Standards
Exciting News! In 2020 Club Barbet Canada is working on a new revised Standard.
Canadian Kennel Club (Canada)
Origin & Purpose
The Barbet is often cited as being one of the oldest of all French breeds when he was simply known as a Waterdog. He may be considered the ancestor of all breeds with long, wooly or curly hair and a direct cousin to the sheepdog like the Briard. He is excellent at waterfowl work, retrieving and is undeterred and unaffected by icy conditions.
General Appearance A dog of medium size and proportions with characteristic thick woolly, coat and given to waviness which protects him from cold and damp. The coat forms a beard on the chin to which the breed owes its name.
Temperament Even temperament, neither aggressive nor nervous, tractable. Very devoted to his master. Good mixer. Loves water.
Size Height at the withers: Dogs: 22-25½ inches (58-65cm) Bitches: 20-24 inches (53-61 cm) With a tolerance of +/- 1cm.
Coat & Colour
Skin: thick. Coat: long, woolly and curly, forming cords. The coat is profuse and, in its natural state, covers the entire body. That is a particular breed characteristic. Since time immemorial, the barbet has been clipped in order to ease his work and lifestyle. According to how he is used, the barbet can present different appearances.
Colour: Solid black, grey, chestnut brown, fawn, pale fawn, white or more or less pied. All shades of red-fawn and pale fawn are permitted preferably the whole body should be the same shade. Head The coat on the head must fall to the bridge of the nose. The beard is long and ample; the profuse moustache covers the whole muzzle.
Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standard
Skull: round and broad. Stop: pronounced. Muzzle: quite square. The bridge of nose is broad and short.
Lips: thick, pigmented, completely covered by long hair. The pigmentation of the mucous membranes may be black or brown. Jaws/teeth: Jaws of equal length. Scissors bite. Strong teeth. Incisors well developed and well aligned. Eyes: round, preferably dark brown.
Ears: set on low (in line with eyes or slightly lower), long, flat, broad, covered by long hair which forms cords.
If the ears are held together across the noseleather, they reach (with the hair) at least 5cm beyond it. The ear cartilage reaches beyond the corner of the mouth. Neck Short and strong
Forequarters Shoulders: sloping. The scapulo-humeral angle varies from 110 to 115°. Upper arm: strong and muscular. Lower arm: straight, strong, perpendicular, completely covered by long hair. Strong bone structure.
Body Back: very slightly convex. Loin: arched, short and strong. Croup: rounded in profile. Chest: broad, developed, quite deep, rounded ribcage.
Hindquarters Upper thigh: slight slope, well muscled. Hocks: set low. Well angulated. Metatarsus: well upright. Feet: round, broad, covered with hair. Tail Slightly raised, carried above the horizontal when the dog is in action, low set, forming a slight hook at the tip. Gait Easy movement, the limbs moving in line with the body. Medium length foreleg stride with good thrust from the hindquarters
Faults Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be exact proportion to its degree.
• Head fine and narrow; bridge of nose thin and long; lips thin. • Light eyes. • Ears high set (higher than eye level), thin, short and narrow. • Neck long and thin. • Top line hollow. • Loin long and weak. • Croup straight. • Chest narrow. • Tail high set on, curled over back. • Lack of tail, stumpy tail. • Shoulders upright. • Upper arm thin. • Lower arm fine boned. Forelegs fringed. • Upper thigh flat; hocks straight; hindlegs fringed. Dewclaws. • Feet thin and narrow, lacking hair. • Skin thin. • Coat short, harsh, not woolly, not curly. • Colours: Any colour other than those mentioned in the standard. • Overly shy dogs. Disqualifications • Overshot or undershot jaw. • Aggressive dog
Note: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
American Kennel Club (USA)
General Appearance: An archetypic water dog of France, the Barbet is a rustic breed of medium size and balanced proportions which appears in works as early as the 16th century. In profile, the Barbet is slightly rectangular with a substantial head and long, sweeping tail. He has a long, dense covering of curly hair and a distinctive beard (French barbe), which gives the breed its name.
An agile athlete, the Barbet has been used primarily to locate, flush, and retrieve birds. He has a cheerful disposition; very social and loyal.
Size, Proportion, Substance: Height at the withers: Dogs 21 to 24½ inches, Bitches 19 to 22½ inches.
Weight in proportion to height. Proportions - Measured from point of shoulder to buttocks and withers to ground, the Barbet is slightly longer than tall. Exact proportion is not as important as balance. Substance - Neither coarse nor refined, the Barbet is solidly built with adequate bone to perform his tasks as a true sporting dog.
Head: Of great importance, the head is strong, broad, and proportionally large. Expression is bright, engaging. Eyes of medium size, nearly round in shape, dark hazel to dark brown, harmonizing with the coat color. Eye rims are fully pigmented, corresponding to coat (black for black, black pied or gray dogs; brown for brown or brown pied dogs. Fawn dogs may have either black or brown pigmentation). Ears are wide and are set at eye level. Ear leather reaching at least to the corner of the mouth and fully covered with long hair. Skull is rounded and broad. Occiput is not prominent. Stop is defined, neither abrupt nor sloping. Head planes are nearly parallel. The muzzle is shorter than the skull and is quite square. Bridge of nose is broad. Lower jaw fairly square and strong. Jaws of equal length. The nose is large, with well opened nostrils, fully pigmented in harmony with coat color. Lips are thick, fully pigmented. Flews are tight. Scissors bite, teeth large and strong.
Neck, Topline and Body: Neck is strong, blending well into the body. Back is solid with well sustained level topline, loin is short and slightly arched, croup rounded. The tail is the natural extension of the topline, long and low set. When in motion the tail is carried above horizontal in a sweeping curve but does not curl onto the back. The tail is never docked. Body is athletic with substance, chest is broad, well-developed, deep, reaching the elbow; ribs rounded but not barrellike, underline slightly inclined without tuck-up.
Forequarters: Emphasis is on balance. Shoulders are well laid back and approximately the same length as the upper arm, placing the front legs well under the chest with elbows close to the body. Legs are straight and strong; well boned. Pasterns are strong and flexible. Front dewclaws may be removed. Feet are round, and toes are tight, well-arched. Pads thick.
Hindquarters: Angulation balances with forequarters. Upper thigh is well muscled, stifle well bent, second thigh is well developed, hocks well let-down, short and perpendicular to ground; without dewclaws. Feet same as front. Coat: The coat of the Barbet is his defining characteristic. Profuse hair covers the whole body evenly with thick, natural curls that range from large and loose to tight, smaller curls. The hair on the top of the head reaches the bridge of the nose. He has a distinctive beard. Ears are covered in long hair. The coat is shown in as natural a state as possible; clean and free from mats. The hair is to retain curl. While scissoring is necessary to keep him neat, excessive sculpting and shaping is to be penalized.
Color: All shades of black, gray, brown, fawn; with or without white markings. Pied (primarily white with all shades of black, gray, brown, fawn markings). Gait: Easy, ground-covering trot with good front reach and impulsion from hindquarters with precise cadence. Feet converge toward the centerline with increased speed. Topline remains level and carriage is smart.
Temperament: The Barbet is a responsive, loving member of the family. Joyful, bright, and kindly natured, he is a versatile sporting dog and willing participant in many activities. The sensitive Barbet responds to positive interaction and training, and displays an even temperament.