Official ICCF Breed Descriptio
Brief Historical Summary
The Billy is a rare French scenthound descended from ancient royal hunting dogs traditionally used for pursuing large game, mainly deer and wild boar. The breed was created in the 19th century in Upper Poitou through the selective work of Gaston Huber, who sought to preserve the qualities of old French white hounds: strength, speed, a clear ringing voice, and the ability to work efficiently in a pack. The Billy combines traits of several extinct lines, including the Ceris hounds and the Montaimboeuf hounds. These dogs were valued for their endurance, their capacity to work across vast territories, and their stable hunting temperament. In the 20th century, the breed nearly disappeared but was revived by dedicated enthusiasts. Today the Billy remains rare, retaining the historical hunting type and its original purpose.
General Appearance
The Billy is a large, elegant yet powerful hound with a dry, strong body and a noble silhouette. The outline is slightly elongated, and movement is light, free, and wide-reaching. The bone is strong but never coarse, the musculature long and well-defined. The head is dry and long, with a noble expression and clean, straight lines. The chest is deep but not overly broad, and the limbs are long and straight, allowing great speed and endurance. The tail is sabre-shaped, carried naturally. The coat is short and dense, highlighting the dry, functional structure of the breed. Overall, the Billy gives the impression of strength, lightness, and working energy, capable of sustained movement across difficult terrain.
Important Proportions
The breed’s proportions emphasize its purpose as a hound designed for prolonged hunting. Height significantly exceeds body length, creating a light, elongated outline without excessive stretch. The chest is deep, reaching the elbows, providing sufficient lung capacity for long-distance work. The head represents about 40% of the dog’s height and must retain balanced proportions, with the muzzle and skull being roughly equal in length. The limbs are long, dry, and well-angled, ensuring a wide stride and stability at high speed. The topline is straight and firm. The tail continues the line of the body without disturbing the silhouette. All proportions must highlight speed, endurance, and elegance typical of a French hunting hound.
Behavior and Temperament
The Billy is an active, energetic, and even-tempered hound with a pronounced hunting instinct and high working capacity. Key traits include persistence, courage, and the ability to work for long periods within a pack while maintaining concentration and speed. The breed is independent in its thinking but interacts well with the handler when properly trained. Aggression is uncharacteristic; the dog is friendly, tolerant, and easily coexists with other hounds. At home it is calm, affectionate, and gentle. During the hunt, it is focused, determined, and enduring, with a well-developed sense of smell and a loud, clear voice. The temperament is stable, without excessive excitability or timidity. The Billy is a working dog with strong instincts and a balanced character.
Head
The head of the Billy is long, dry, and noble, reflecting its descent from old French hounds. The skull is slightly convex and of medium width, with a moderately long forehead. The stop is slight, smooth, yet clearly distinguishable. The muzzle is long and straight, tapering slightly towards the nose while retaining dryness and correct proportions. The nose is large and well-pigmented, usually black or dark, though brown pigmentation may appear in lighter dogs. The lips are thin, dry, and tightly fitting, without flews. The jaws are strong, with a scissor bite. The overall expression is noble, gentle, and ready for work. The head must remain refined but never weak, maintaining a perfect balance of strength and elegance.
Facial Region
The facial region of the Billy is characterized by a long, dry, clean-lined muzzle. The nasal bridge is straight, and the nose is large and well-pigmented. The muzzle narrows harmoniously toward the nose while maintaining sufficient width for strong jaws, never becoming coarse. The lips are thin and close-fitting, emphasizing the dry outline of the head. The jaws are strong and even, ensuring a secure grip. The cheeks are flat, contributing to the clean elegance of the head. The facial region should reflect the type of a French hound: expressiveness, lightness, and functional refinement. Heavy muzzles, pendulous lips, weak pigmentation, or coarse features are unacceptable.
Eyes
The Billy’s eyes are medium-sized, oval, and moderately wide-set, giving a calm, soft, and attentive expression. Eye color ranges from dark amber to dark brown, always harmonizing with the coat. Lighter eyes are undesirable as they disrupt the noble and balanced type. Eyelids are tight and well-pigmented, forming a clean, clear eye contour. The expression is intelligent, composed, yet alert, reflecting the breed’s hunting temperament. Round, prominent, oversized eyes or insufficient pigmentation of the eyelids are faults. Correct eyes enhance the breed’s expressiveness and highlight its historical hunting purpose.
