Bolognese

General Information - Bolognese

History

Its origins are confused with those of the Maltese, because its distant ancestors are the same little dogs mentioned in Latin by Aristotle (384-322 BC) under the denomination of "canes melitenses". Already known in the Roman era, the Bolognese appears most especially among the much appreciated gifts made during a whole era by the powerful of that time. Cosimo De Medici (1389-1464) brought no less than eight to Brussels as gifts to as many Belgian noblemen. Philipe II, King of Spain from 1556 to 1598, after having received two as a gift from the Duke d'Este, thanked the donor in writing saying "that these two little dogs are the most royal gifts one can make to an emperor". Bolognese are represented in paintings of Titian, of Pierre Breughel called le Vieux and Goya.  

Temperament

The Bolognese is a delightful companion dog that bonds strongly with its human family; it is a serious and even-tempered dog that is very affectionate and intelligent.  

Upkeep

Although small, the Bolognese is an active dog and needs daily exercise. Its needs can be met with a vigorous indoor game or, better, a romp in the yard or a short walk on leash. The white powder-puff coat needs brushing and combing every other day, plus scissoring and trimming every two months. It doesn't shed, but the loose hairs become entangled in the coat and can mat. It may be difficult to keep white in some areas. This is not a dog that should live outdoors.

Bolognese

A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions and exaggerations, as well as being mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

Breed Standard - Bolognese

Origin: Italy.

Brief Historical Summary: Its origins are confused with those of the Maltese, because its distant ancestors are the same little dogs mentioned in Latin by Aristotle (384-322 BC) under the denomination of « canes melitenses ». Already known in the Roman era, the Bolognese appears most especially among the very appreciated gifts which were made during a whole era by the powerful of that world. Cosimo de Medici (1389-1464) brought no less than eight to Brussels as gifts to as many Belgian noblemen. Philipe II, king of Spain from 1556 to 1598, after having received two as a gift from the Duke d’Este, thanks the donor in writing saying « that these two little dogs are the most royal gifts one can make to an emperor ». Bolognese are represented in paintings of Titian, of Pierre Breughel called le Vieux and Goya.

General Appearance: Small size, stocky and compact, covered with a pure white coat, long and fluffy.

Important Proportions: Square built, the length of the body being equal to the height at the withers.

Head: Of medium length reaching 1/3 of the height at the withers. Its width, measured at the level of the zygomatic arches is the same as its length.

Cranial Region

Skull: Of slightly ovoid (egg:shaped) shape in the sagittal direction and rather flat in its upper part, has rather convex sides; the protuberances of the frontal bones are well developed - The longitudinal axes of the skull and muzzle are parallel; the frontal furrow is only slightly accentuated and the occipital protuberance only slightly marked. The length of the skull is slightly more than that of the muzzle.

Stop: Rather accentuated.

Facial Region

Nose: On the same line as the topline of the muzzle; seen in profile, its front side is on the vertical. Is large and must be black.

Muzzle: Its length is equal to 2/5 of the length of the head; the topline of the muzzle is straight and the sides of the muzzle are paralell, so that the forepart of the muzzle is almost square. The lower orbital region is well chiselled.

Lips: Upper lips being hardly developed in depth, they do not cover the bottom lips, and the lower profile of the muzzle is determined by the lower jaw.

Eyes: Set on an almost frontal plan; well opened, of superior to normal in size. Eyelid opening is round; the eyeball must not be prominent; the white of the eye is not visible. The rims of the eyelids must be black, and the iris of a dark ochre colour.

Ears: High set, they are long and hanging, but rather rigid at their base, so that the upper part of the external ear is detached from the skull, giving thus the impression of the head being larger than it really is.

Neck: Without dewlap; its length is equal to the length of the head.

Body: The dog being of a square construction, the length of the body, measured from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock bone is equal to that of the height at the withers.

Chest: Ample, let down to level of elbows, with well sprung ribs, the height reaching almost half of the height at the withers.
Underline: Following the profile of the sternum, then rises slightly towards the belly.

Tail: Set in the line of the croup, carried curved over the back.

Limbs

Forequarters: Considered on the whole, they are perfectly straight and parallel in relation to the median plane of the body.

Hindquarters: Considered on the whole and viewed from the back, they must follow from the point of the buttock bone to the ground a perfectly vertical line: they are parallel to each other.

Hocks: The distance from the point of the hock to the ground is slightly less than a third of the height at the withers.

Gait / Movement: Free, energetic, with a noble and distinguished head carriage.

Hair: Long all over the body, from head to tail, from the top line to the feet. It is shorter on the muzzle. Rather fluffy, thus not lying flat, but in flocks; never forms fringes.

Colour: Pure white, without any patches nor any shades of white.
                              Weight - from 2,5 to 4 kg. (5.5 to 8.75lb)

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.

• Strabismus (Squinting).

Serious Faults:

• Accentuated convergence or divergence of the upper longitudinal axes.
• Convex muzzle (Roman nose).
• Prognathism, if it alters the outer look of the muzzle.
• Size under 25 cm and more than 33 cm in the males and under 22 cm or more than 32 cm in females.

Very Serious Faults:

• Depigmentation of the nose.
• Nose of any other colour than black.
• Undershot mouth.
• Bilateral depigmentation of the eyelids.
• Wall:eyed.
• Tail less.
• Shortened tail whether natural or artificial.
• Any other colour than white.
• Patches and flecks.

Note: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

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 on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.