Working Group
Over sight.
The Boarhound is not a new breed and is made up of existing Great Danes that qualify under the Boarhound breed standards. Long before the Great Dane was called the Great Dane or German Mastiff they were simply known as Boarhounds and existed for the use of hunting wild boar and other large game animals. The Boarhounds of those days where smaller than the show dogs that have been bred today because they had to be functional in hunting wild boar. A dog of great size was a down fall in the hunting of wild boar and great size would greatly hinder the dog's ability to run down and capture wild boar in the heavily wooded forests of Europe. A dog of great size would also be more prone to bone and muscle injuries while performing the everyday task of running down and capturing wild boar. Bailing or baying of a wild boar is not an excepted trait in a Boarhound. The Boarhound should be a fearless finder and holder or wild boar and should never bail or bay a wild boar no matter the size or aggressiveness of the boar. Any current Great Dane can be registered as a Boarhound, but it must first and foremost be used and proven in the hunting of wild boar. Any Great Dane that is not used in hunting wild boar will not be excepted for registry. Any new Great Dane dog or dam that is not from registered Boarhounds parents must be submitted to a private committee to prove the dog is an active and proven boar hunting dog. This is so that no nonhunting Danes can ever be falsely registered as Boarhounds.

General Appearance
The Boarhound combines, in its regal appearance, dignity, strength and elegance with great size and a powerful, well-formed, smoothly muscled body. It is one of the giant working breeds, but is unique in that its general conformation must be so well balanced that it never appears clumsy, and shall move with a long reach and powerful drive. A Boarhound must be spirited, courageous, never timid; always friendly and dependable. This physical and mental combination is the characteristic which gives the Boarhound the majesty possessed by no other breed. It is particularly true of this breed that there is an impression of great masculinity in dogs, as compared to an impression of femininity in bitches. Lack of true Boarhound breed type, as defined in this standard, is a serious fault.

Size, Proportion, Substance
The male should appear more massive throughout than the bitch, with larger frame and heavier bone. In the ratio between length and height, the Boarhound should be square. In bitches, a somewhat longer body is permissible, providing she is well proportioned to her height. Coarseness or lack of substance are equally undesirable. The male shall not be more than 32 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that he be 28 inches or more, providing he is well proportioned to his height. The female shall not be more than 32 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that she be 27 inches or more, providing she is well proportioned to her height. Boarhounds under minimum height must be disqualified. Boarhounds over maximum height should be seen as a fault, but the dogs boar hunting ability should be of the highest priority over size and build.

Head
The head shall be rectangular, long, distinguished, expressive, finely chiseled, especially below the eyes. Seen from the side, the Boarhounds forehead must be sharply set off from the bridge of the nose, (a strongly pronounced stop). The plane of the skull and the plane of the muzzle must be straight and parallel to one another. The skull plane under and to the inner point of the eye must slope without any bony protuberance in a smooth line to a full square jaw with a deep muzzle (fluttering lips are undesirable). The masculinity of the male is very pronounced in structural appearance of the head. The bitch’s head is more delicately formed. Seen from the top, the skull should have parallel sides and the bridge of the nose should be as broad as possible. The cheek muscles should not be prominent. The length from the tip of the nose to the center of the stop should be equal to the length from the center of the stop to the rear of the slightly developed occiput. The head should be angular from all sides and should have flat planes with dimensions in proportion to the size of the Boarhound. Whiskers may be trimmed or left natural. Eyes shall be medium size, deep set, and dark, with a lively intelligent expression. The eyelids are almond-shaped and relatively tight, with well developed brows. Haws and mongolian eyes are serious faults. In harlequins, the eyes should be dark; light colored eyes, eyes of different colors and walleyes are permitted but not desirable. Ears shall be high set, medium in size and of moderate thickness, folded forward close to the cheek. The top line of the folded ear should be level with the skull. If cropped with a length which does not exceed 50% of the front edge of the auricle of the natural ear. Nose shall be black, except in the blue Boarhound, where it is a dark blue-black. A black spotted nose is permitted on the harlequin; a pink colored nose is not desirable. A split nose is a disqualification. Teeth shall be strong, well developed, clean and with full dentition. The incisors of the lower jaw touch very lightly the bottoms of the inner surface of the upper incisors (scissors bite). An undershot jaw is a very serious fault. Overshot or wry bites are serious faults. Even bites, misaligned or crowded incisors are minor faults.