Ears
The ears of the Billy are long, narrow, thin, and set low, beginning approximately at eye level. They hang freely in graceful folds and reach at least the midpoint of the muzzle or lower. The ears are soft to the touch and covered with short, fine hair. Their shape underscores the noble appearance of the breed and contributes to the characteristic profile of a French hound. Short, high-set, thick, or malformed ears are unacceptable. The ear set must accentuate the length and clean lines of the head, maintaining smooth and elegant contours. Correct ears enhance breed type and reflect its calm and balanced temperament.
Neck
The neck of the Billy is long, dry, elegant yet muscular, forming a noble profile and allowing free movement during fast pursuit. The upper neck line is slightly arched, emphasizing the harmonious silhouette. The skin is tight; a slight dewlap may appear, as is typical in some French hounds, but it must not be heavy or excessive. The neck blends smoothly into the withers and shoulder assembly, providing ease and endurance in movement. Short, coarse, overly massive, or weak necks disturb the breed’s balance and are considered faults. The correct neck expresses both strength and elegance, essential for a dog designed for sustained high-speed hunting.
Body
The body of the Billy is elongated, dry, and strong, emphasizing its ability to work at high speed over long distances. The topline is straight and stable, without sway; the withers are moderately pronounced and transition into a long, firm back. The loin is slightly arched, muscular but not coarse, providing flexibility and power. The croup is long, slightly sloping, and well developed, contributing to powerful rear propulsion. The chest is deep but not overly broad; the ribs are moderately sprung, ensuring ample lung capacity. The abdomen is tucked up, emphasizing the breed’s dry, athletic type. The body must convey lightness, endurance, and harmony while preserving the noble outline of a French hound.
Tail
The tail of the Billy is long, sabre-shaped, and set moderately high, forming a natural continuation of the topline. At rest the tail hangs downward with a slight curve; in motion it is carried higher but must never be vertical or curled. It is covered with short, dense coat, emphasizing the breed’s elegance and dry structure. Faults include tails that are too short, broken, overly high-set, or curled. The correct tail reflects balance, lightness, and working purpose, maintaining clean lines of the silhouette. In movement, the tail contributes to balance and coordination, especially at high speeds during pursuit.
Forequarters
The forequarters of the Billy are straight, long, and dry, with strong bone that is never coarse. The shoulders are long, well-laid back, and lie close to the body, allowing a wide stride and freedom of movement. The upper arm is long and forms a correct angle with the shoulder, producing amplitude and smoothness of action. The elbows point straight back, lie close to the chest, and do not turn in or out. The forearms are straight, dry, muscular, and uniform in thickness. The pasterns are slightly sloping, strong, and flexible, supporting speed and long-term exertion. Weak pasterns, narrow fronts, soft joints, or insufficient bone are faults. The forequarters must ensure lightness, speed, and precision.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters of the Billy are long, dry, and powerful, providing strong propulsion and fast movement. The thighs are long and well-developed but not heavy; the musculature is elongated and well-defined. The lower thighs are strong and of moderate length, forming a functional and well-angulated stifle, allowing efficient and fast movement. The hocks are low-set, clear, and firm, ensuring stability and agility when pursuing game. The hind legs are parallel when viewed from behind, neither close nor wide. The feet are compact and strong, with thick pads suitable for prolonged work. Straight stifles, weak joints, narrow stance, or insufficient musculature are unacceptable, as they reduce speed and endurance.
Gait / Movement
The Billy exhibits free, flexible, and energetic movement typical of large French hounds. The trot is light, even, with wide reach in the forequarters and powerful thrust from the hindquarters. The movement must be straight, stable, and efficient, without side-stepping, rolling, or imbalance. As speed increases, the dog shows a long, open stride while maintaining balance and endurance, enabling it to cover vast distances without fatigue. The gallop is fast, collected, and coordinated, with excellent ability to change direction quickly. Stiffness, short stride, crossing, or insufficient reach are serious faults. Correct movement highlights the breed’s working purpose and remarkable stamina.
