ORIGIN : Belgium (The Ardennes).
UTILIZATION : Tracking hound.
FCI CLASSIFICATION : Group 6 Scent hounds and related breeds
Section 1 Large sized hounds
With working trial.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Heavy and massive dog with a slow and imposing gait.
APTITUDES : Tracking hound par excellence.
HEAD : The head is one of the most characteristic points of the breed; it must be well shaped, well developed in all its dimensions except in its width.
SKULL : Very high and pointed, the occipital crest is extremely well developed. The superciliary arch is only slightly pronounced and the expression of the head denotes size and majesty. The skin of the forehead and the cheeks is deeply wrinkled, more so than in any other breed of dog.
EYES : Of a dark hazel colour, the lower eyelid is very loose (hanging) showing a dark red ocular mucous. The eyes, being quite deep set in the head, seem relatively small.
NOSE : Preferably black, eventually brown-chestnut for the coats without black mantle.
LIPS : Very long and hanging; their lower extremities must be 5 cm lower than the corner of the mouth.
JAWS : Very long and broad near the nostrils; hollow and lean on the cheeks and especially under the eyes.
EARS : Sufficiently long so that, when passed over the nose, they still go beyond it; set low, they hang forward against the jaws in graceful folds; the leather, very thin, is covered with very short, soft and silky hair.
NECK : Long, to enable the dog to follow the scent with his nose to the ground, without slowing his pace down; well muscled, with extremely well developed dewlaps.
SHOULDERS : Slanting and very muscular.
CHEST : Broad and deep.
BACK : Broad and deep; very strong for the size of the dog; flanks are broad, almost coarse.
BELLY : Slightly tucked up.
LEGS : Straight, muscled and of good bone structure; hocks well developed.
FEET : Round, cat-feet.
TAIL : Carried in an elegant curve and higher than the topline of the back, but not on the back or as a trumpet. The underneath part of the tail is furnished with hairs about 5 cm long, becoming gradually shorter towards the tip.
COAT :
Texture : Short and rather harsh on the body, but soft and silky on the ears and the skull.
Colour : Black and tan, solid red, red and tan, liver and tan, the first colour is the one most sought after. The black must spread on the back in the shape of a saddle, on the flanks, the top of the nape of the neck and the point of the head. White is not admitted; but a little white on the chest or on the feet does not disqualify.
HEIGHT AT THE WITHERS : Males, about 67 cm and females, about 60 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.
DISQUALIFICATION :
1) Pink nose or any other colour than black or brown-chestnut;
2) Light yellow coat;
3) Eyes : light yellow iris and wall eye.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.