Neck, Topline, Body
The neck shall be firm, high set, well arched, long and muscular. From the nape, it should gradually broaden and flow smoothly into the withers. The neck underline should be clean. Withers shall slope smoothly into a short level back with a broad loin. The chest shall be broad, deep and well muscled. The forechest should be well developed without a pronounced sternum. The brisket extends to the elbow, with well sprung ribs. The body underline should be tightly muscled with a well-defined tuck-up. The croup should be broad and very slightly sloping. The tail should be set high and smoothly into the croup, but not quite level with the back, a continuation of the spine. The tail should be broad at the base, tapering uniformly down to the hock joint. At rest, the tail should fall straight. When excited or running, it may curve slightly, but never above the level of the back. A ring or hooked tail is a serious fault. A docked tail is a disqualification.

Forequarters
The forequarters, viewed from the side, shall be strong and muscular. The shoulder blade must be strong and sloping, forming, as near as possible, a right angle in its articulation with the upper arm. A line from the upper tip of the shoulder to the back of the elbow joint should be perpendicular. The ligaments and muscles holding the shoulder blade to the rib cage must be well developed, firm and securely attached to prevent loose shoulders. The shoulder blade and the upper arm should be the same length. The elbow should be one-half the distance from the withers to the ground. The strong pasterns should slope slightly. The feet should be round and compact with well-arched toes, neither toeing in, toeing out, nor rolling to the inside or outside. The nails should be short, strong and as dark as possible, except that they may be lighter in harlequins. Dewclaws may or may not be removed.

Hindquarters
The hindquarters shall be strong, broad, muscular and well angulated, with well let down hocks. Seen from the rear, the hock joints appear to be perfectly straight, turned neither toward the inside nor toward the outside. The rear feet should be round and compact, with well-arched toes, neither toeing in nor out. The nails should be short, strong and as dark as possible, except they may be lighter in harlequins. Wolf claws are a serious fault.

Coat
The coat shall be short, thick and clean with a smooth glossy appearance.

Color, Markings and Patterns
Brindle--The base color shall be yellow gold and always brindled with strong black cross stripes in a chevron pattern. A black mask is preferred. Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows, and may appear on the ears and tail tip. The more intensive the base color and the more distinct and even the brindling, the more preferred will be the color. Too much or too little brindling are equally undesirable. White markings at the chest and toes, black-fronted, dirty colored brindles are not desirable.

Fawn--The color shall be yellow gold with a black mask. Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows, and may appear on the ears and tail tip. The deep yellow gold must always be given the preference. White markings at the chest and toes, black-fronted dirty colored fawns are not desirable.

Blue--The color shall be a pure steel blue. White markings at the chest and toes are not desirable.

Black--The color shall be a glossy black. White markings at the chest and toes are not desirable.

Harlequin--Base color shall be pure white with black torn patches irregularly and well distributed over the entire body; a pure white neck is preferred. The black patches should never be large enough to give the appearance of a blanket, nor so small as to give a stippled or dappled effect. Eligible, but less desirable, are a few small gray patches, or a white base with single black hairs showing through, which tend to give a salt and pepper or dirty effect.

Mantle--The color shall be black and white with a solid black blanket extending over the body; black skull with white muzzle; white blaze is optional; whole white collar is preferred; a white chest; white on part or whole of forelegs and hind legs; white tipped black tail. A small white marking in the blanket is acceptable, as is a break in the white collar. Any variance in color or markings as described above shall be faulted to the extent of the deviation.

Special note on Boarhound colors--The Boarhounds hunting ability should be held over any color. Mismarked Boarhounds with the base colors mentioned above will be excepted for registry as long as they are approved by the private committee or from registered Boarhound parents.

Gait
The gait denotes strength and power with long, easy strides resulting in no tossing, rolling or bouncing of the topline or body. The backline shall appear level and parallel to the ground. The long reach should strike the ground below the nose while the head is carried forward. The powerful rear drive should be balanced to the reach. As speed increases, there is a natural tendency for the legs to converge toward the centerline of balance beneath the body. There should be no twisting in or out at the elbow or hock joints.

Temperament
The Boarhound must be spirited, courageous, always friendly and dependable, and never timid or aggressive. Special note--- Bailing or baying of a hog no matter the size is not excepted in the Boarhound.

Disqualifications
Any Boarhound that bails or bays a wild boar is a disqualification.
Boarhounds under minimum height.
Split nose. Docked Tail.
Any color other than those described under "Color, Markings and Patterns."
Any dog not used and proven in the hunting of wild boar.
Any genetic illness of fault that could effect the dogs hunting ability or effect the ability of future Boarhounds.