General Appearance

Medium sized, well muscled. Solid but without being heavy or coarse.

Elegant both standing and moving.

Slightly longer than high, rugged in appearance with a crisp, harsh, semi-long coat and high set ears.

Characteristics:

Lively and alert shepherd dog. Rugged in appearance.

Temperament:

Even tempered, neither aggressive, shy nor nervous. Obedient, fearless, a natural herder and good guard for home and family.

Head and Skull:

In proportion to size of dog. Seen in profile, skull and muzzle of equal length with parallel planes. Foreface delicately chiselled but not pointed. Seen from front, forehead should not be flat but slightly convex, with the furrow between brow ridges blending smoothly into muzzle. Slightly defined stop midway from occiput to nose. Distinct long eyebrows but not covering the eye. Foreface strong with beard and moustache with thin, tight fitting lips. Nose large, black with well opened nostrils.

Eyes:

Horizontally set. Medium size, oval in shape, not prominent. Dark, blending with coat colour, but never lighter than hazel.

Ears:

High set, of moderate size, broad base with slightly rounded tips. Always carried naturally erect.

Mouth:

Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. Upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck:

Clean, strong and muscular. Of moderate length, blending smoothly into the shoulders, to allow proud head carriage.

Forequarters:

Shoulders long and sloping. Elbows well under and close to body. Forearms straight and well muscled. Pasterns sloping slightly.

Body:

Length of the body, from point of shoulder to point of buttock should be marginally longer than the height at the withers. Bitches proportionately slightly longer than dogs.

Chest:

Reaches elbow which is equidistant from withers and ground. Level topline with well sprung ribs, strong loin and slightly sloping croup. Underline with slight tuck up.

Hindquarters:

Well muscled, moderately angulated. Hind feet positioned just behind a perpendicular line dropped from the point of the rump. Hindlegs parallel when viewed from behind.

Feet:

Rounded, short and compact. Firm pads. Dark nails

Tail:

Reaching at least to the hock, with slight curve at tip. May be carried high but never over the back. Coat on tail of same length and texture as on body.

Gait/Movement:

Fluid, effortless and free, with moderate reach, covering the ground efficiently.

Coat:

Harsh, neither flat nor curled. Crisp to the touch with fine, dense undercoat. Semi-long (5-6cm over all the body including the tail).

Colour:

Fawn – with or without dark overlay

Brindle – Slight white mark on forechest and end of feet permitted

Large white patches undesirable.

Size:

Dogs: 60 – 65cms (23½ -25½ ins)

Bitches: 55 – 60cms (21¾ – 23½ ins).

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 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.