Coat
The Billy’s coat is short, dense, smooth, and close-fitting, providing protection during long hunts. The undercoat is moderate but sufficiently dense to guard against cold and moisture. The texture must be firm, not soft or silky. The outer coat is uniform in length and emphasizes the dry, elegant structure of the breed. Excessively long, thin, wavy, or sparse hair, or lack of density, are faults. Correct coat quality reflects the breed’s working type, ensuring functionality and preserving clean body lines. The coat should appear healthy, glossy, and true to the breed’s natural hunting purpose.
Acceptable Colors
Acceptable colors include various shades of white—pure white, white with lemon, cream, or fawn shading, and white with faint reddish or grayish markings. Uneven pigmentation of the ears or light body mottling is acceptable as long as the overall appearance remains predominantly white. Large dark patches or extensive color areas that distort the breed’s typical white appearance are not allowed. Pigmentation of the nose, eyelids, and lips must be complete; black is preferred, though dark brown is acceptable. White dogs with diluted or insufficient pigmentation are considered less typical. The color must emphasize the nobility, clean lines, and traditional hunting type of the French hound.
Size
The Billy is classified as a large French hound. Males stand 60–70 cm at the withers; females 58–62 cm. Weight is proportional to height and structure: the dog must remain dry, strong, but never heavy, preserving lightness and elegance of movement. Heavy or overly light types are undesirable, as they compromise the breed’s functionality. The outline is slightly elongated, allowing wide stride and high speed. Size must emphasize working ability, endurance, and the capacity to pursue game over long distances. Balance and proportion are more important than strict measurements.
Faults
Faults include deviations that affect working ability or compromise breed type. Examples include weak bone, narrow chest, insufficient depth of body, weak or overloaded loin. Undesirable features include soft pasterns, poorly angulated limbs, narrow stance, or excessive elongation. Light, prominent, or overly large eyes, weak pigmentation of the nose or eyelids, and short or high-set ears are faults. Coat deviations such as thinness, waviness, excessive softness, or lack of density disrupt breed type. Gait faults such as crossing, side-stepping, insufficient thrust, or stiffness significantly reduce the evaluation. Faults are judged according to their impact on the dog’s working ability.
Disqualifying Faults
Disqualifying faults include any severe deviations compromising breed type or working functionality. Unacceptable traits include aggressive or extremely timid behavior, total depigmentation of the nose, eyelids, or lips, blue eyes, heterochromia, and serious cranial or jaw abnormalities, including incorrect bite. Severe orthopedic defects such as lameness, limb deformities, or nonfunctional joints are grounds for disqualification. Excessively long, soft, wavy, or non-adherent coat is disqualifying. Colors that fall outside the accepted white range, large dark patches, or extensive pigmentation are also grounds for exclusion. Any serious anatomical, behavioral, or pigment anomaly disqualifies the dog from breeding.
Important Notes
In evaluating the breed, judges must take into account its historical purpose as an enduring hound working over great distances and in packs. The exterior should always be assessed through the lens of functionality: lightness, dryness, balanced proportions, and correct movement are essential. Young dogs may appear temporarily angular or less balanced—such age-related features should not unduly affect evaluation if the structure is developing correctly. Pigmentation of the nose, lips, and eyelids must be complete; insufficient pigmentation reduces breed type. Special attention must be paid to movement: it should be confident, wide, and economical. Extremes that compromise elegance or working ability are undesirable.
Conclusion
The Billy is a rare yet highly valuable French hound, combining noble appearance, working energy, and exceptional endurance. The breed preserves the historical qualities of royal hunting hounds: clean lines, a ringing voice, stability, and the ability to pursue game over long distances. Its exterior must highlight functionality: dry outline, strong bone, long limbs, and correct head structure. The temperament should remain balanced, brave, and attentive. Breeding should focus on preserving this rare genetic heritage, maintaining type and working ability. The Billy represents the enduring tradition of French hunting and the harmonious expression of a historic breed.
