Glossary

The following terms are an integral part of the Great Pyrenees Standard. As such, an informed interpretation of the Standard and the Standard Visualization and Commentary requires that each of us share a common and accurate definition of the technical terms used.

The American Kennel Club has identified Harold R. Spira's book, Canine Terminology, to be the official source of AKC standard terminology definition and standardization. The following definitions are quoted from Canine Terminology:

ARM, UPPER - The anatomical region between the shoulder and elbow joints, consisting of the humerus and associated muscles.

BACK - That portion of the topline commencing from a point just behind the withers and ending at the loins/croup junction.

BACKLINE - That portion of the entire topline of a dog, beginning at the rear end of the withers and ending at the tail.

BACKSKULL - The skull . . .. Includes the brain case [backskull] as well as the facial/palatine segment of the foreface [muzzle]. . .. The words "backskull" or "topskull" are used . . . in reference to the brain case, i.e., the area behind the foreface.

BRISKET - Mostly taken as a synonym for breast bone or sternum.

BUTTOCKS - The muscular area surrounding the ischiatic tubers of the pelvis. Above, the buttocks merge into the croup, whilst below they blend with the upper thigh region.

CROOK [SHEPHERD'S] - Used to describe the terminal swirl in the tail.

CROUP - The muscular area above and around the set-on of the tail.

CROWN - Dome, topskull . . .. The roof of the brain case.

DEWCLAWS, FRONT - The rather under-developed, degenerate first metacarpal bone and associated phalanges, located on the inner surface of the pastern region.

DEWCLAWS, REAR - Wolf's claw, spur . . .. The rudimentary first metatarsal bone and associated phalanges are located on the innermost surface of the rear pastern.

DEWLAP - The loose, pendulous skin, usually arranged in folds, on the chin, throat and neck regions of some breeds, e.g., Bloodhound, Basset Hound.

ELBOW - The joint in the forelimb created by the articulation of the humerus (arm) above and the tibia/fibula (forearm) below.

EYEBROW RIDGES/BROWS - Superciliary arches or [supraorbital] ridges . . .. The ridges formed above the eyes by frontal bone contours.

FEATHERING - Flag, fringe, fringing, plume. These terms apply variously to longish coat on the . . ., belly, back of legs and tail.

FEET, CLOSE-CUPPED - Round, compact foot with well-arched toes, tightly bunched [cat feet] . . .. The two center toes being only slightly longer than those on the outside or inside. . .. The impression left by such a foot is round, in contrast to oval.

FLANK - The fleshy area near the junction of abdominal floor and hindquarters.

FOREARM - Lower arm . . .. That area of the forequarters lying between the elbow above and the wrist below: comprised of . . . radius and ulna plus supporting muscles, tendons, etc.

FOREFACE - That portion of the skull in front of the brain case [backskull]; also referred to as the muzzle.

FURROW - Median line, flute . . . longitudinal groove, formed by bone formation and/or muscular development, running along from the center of the skull, i.e., the frontal bone junction, towards the stop [between the eyes].

HOCK JOINT - A joint on the hind limb, located between the lower thigh and rear pastern.

LOIN - The lumbar area, extending from the end of the ribcage to the start of the pelvis.

MANE - Longish, usually fairly coarse hair arising from the ridge of the neck, then falling over to one side.

MUZZLE - That portion of the skull in front of the brain case. [Also referred to as foreskull or foreface.]

NECK - That section of the body between the head and shoulder region.

OBLIQUELY PLACED EYES - Eyes with outer corners situated . . . [lower] in the skull than their respective inner ones, i.e., the transverse axes of which run obliquely in relation to the skull's longitudinal axis, are termed "obliquely placed."

OCCIPUT - The occipital crest is the ridge formed by the occipital bone at the back of the skull where it joins with the parietal bones on either side. . .. The highest and rearmost part of the occipital crest is known as the occiput.

PANTALOONS/TROUSERS - Longish hair at the back of both upper and lower thighs.

PASTERN - Metacarpus . . .. The region between the carpus (wrist) above, and the digits (foot) below [on the front legs].

PASTERNS, REAR - Metatarsus . . .. That section between the hock joint above and the foot below [on the rear legs]. Often incorrectly termed the "hock."

PLUME - A tuft of long hairs in the shape of a plume on the tail.

RIBCAGE/RIBS - The series of flat, narrow, elongated bones forming the chest wall.

RIBS, SPRING OF - A reference to the shape of ribs after their emergence from their articulation with the thoracic vertebrae. Spring of rib has direct influence upon chest capacity.

RUFF - A collar of profuse, stand-offish, rather long and often coarsely textured hair about the neck. . .. The term ruff, or neck ruff, includes the whole neck area, i.e., mane, frill and upper part of apron, in contrast to mane, which consists of hair arising only from the top ridge.

SHOULDER - The top section of the fore leg, extending from the withers above to the elbow, including the upper arm. The true shoulder region's bony component is the shoulder blade (scapula).

SHOULDER, POINT OF THE - Articulation of scapula [shoulder blade] with humerus [arm].

STIFLE - Knee joint, stifle joint . . .. A joint in the hind leg, formed by the articulation of upper and lower thighs. . . "hindquarter angulation" . . . relates directly to the angle formed at this joint.

STOP - A depression or step down in the topline of the head, situated almost centrally between the eyes, at the junction of the frontal bones of the skull with those of the upper jaw (maxilla) nose (nasal bones) in front.

SUBSTANCE - Timber . . .. Used in reference to bone, particularly leg bone.

SUPRAORBITAL RIDGES - See "Eyebrow Ridges."

THIGH - Upper thigh, shank . . .. The anatomical region between the hip joint above and the stifle below.

TUCK-UP - The appearance produced by the abdomen's underline as it sweeps upwards into the flank and/or hindquarters region.

WHEEL, MAKING THE - Characteristic tail carriage of the Pyrenean Mountain Dog when excited. In repose, the tail . . . is carried low . . .. When interested it is raised, and when fully alerted it is curled high above the back in a circle. This action of circle formation is referred to as "making the wheel" ["arroundera" in French].

WITHERS - Anatomically, the region of union between the upper portion of the shoulder blade on the one hand and the spinous processes of the first and second thoracic vertebrae on the other. Topographically, the withers are located just behind the base of the neck at the neck/back junction; a significant area, as a dog's height is measured from this location.

Words or comments enclosed in [ ] are GPCA editorial additions to Spira.

For a more complete definition and/or illustration of the terminology, please refer to the original copyrighted source:
Canine Terminology, (1982 ed.)
Author: Harold R. Spira
Macmillan Publishing Company
866 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022-0299

The Glossary's quotation of copyrighted materials from Canine Terminology is done by written permission of Macmillan Publishing Company.