TRANSLATOR : R. Binder-Gresly and C. Seidler.
ORIGIN : Portugal.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE VALID ORIGINAL STANDARD : 25.09.1967.
UTILIZATION : This breed is mainly encountered in the north of the country. According to their natural disposition, these dogs are used for hunting rabbits, singly or in a pack. They are also appreciated as good watch dogs.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 5 : Spitz and primitive type
Section 7 : Primitive type - hunting dogs
Without working trial.
MEDIUM SIZED PODENGO
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Of medium size and substance, well balanced in proportions, well muscled and with strong bone.
TEMPERAMENT : Very lively and clever, unassuming and robust.
HEAD : Lean, shaped like a four-sided pyramid with a large base, diminishing considerably towards its pointed end.
CRANIAL REGION : Skull : Flat, almost straight in profile. Superciliary ridges prominent. Frontal groove hardly perceptible; the region between the ears horizontal; occipital bone prominent.
Stop : Barely defined.
Longitudinal axes of the skull and foreface divergent.
FACIAL REGION : Nose : Tapering towards the slightly protruding tip; frontal plane of the nose slightly slanting; its colour always darker than that of the coat.
Muzzle :Nasal bridge rounded (in cross section); straight when seen in profile. Muzzle shorter than skull and broader at its base than at the front end.
Lips : Close fitting, thin and horizontal.
Jaws/Teeth : regular, with strong white teeth. Normal bite.
Eyes : Very lively expression; slightly protruding from the eye-sockets; colour varies according to coat colour, from honey to chestnut brown; small and set obliquely; colour of eyelids darker than coat colour.
Ears : Set on medium high and oblique; carried erect, very mobile; vertical or slightly inclined forward when the dog is attentive; triangular shape, broad at the base, tapering to a point; ear leather thin; length of ear remarkably greater than width at set-on.
NECK : Harmonious transition from head to body; straight, suitably long; strong and well muscled. No dewlap.
BODY :
Topline : Straight or slightly arched.
Back : Long, straight or slightly sloping.
Loins : Straight or slightly arched; broad and muscular.
Rump : Of medium length, broad and well muscled; straight or slightly slanting.
Chest : Forechest slightly accentuated, muscular, not too wide; chest deep and long, of medium width; long sternum rising towards rear; ribs hardly rounded, oblique.
Belly/flanks : Lean, with a slight tuck-up.
Underline : Slightly rising.
Tail : Set on high rather than low, strong, thick, of medium length, tapering towards a fine point; in repose hanging between hindlegs with the tip slightly curved upwards; in movement carried horizontally with a slight upward curve or carried upright in sickle shape; never curled up into ring shape.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS :
General : Seen from the front and from the side, vertical and straight, well muscled and clean.
Shoulders and upper arm : Long and oblique; strong and well muscled; forming a blunt angle at shoulder joint.
Forearm : Vertical, long and muscular.
Pastern joint : Clean, not prominent.
Pastern : Strong, short, slightly slanting.
Front feet : Round; long, strong, tightly bunched and strongly arched toes; nails strong, short, preferably dark; pads hard and resistant.
HINDQUARTERS :
General : Seen from behind and from the side, straight and parallel; well muscled, clean.
Upper thigh : Long, of medium width, muscular.
Second thigh : Long, slanting, strong, muscular, clean.
Hock joints : Set on medium high, clean and strong, forming a blunt angle.
Hocks : Well boned, short, slanting; without dewclaws.
Hind feet : Round; long, strong, tightly bunched and strongly arched toes; short, strong, preferably dark nails; hard and resistant pads.
MOVEMENT : Swift and light-footed.
SKIN : Mucous membranes preferably with black pigment or, in any case, darker than coat colour. Skin thin and close fitting.
COAT
Texture : Short or long coat, of medium strength; smooth in the shorthaired variety; wiry (similar to the bristles of a wild boar) in the long-coated variety. The short coat is denser than the long coat. With the long coat there is a distinct "beard" underneath the lower jaw. No undercoat or fluff.
Colour : Predominant colours are yellow, fawn (in all shades from light to very dark) and black (diluted or faded); self-coloured with or without white markings; or white as basic colour with markings in the listed colours.
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT :
Height at withers : 40 - 55 cm
Weight : 16 - 20 kg.
MEASUREMENT AND WEIGHT OF A TYPICAL MALE :
HEAD :
Length of skull : 11.00 cm
Width : 9.75 cm
Length of muzzle 8.00 cm
CHEST :
Girth : 54.00 cm
Width : 12.50 cm
Depth : 20.00 cm
UPPER LINE/TOPLINE :
Length of the back : 43.00 cm
Width of the back : 10.50 cm
LENGTH :
Of the whole body : 48.00 cm
Of the tail : 28.50 cm
HEIGHT :
At withers : 46.00 cm
Length of foreleg : 23.00 cm
At the hips (haunch bone) : 47.00 cm
WEIGHT : 18 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.
SERIOUS AND DISQUALIFYING FAULTS :
General appearance : Any sign of crossing with a Galgo (Spanish sighthound) or a Perdiguero (Portuguese Pointer).
Jaws : Incorrect bite, badly placed teeth.
Eyes : Of different colours.
Ears : Tipped over or folded.
Neck : Arched.
Body : Topline distinctly arched.
Belly : Too much tucked up.
Rump : Exaggerated slope.
Dewclaws : Undesirable (affect the grading of the dog).
Tail : Curled up.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
LARGE PORTUGUESE PODENGO
The breed characteristics of the Large Podengo, a nearly extinct variety in the country of origin, are almost identical with those of the medium size Podengo, with the following exceptions :
General appearance : Strong dog with plenty of substance, mainly used for hunting deer.
Height at withers : 55 - 70 cm.
SMALL PORTUGUESE PODENGO
The breed characteristics of the Small Podengo are also nearly identical to those of the medium size Podengo, with the following exceptions :
General appearance : A small dog somewhat elongated in proportions which is used for hunting rabbits as well as driving them from their burrows or rock clefts.
Skull : Flat or slightly arched.
Body : Length of body exceeds height at withers.
Limbs : Short. Forearm straight or slightly turned from outwards to inwards in its whole length.
Coat : Short, smooth.
Height at withers : 20 - 30 cm.
Weight : 4 - 5 kg.
Measurements and weight of a typical Small Podengo bitch :
Head :
Length of skull : 8.00 cm
Width of skull : 7.50 cm
Length of muzzle : 5.50 cm
Chest :
Girth : 28.00 cm
Width : 16.00 cm
Depth : 12.00 cm
Upper line/topline :
Length of the back : 28.00 cm
Width of the back : 7.50 cm
Length :
Length of the whole body : 32.00 cm
Length of the tail : 16.00 cm
Height :
At withers : 27.00 cm
Forelegs : 13.50 cm
At the hips (haunch bone) : 27.00 cm
Weight : 5 kg.
SCALE OF POINTS :
General appearance 20 points
Head 20 points
Eyes 5 points
Ears 10 points
Neck 5 points
Body 15 points
Limbs 15 points
Tail 5 points
Coat and colour 5 points
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Total 100 points