GENERAL APPERANCE

Robust medium sized, well muscled due to constant activity, distinctive coat.

CHARACTERISTICS

A herding, hunting and fishing dog with well-developed sense of smell, sight and sound. Has a great learning capacity and adapts to almost all situations.

TEMPERAMENT

Faithful, obedient, brave, good-tempered and gay.

HEAD AND SKULL

Strong and elegant with parallel planes of skull and muzzle. Flat skull, slight stop. Occiput not prominent. Length of eye to back of skull slightly longer than from tip of nose to eye (3:2). Nose should have well open nostrils. Pigmentation of the same colour, or darker than, coat. Corner of lips well defined.

EYES

Medium-sized, oval shaped, neither prominent or sunken. Very expressive. Set slightly obliquely and well apart. Hazel or dark brown, depending on coat colour. Haws not visible.

EARS

Dropped, v-shaped, slightly rounded at tip; medium sized, set slightly above level of the eye.

MOUTH

Strong jaw with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaw, with full dentition.

NECK

Short, muscular and without dewlap. Set well into the shoulders.

FOREQUARTERS

Good angulation of shoulder and upper arm. Well muscled. Elbows set close to body. Legs straight and parallel. Strong but not heavy bone.

BODY

Level back, withers set slightly higher than level of back. Chest deep with well sprung ribs. Brisket reaching to elbows and providing important heart and lung room. Height to elbow about half the height to withers. Slightly longer in body (measured from point of shoulder to point of buttock ) than from withers to ground (9:8).

HINDQUARTERS

Moderately angled. Thighs large and well muscled. Second thighs well developed. Hocks well let down.

FEET

Round, tight. Toenails may vary in colour. Strong pads.

TAIL

Customarily docked or natural bobtail.

Docked: Medium set, when attentive, decidedly raised, preferably never carried above the level of the back

Undocked: Medium set, tapering towards the end. When extended, barely reaching the hock. At rest, carried scimitar-like. When attentive, decidedly raised, preferably never carried above the level of the back. Never curled.

GAIT/MOVEMENT

Brisk, sound and athletic, with powerful drive.

COAT

Always curled of a consistently woolly texture, forming cords when long. May be clipped overall but no aesthetic clip allowed (i.e. coat should be same length all over ).

COLOUR

Solid black, brown or white of various shades; black and white or brown and white (particolour) but never tri-coloured.

SIZE

Height

Dogs 44 – 50 cms (17.5 – 19.5 ins) Bitches 40 – 46 cms (15.5 – 18 ins)

Weight

Dogs 18 – 22 kgs Bitches 14 – 18 kgs

FAULTS

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered as 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.

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