat forms a beard on the chin to which the breed owes its name.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Even temperament, neither aggressive nor nervous, tractable. Very devoted to his master. Good mixer. Loves water.

HEAD : The coat on the head must fall to the bridge of the nose. The beard is long and ample, the profuse moustache covers the whole muzzle.



CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Round and broad.
Stop : Pronounced.

FACIAL REGION :
Muzzle : Quite square. The bridge of nose is broad and short.
Lips : Thick, pigmented, completely covered by long hair. The pigmentation of the mucous membranes may be black or brown.
Eyes : Round, preferably dark brown.
Ears : Set on low (in line with eyes or slightly lower), long, flat, broad, covered by long hair which forms cords. If the ears are held together across the noseleather, they reach (with the hair) at least 5 cm beyond it. The ear cartilage reaches beyond the corner of the mouth.

NECK : Short and strong.

BODY :
Back : Very slighlty convex.
Loins : Arched, short and strong.
Croup : Rounded in profile.
Chest : Broad, well developed, quite deep, rounded ribcage.

TAIL : Somewhat raised, yet not above a horizontal line. Set on low, forming a slight hook at the end.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS :
Shoulders : Sloping. The scapulo-humeral angle varies from 110 to 115°.
Upper arm : Strong and muscular.
Lower arm : Straight, strong, perpendicular, completely covered by long hair. Strong bone structure.




HINDQUARTERS :
Upper thigh : Slight slope, well muscled.
Hocks  : Set low. Well angulated.
Metatarsus : Well upright.

FEET : Round, broad, covered with hair.

SKIN : Thick.

COAT

HAIR : Long, woolly and curly, forming cords. The coat is profuse and, in its natural state, covers the entire body. That is a particular breed characteristic. Since time immemorial, the Barbet has been clipped in order to ease his work and lifestyle. According to how he is used, the Barbet can present different appearances.

COLOUR : Solid black, grey, chestnut brown, red fawn, sandy, white or pied. All shades from red fawn to sandy are permitted. Preferably the whole body should be in even shade.

SIZE  :
Minimum height at withers : Dogs 58 cm,
Bitches 53 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.
• Head fine and narrow; bridge of nose thin and long; lips thin.
• Light eyes.
• Ears high set (higher than eye level), thin, short and narrow.
• Neck long and thin.
• Top line hollow.
• Loin long and weak.
• Croup straight.
• Chest narrow.
• Tail high set on, curled over back. Lack of tail; stumpy tail.
• Shoulders upright.
• Upper arm thin.
• Lower arm fine boned. Forelegs fringed.
• Upper thigh flat; hocks straight; hindlegs fringed. Dewclaws.
• Feet thin and narrow, lacking hair.
• Skin thin.
• Coat short, harsh, not woolly, not curly.
• Colour : All colours other than those mentioned in the standard. Coat with markings (parti or tricolour), black overlay, brindle, spotted, mottled. Solid colour not in even shade.

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




History
The Barbet has existed in Europe since the Middle Ages, when he was known simply as the Waterdog. Mentioned in sixteenth-century writings and represented in several drawings from the same period, the breed was used on duck and swan. Buffon mentioned the breed in Natural History, and Spallanzani used it to conduct the first successful artificial insemination in 1779. The Barbet nearly went extinct in the late nineteenth century, when he was used for hunting only by poachers and country folk. He may be considered the ancestor of all breeds with long, woolly or curly hair (including bichons and the Poodle) and a direct cousin to sheepdogs like the Briard, with whom he has many similarities. The standard for the Barbet was updated in 1986. Still fairly rare, his survival is threatened.

Behavior
Very powerful, tough, and vigorous, the Barbet is resistant to cold and dampness. He loves the water and swims very well. With a good nose and slow gait, he is used by waterfowl hunters. He is a very good retriever and has also been employed as a sheepdog to guide herds. Even-tempered, never aggressive, and gentle, he is an affectionate pet.

