breed standard

General Appearance
Short-legged, rough-coated hound of moderate length.
Characteristics
Courageous, hardy, possessing good nose. Very nimble in movement.
Temperament
Lively, friendly and amenable.
Head and Skull
Medium in length, well balanced. Skull moderately domed, fair width; occipital point well defined. Foreface of medium length, slightly arched; moderate stop. Underjaw strong and well developed. Nose black or very dark. Nostrils wide open.
Eyes
Slightly oval, neither too deep set nor too prominent. Dark, hazel, no haw apparent. Lively expression.
Ears
Set on level with eye, extending to the nose when drawn forward, folding inwards ending in a point. Covered with finer, darker and softer hair than body.
Mouth
Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Neck
Rather short, muscular.
Forequarters
Forelegs straight; slight crook acceptable; well boned with strong pasterns. Feet turning neither in nor out. Shoulders slightly sloping.
Body
Chest wide and deep. Sternum prominent. Ribs well rounded, carried well back. Level topline;
Hindquarters
Strong and muscular. Stifles well bent, hocks well let down with good angulation, turning neither in nor out; just under body when standing naturally.
Feet
Tight, pads firm and hard. Short nails.
Tail
Set on high, thick at the base, tapering to a point, reaching slightly beyond the hock when lowered, carried like a sickle when moving.
Gait/Movement
Quick, striding out well.

Coat

Very harsh, dense and flat. Never long or woolly.
Colour
Fawn, gold-wheaten or red-wheaten. White spot on chest permissible.
Size
Height at withers 32-38 cms (12½-15 ins).
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.
Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

COAT CARE.

This is a before and after picture. This dog has black in his coat but it shows the difference stripping makes better than a plain red dog. Some Fauves do not have such a heavy coat but most will need some tidying for the show ring. It is not a difficult skill to learn or you can pay someone else to do it!

You can see how it has made the dog look more balanced and less front heavy. This dog was not stripped for the show ring but just as maintenance as he was getting a little smelly! Normally a dog looks his best when the new coat has had a little time to grow through. You can tell when the old coat is ready to come out as the new coat is visible underneath and if a small pull on the old hair pulls a tuft away easily, without the dog really noticing. This is best done twice yearly. The rest of the time a hound glove and a quick comb tend to do the job. Bathing is not really needed as it effects the harsh texture of the coat and Fauves seem to shrug off the mud once it dries.