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Our Gea:
CAC in Athens Canine Society international show
in May 2003 and Best in Show in the national show
in Hania in June 2003
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GENERAL
CHARACTERISTICS
Primitive chasing hound, lithe, sinewy, athletic,
fast. Prick-eared, smooth-haired, long-legged,
with an elongated, wedge-shaped head and circular
tail. Muscular development powerful, with long
and fine muscles. Nimble, agile, robust, swift,
with quick reflexes and fast gallop, the Cretan
Hound hunts the hare (and the wild rabbit) alone
or in pairs using sight and also scent. Enduring
and effective on all terrains, especially the
rocky and harsh ones where his climbing abilities
come to the fore, he seeks, finds, forces out
from hideout and chases the prey with great
vehemence, hunting prowess and remarkable
agility, able even of capturing it. He gives
"voice" (which is idiomatic: thin,
bemoaning and rather low in volume) at the
sighting of the prey and during the chase. A low-maintenance
animal with moderate needs, strong built and
vigorous nature, he is able to work for long
hours even on the most demanding mountains &
ravines of his birthplace where, in the past, he
also hunted the local wild mountain goat
successfully.
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TEMPERAMENT
& ABILITIES
Alert, intelligent, gentle, on the hunt full of
dash, dare & stamina, persistent, brave and
tireless (diaponos=laborious), at home meek,
obedient, well-mannered, affectionate, graceful.
Towards strangers somewhat reserved, with his
family tender, expressive and devoted, calmly co-existing
with other house pets and farm animals ("parippos"=horse-by;
used to run alongside the riders in antiquity)
and in general the hound's behavior is balanced
and reliable. Slow maturing and highly
instinctive. His senses are remarkably acute and
he has a great degree of perceiving ability,
liveliness and a sharp mind. Attentive, curious
and inquisitive, he is easily trained to visual
commands and distance control. In the ancient
times he was considered best for hunting deer,
wild boar and even the bear. His use for
feathered game is to be avoided completely as it
makes the hound lazy and losing interest, this
task being below his abilities. He is born for
the chase and only through this he reaches the
full physical and mental potential.
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HEAD
Elongated, wedge-shaped, well-chiseled (especially
under the eyes), with skull and muzzle preferably
equal in length. Cranio-facial axles parallel or
very slightly diverging. The top of the skull is
very slightly rounded and broad, like the cheeks
that converge evenly towards the front. The sides
of the skull are slightly rounded off. Cranio-facial
angle (stop) smooth, progressive and shallow,
eyebrows (frontal lobes) moderately developed,
median furrow visible between the eyes and
progressively less towards the top skull,
occipital protuberance only very slightly
noticeable.
Muzzle
Wedge-shaped, with top line of nose straight;
evenly tapering towards the nostrils; the nose
itself is quite large, moist, elastic and with
wide-open nostrils. The nose overhangs the lip
line and is dark-coloured (black or, in brown
dogs, deep chestnut).
Eyes
Medium size, almond-shaped, set so as to look
straight ahead, very slightly oblique. Iris
colour dark, good pigment of eyelids.
Mouth
Jaws strong, full and complete dentition forming
a scissors-like bite (pincher/level bite
tolerated). Teeth well-developed and sound. The
opening of the mouth and the lips is deep. Lips
fine, tight, black (in brown dogs can be brown)
without flaccidity.
Ears
Medium sized, triangular, erect, broad at base,
set high and carried slightly conical to the
front. Pointed to the end and only very slightly
rounded off at the tips. The leathers are fine-skinned,
the muscles very well-developed and the cartilage
strong. The ears are very mobile, vigorous and
tense. Depending on the occasion, the dog moves
the ears turning them to the sides or backwards,
or folding them down on the sides of the neck.
Cropping of the ears is prohibited.
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NECK
Dry, muscular, with a slight arch at the nape.
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FOREQUARTERS
Shoulder blades long, laid-back and muscular
without being loaded. The withers protrude
slightly. Upper arms slightly shorter in length
than the blades. The angle formed at the point of
shoulder is moderate. Legs straight, sinewy,
long, with light but powerful oval bone. Pastern
joints strong but not dilated, pasterns
resilient, elongated and slightly oblique. Feet
large, oval, with long and strong toes, powerful
curved nails and hard, resilient pads.
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BODY
Trunk muscular, long, dry, powerful but not heavy.
Its depth does not quite reach the elbows. Chest
of moderate width, deep enough; fore chest and
sternum not particularly developed in front but
more towards the back and its lower parts.
Ribcage very well-extended to the rear; ribs
arched and, in the area of the elbows, flattened
inwards. The deepest part of the ribcage and
sternum is behind the withers. Back strong,
sinewy, muscular, elongated, straight, forming a
slight curve over the loins. Loin area short,
powerful, muscular and dry. Pelvis long, oblique,
muscular. The upper edges of the hip-bones are
slightly noticeable. The underline of the body is
gracefully retracted high towards the abdomen and
belly, which is dry and muscular.
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HINDQUARTERS
Angulations matching the front and not excessive.
Thighs muscular and developed in width but not so
in thickness, long, flattened and powerful, the
thigh-bones forming with the pelvis an efficient
lever system of muscle attachment and motivation.
The angle formed in the knee-stifle joint is,
ideally, equal to the angle formed between
shoulder & upper arm in the front and in any
case never exaggerated. Stifle long, muscular,
sinewy, dry on its lower part and powerful. Hock
joints well-knit, strong and parallel to each
other. Rear pasterns dry, quite long and
perfectly parallel to each other, without
dewclaws. Feet as in the front.
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TAIL
Set quite low, doesn't reach the hocks. Broad at
base, tapering evenly towards the tip. Carried
upwards in curve, semi-circular or forming a ring
on the back, but without a hook (ankylosis) in
the end. In repose the tail relaxes downwards
without any sign of fracture or side-twist. The
hair is longer underneath. The Cretan Hound used
his tail as a tool of stability and also of
expression. Tail-less, short-tailed or docked
dogs are untypical and therefore disqualified.
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MOVEMENT
Light-footed, easy, fast and graceful strides
with even steps, without crossing of the legs or
feet. From a springy trot at low speed the dog
tends to soon change his gait to a gallop.
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COAT
Skin fine, rather taut, durable, without wrinkles
or looseness, with well-pigmented visible mucous
membranes. Coat smooth, hard, perfectly straight,
dense, very short and fine on the head, the ears
and underneath the body, a bit longer on the
sides of the neck, the buttocks (breeches) and
the tail.
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COLOUR
Desirable patterns:
A. Solid colours (white, off-white, fawn, reddish)
with or without highlights & darker shades.
Spots of white on chest, feet and tail tip
permissible.
B. Bi-color (brindle, brown and tan)
C. Tri-color (brindle or brown & tan with
white markings)
Acceptable patterns:
A. Black
B. Black & white, white & fawn and black
& tan
C. Black & tan with white markings
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SIZE
Height at the withers 52-60 cm for males, 50-58
cm for females. Weight: 15-30 kg, always in
proportion to the size of the dog and in fit
physical condition.
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FAULTS
Any clear deviation from the above desirable
characteristics is a fault, which results in
lower qualifications according to the degree of
the deviation from the ideal and the seriousness
of the fault. More serious faults are those
affecting the efficiency, the behavior and the
expression of the correct breed type.
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NOTE
Male dogs must have two visibly normal testicles
fully descended to the scrotum.
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The
Kennel Club of Greece
2003
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