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Cyprus Hound

Cyprus Hound

He is not recognized by the F.C.I.
Origin
 Cyprus
Translation
 Francis Vandersteen
Group
 Group 6 Scent hounds and related breeds
Section
 Section 1.2 Medium-sized hounds
Working
 With working trial

Brief historical summary
The Cyprus Harlequin is a typical hunting dog long used by Cypriot hunters. Many ancient mosaics depict a hunting dog reminiscent of the harlequin.
It is certain that many people have been using the descendants of these dogs for hunting for centuries.
During the Ottoman and mainly British occupation, the local breed was crossed with other breeds brought to the island by the occupiers.
The result of this long process is today's dog. It is quite possible that other breeds (French dogs) popular and used by local hunters have contributed to the appearance of the Cypriot Harlequin Hound, which has developed over the last 25-30 years as an original breed with a highly original pigmentation of the harlequin coat.

General appearance
Medium-sized dog, longer in body than in height and withers. Balanced proportions. Strong bones, smooth, flat coat all over. Very specific harlequin pigmentation of the coat.

Important proportions
Rectangular body, longer than height and withers.
Skull length / muzzle length = 1/1 or muzzle slightly shorter than skull length.

Behaviour / temperament
Very active, always moving, affectionate and very sociable. On the hunt, he is a dog of great endurance. As long as it picks up the trail of its prey, it will follow it until it reaches its target, barking all the time with its nose on the ground and wagging its tail.

Head

Cranial region
Head
 Nearly parallel craniofacial lines. Viewed from the side, the skull is flat, with a moderate stop that's not too deep. From the front, the skull appears rounded due to the shallow insertion of the ears. From above, the head is elongated, the muzzle tapering gently to the nose. The occipital bone is not pronounced. The bridge of the nose is slightly convex.
Skull
 Medium width, wider in males. Viewed from the front, it has a convex profile. Width and length almost equal. Occipital bone barely marked.
Stop
 Slightly marked, gently sloping.

Facial region
Nose
 Large, with large, open nostrils. Color always matches coat pigmentation or may be black.
Muzzle
 Conical, slightly arched muzzle. The width and depth of the muzzle are relatively equal. Moderately rectangular, tapering gently to the tip of the nose, but never pointed.
Lips
 The upper lips cover the lower lips, which are loose and moderately developed, not too showy. Mucous membrane pigmentation should be the same color as the nose.
Jaws and teeth
 Scissor bite. Level dentition is accepted. Healthy white teeth, well developed canines, complete dentition.
Cheeks
 Not too prominent.
Eyes
 Medium-sized, oval-shaped. Color conforms to coat pigmentation. Heterochromia (eyes of different color) is typical of the breed. Blue is very common in the strong pigmented layers of harlequins. Eyelid pigmentation is consistent with coat pigmentation.
Ears
 Defined below eye level. Hanging, of great length (must reach at least the base of the nose), large "V" shaped with rounded tip.

Neck
Strong and broad, shaped like a truncated cone. Thick, fading skin with moderate, visible dewlap.

Body
Body
 Rectangular, solid and robust, fairly compact in appearance.
Topline
 Straight with a slight depth of back but never saddled.
Withers
 Forward and well developed.
Back
 Powerful and broad.
Loin
 Broad and powerful, never higher than the middle of the back.
Croup
 Broad and powerful, moderately sloping. Never too sloppy, neither too short nor higher than the withers.
Chest
 Well developed, broad and deep, reaching to the elbows. The tip of the sternum is visible.
Ribs
 Well sprung ribs forming a large ribcage.
Side
 Visible, full flanks.
Underline and belly
 Belly moderately stuck together.

Tail
Set at medium height. Strongly thicker at the root, gradually tapering to the tip. Covered with short hairs, at rest it reaches the level of the hock joint. In movement, the tail passes over the topline, and in action, is raised over the back but never touches it.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality
 Vertical, straight and parallel. Length of forearm equal to length of shoulder. Strong bone structure, powerful pasterns, elbows close to the body.
Shoulders
 Oblique, muscular shoulder blade, equal in length to the upper arm. The scapular-humeral angle is close to 105 degrees.
Upper arm
 Strong.
Elbows
 Elbows close to body.
Forearm
 Straight with moderate length, vertical, with strong bones.
Pastern
 Strong, with solid bones. Viewed from the side, slightly oblique.
Forefeet
 Cat feet. Tight toes, strong nails, wide, hard pads.

Hindquarters
Generality
 Powerful, well muscled, with excellent angulation. Seen from behind, parallel, with no deviation of the hocks.
Upper thigh
 Strong and muscular. Coxofemoral angle close to 105 degrees.
Lower thigh
 Medium length, well muscled. Femoral-tibial angle close to 115 degrees.
Stifle
 Moderate curve.
Metatarsus
 Long, with solid feet.
Hock
 Well defined. Open hock angle.
Hind feet
 Cat feet. May be slightly more elongated than the front feet. Dewclaws are present, usually single. It is not necessary to remove them. The pigmentation of the pads on the front and hind feet matches the coat color.

Gait and movement
The trot is the preferred gait, fluid and easy. They have a natural tendency to walk with their head down, sniffing almost all the time.

Skin
Elastic, thick, sufficiently glued all over the body. Pigmentation matches that of the coat.

Coat
Hair
 Dense, short, smooth and flat, covering the entire body.
Colour
 The breed has a very typical harlequin pigmentation. The most common colors are :
- Brown harlequin, brown and white harlequin, gray harlequin, gray and white harlequin.
- White with brown harlequin spots, white with gray harlequin spots.
- All colors, except all black or black and tan.

Size and weight
Height at withers
 Males : 47-52 cm, females : 45-50 cm, with a tolerance of +/- 2 cm.
Weight
 In proportion to size : males maximum 25 kg, females maximum 22 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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

General faults
 Light structure.
 Absence of 1 or 2 or more PM.
 Low face.
 Short croup.
 Hindquarters under body.
 Angulations too open.
 Forelegs tucked in or out.
 Limbs relaxed.
 Chest not deep enough.

Serious faults
 Fragile appearance.
 Muzzle too pointed.
 Overshot or undershot mouth.
 Entropion, ectropion.
 Saddled back.
 Croup higher than height of withers.
 Cow hock.
 Very loose elbows in front.
 Coat too long.

Disqualifying faults
 Aggressive or too shy.
 Square body structure (body length equal to or less than height at withers).
 Split nose.
 Excessive undershot or overshot mouth.
 Albinism.
 Hard, long hair.
 Depigmentation of nose (pink nose) or pink spots on nose.

NB :
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.
Details
Also available: Français (France) Deutsch (Deutschland) Español (España) Nederlands (nl-NL)
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