Epagneul de pont audemer

Epagneul Pont-Audemer

The Epagneul de Pont-Audemer was recognized by the United Kennel Club January 1, 1996.

General Appearance

A medium sized, stocky dog with liver/brown coat that is long and wavy, but smooth about the face.

Characteristics

Called ‘the little clown of the marshes’ in France, the breed is hardy and hard working, but has the spaniel traits of being gentle, affectionate and easy to train.

Head

SKULL

The skull is round, with a prominent occipital crest. The forehead rises towards the topknot, which must be very curly and leave the forehead bare. The stop is sloping.

MUZZLE

The muzzle is long, with an arched nasal bone. The lips are fine and slightly let down, making the muzzle fairly pointed.

TEETH

The Epagneul de Pont-Audemer has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite.

NOSE

The nose is rather pointed, and protrudes in front of the line of the muzzle. It is brown in color.

EYES

Rather small and well set into the sockets, the eyes are dark amber or hazel, and have a kind, frank expression.

EARS

Set on rather low, the ears are long and flat, and furnished with long, silky, very curly hair, which joins with the topknot to frame the head.

Neck

Slightly arched, neat and well muscled.

Forequarters

The shoulder blades are long, sloping and fairly close together at the tips. The upper arm is strong and muscular.

FORELEGS

The legs are rather short, the dog being somewhat low to the ground, without falling into the Cocker type.

Body

The chest is deep and broad, descending to the elbow. The ribs are long and well sprung. The back is straight or slightly convex. The loin is short, broad and solid. The croup is very slightly sloping. The flanks are flat and there is a slight tuck up.

Hindquarters

The hipbones are prominent, and at the same level as the back.

HIND LEGS

The thighs are muscular and fleshy, with the point of the buttocks prominent. The hock joint is broad and straight, and the rear pasterns are short and furnished with a curly fringe. Dewclaws should be removed.

Feet

The feet are round, and furnished with long, curly hair between the toes.

Tail

Set as a continuation of the topline, and carried quite straight. Generally docked to one third of its length, and well feathered with curly hair. An undocked tail should be medium length and carried a little curved.

Coat

Curly, and slightly ruffled.

Color

Brown or brown roan, with dead leaf glints.

Height

20.5 to 23 inches at the withers.

Disqualifications

(A dog with a Disqualification must not be considered for placement in a conformation event, and must be reported to UKC.)
Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid.
Viciousness or extreme shyness.
Albinism.

The docking of tails and cropping of ears in America is legal and remains a personal choice. However, as an international registry, the United Kennel Club is aware that the practices of cropping and docking have been forbidden in some countries. In light of these developments, the United Kennel Club feels that no dog in any UKC event, including conformation, shall be penalized for a full tail or natural ears.

Pont-Audemer Spaniel (Epagneul de Pont-Audemer)

The information about the origin of the Pont-Audemer Spaniel is based on speculations rather than on concrete facts. Strong probability holds that it was created in the Pont Audemer area of France during the XIX century. It appeared as the result of crossing local sporting dogs with Pointers and Setters that were imported to this region by English hunters. Other important predecessor of this breed is the Irish Water Spaniel to which it owes it love of water.

The Pont-Audemer Spaniel is sometimes called « le petit clown des marais » which is translated as « the little clown of the marshes ». The nickname is used to underline nice temperament of this dog as well as to pinpoint its hunting specialty. Although it can carry out all types of hunting tasks (tracing, pointing, retrieving) both on land and water, the breeds’ true vocation is to hunt ducks and other water birds.

In the XIX the breed enjoyed vast popularity in its native Picardy and Normandy districts. Nevertheless it failed to earn any noticeable recognition in other parts of France and far less outside its borders. And when French sportsmen turned their attention to English hunting dogs, the Pont-Audemer Spaniel greatly lost its positions even in its homeland.

Two World Wars put into question the very existence of the Pont-Audemer Spaniel so its crossbreeding to the Irish Water Spaniel became a least-evil solution. This breeding program was conducted in the 50s of the XX century but it didn’t work as expected. The breed’s number kept on to fall. Finally the Society Havraise took on the responsibility for its fate. The organization that represents other French spaniels also contributed a great deal to the breeds’ rehabilitation. Today the Pont-Audemer Spaniel is recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) but its population still remains dangerously low.

Épagneul de Pont-Audemer

Caractéristiques physiques du Épagneul de Pont-Audemer

L’Épagneul de Pont-Audemer est un chien vigoureux. Les yeux sont ambre foncé ou noisette, plutôt petits, bien enfoncés dans l’orbite, avec un regard franc et bon. Les oreilles, d’épaisseur moyenne, plates, sont attachées plutôt bas, de façon à ne pas adhérer à la joue ; elles sont longues et dotées de poils soyeux très frangés, qui se réunissent sur le crâne en formant une sorte de perruque très caractéristique. La queue, attachée pratiquement à la hauteur de la ligne des reins, est portée plutôt droite, généralement raccourcie d’un tiers ; grosse à la racine, elle est riche de poils frangés. Lorsqu’elle n’est pas taillée, la queue doit être de longueur moyenne, un peu recourbée.

Poil : frangé et plutôt rêche.
Couleur : marron, marron et gris chiné, avec reflets de feuille morte.
Taille : 52 à 58 cm
Poids : 17 à 20 kg

Origines et histoire

Il dérive d’une variété d’Épagneul de petite taille et de couleur marron châtain, qui vivait en Normandie, croisée avec l’Irish Water Spaniel qui lui confère sa haute taille et sa force.

Caractère et aptitudes

Très bon chien de recherche, l’Épagneul de Pont-Audemer s’adapte à tous les terrains, mais aime les terrains aqueux et l’eau profonde. Il travaille avec beaucoup de zèle et cherche rapidement et avec persévérance. Sa robe est presque complètement imperméable, ce qui lui permet de chasser longtemps. Docile et intelligent, désireux de plaire à son maître, il peut être un bon chien de compagnie à condition de lui concéder la bonne mesure d’exercice physique et de ne pas l’éloigner de l’eau.

Espérance de vie moyenne : environ 13 ans

Remarques et conseils

Aujourd’hui, la race n’est pas très répandue ; il ne reste que quelques passionnés en Normandie et en Picardie qui en élèvent.