  Kennel Club, London, 1994 GENERAL APPEARANCE: Short, compact body, confidante carriage. Fox-like head with small pointed ears, alert expression, large ruff, well feathered tail curled over back. CHARACTERISTICS: Sturdy, intelligent, adaptable, ideal companion, good guard, shows boldly. TEMPERAMENT: Bold, alert, friendly with marked guarding tendency. HEAD AND SKULL: Well proportioned, wedge shaped when seen from above; from side showing definate stop. Dark muzzle equal to length of flat skull. Neither coarse nor snipey. Nose black. EYES: Dark, medium sized, almond shaped, obliquely set. Well defined 'spectacles' shown as a delicately pencilled line slanting from outer corner of eye to lower corner of ear, coupled with distinct markings and shadings forming expresive short eyebrows. EARS: Dark, small, ivy leafed in shape. Erect, velvety texture. Well set on head, neither too wide nor meeting. MOUTH: Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Lips black. NECK: Moderately long and arched, covered with a thick, profuse coat forming a large ruff. FOREQUARTERS: Shoulders well sloped. Straight front of medium width with good bone. BODY: Short, compact; length from withers to tail equal to height ot withers, well sprung in rib. Good depth of brisket. HINDQUARTERS: Strong muscled, hindlegs straight when viewed from behind. Hock showing slight angulation when viewed from the side, profuse light coloured trousers down to the hocks. FEET: Well padded, round, cat-like, tight, cream in colour, black nails. TAIL: Moderately long, high set, tightly curled over back, double curl highly desirable. Light plume on top where curled, with black tip, carried closely at all times. GAIT/MOVEMENT: Clean, brisk, straight and sharp. COAT: Harsh, off standing, straight. Dense ruff, well feathered on forelegs and profuse trousers, not feathered below hock. Soft, thick, light coloured (not tawny) undercoat. Never silky, wavy or wooly, nor forming a parting on back. COLOUR: A mixture of grey and black. Undercoat very pale grey or cream (not tawny). All shades of grey acceptable, body hairs black tipped. Shoulder markings well defined and all markings definate. Forelegs and hocks cream with no black below wrist or hock. Pencilling acceptable. SIZE: Ideal height - Dogs 45.7 cm (18 ins); Bitches 43.2 cm (17 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. NOTE: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. Non Sporting Group ANKC copywrite January 1998 |