Advice
He can live in the city but must not be confined alone for long periods. He needs regular walks. Because of his thick coat, he does not tolerate heat well. Without regular dematting, his hair can become tangled and cost you a lot of money for grooming.

Function
Hunting dog. Companion dog.




FRENCH WATERDOG
(Barbet)

TRANSLATION : Miss C. Seidler.

ORIGIN : France.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 08.07.1999.

UTILIZATION : Waterdog used for hunting gamebirds. The Waterdog is not just a retriever, he must search for game hidden in water vegetation, must locate it and flush it out. He then retrieves the shot game to his master. He withstands cold and will go into water in any weather.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 8 Retrievers, Flushing dogs, Water dogs.
Section 3 Water dogs.
With working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : This is an ancient breed seen all over France, used for hunting water game. It is already mentioned and described in 16th century scripts. The Barbet was also used as a retriever by the Navy.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Dog of medium size and proportions with characteristic thick woolly fleece which protects him from cold and damp. The coat forms a beard on the chin to which the breed owes its name.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Even temperament, neither aggressive nor nervous, tractable. Very devoted to his master. Good mixer. Loves water.

HEAD : The coat on the head must fall to the bridge of the nose. The beard is long and ample, the profuse moustache covers the whole muzzle.



CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Round and broad.
Stop : Pronounced.

FACIAL REGION :
Muzzle : Quite square. The bridge of nose is broad and short.
Lips : Thick, pigmented, completely covered by long hair. The pigmentation of the mucous membranes may be black or brown.
Eyes : Round, preferably dark brown.
Ears : Set on low (in line with eyes or slightly lower), long, flat, broad, covered by long hair which forms cords. If the ears are held together across the noseleather, they reach (with the hair) at least 5 cm beyond it. The ear cartilage reaches beyond the corner of the mouth.

NECK : Short and strong.

BODY :
Back : Very slighlty convex.
Loins : Arched, short and strong.
Croup : Rounded in profile.
Chest : Broad, well developed, quite deep, rounded ribcage.

TAIL : Somewhat raised, yet not above a horizontal line. Set on low, forming a slight hook at the end.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS :
Shoulders : Sloping. The scapulo-humeral angle varies from 110 to 115°.
Upper arm : Strong and muscular.
Lower arm : Straight, strong, perpendicular, completely covered by long hair. Strong bone structure.




HINDQUARTERS :
Upper thigh : Slight slope, well muscled.
Hocks  : Set low. Well angulated.
Metatarsus : Well upright.

FEET : Round, broad, covered with hair.

SKIN : Thick.

COAT

HAIR : Long, woolly and curly, forming cords. The coat is profuse and, in its natural state, covers the entire body. That is a particular breed characteristic. Since time immemorial, the Barbet has been clipped in order to ease his work and lifestyle. According to how he is used, the Barbet can present different appearances.

COLOUR : Solid black, grey, chestnut brown, red fawn, sandy, white or pied. All shades from red fawn to sandy are permitted. Preferably the whole body should be in even shade.

SIZE  :
Minimum height at withers : Dogs 58 cm,
Bitches 53 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.
• Head fine and narrow; bridge of nose thin and long; lips thin.
• Light eyes.
• Ears high set (higher than eye level), thin, short and narrow.
• Neck long and thin.
• Top line hollow.
• Loin long and weak.
• Croup straight.
• Chest narrow.
• Tail high set on, curled over back. Lack of tail; stumpy tail.
• Shoulders upright.
• Upper arm thin.
• Lower arm fine boned. Forelegs fringed.
• Upper thigh flat; hocks straight; hindlegs fringed. Dewclaws.
• Feet thin and narrow, lacking hair.
• Skin thin.
• Coat short, harsh, not woolly, not curly.
• Colour : All colours other than those mentioned in the standard. Coat with markings (parti or tricolour), black overlay, brindle, spotted, mottled. Solid colour not in even shade.

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