Head & Skull
Strong and in good proportion to the rest of the body, so the appearance of balance is maintained. Expression--Keen, direct, full of life and intelligence.
Skull: Flat, moderately broad, gradually narrowing to the eyes. Shallow stop; length from nose to stop is slightly shorter than the distance from stop to occiput. The nose must be black and fully pigmented.
Jaws
Upper and lower are of fair and punishing strength. Teeth are large with complete dentition in a perfect scissors bite, i.e., upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and teeth set square to the jaws.
Eyes
Almond shaped, dark in color, moderate in size, not protruding. Dark rims are desirable. Keen expression.
Button ear. Small "V" shaped drop ears of moderate thickness carried forward close to the head with the tip so as to cover the orifice and pointing toward the eye. Fold is level with the top of the skull or slightly above. When alert, ear tips do not extend below the corner of the eye.
Neck
Clean and muscular, moderately arched, of fair length, gradually widening so as to blend well into the shoulders.
TopLine
Strong, straight, and level in motion, the loin slightly arched.
Forequarters
Shoulders--Long and sloping, well laid back, cleanly cut at the withers. Point of shoulder sits in a plane behind the point of the prosternum. The shoulder blade and upper arm are of approximately the same length; forelegs are placed well under the dog. Elbows-- hang perpendicular to the body, working free of the sides. Legs are strong and straight with good bone. Joints turn neither in nor out. Pasterns--firm and nearly straight. Feet-- Round, cat-like, very compact, the pads thick and tough, the toes moderately arched pointing forward, turned neither in nor out.
Body
in overall length to height proportion, the dog appears approximately square and balanced. The back is neither short nor long. The back gives no appearance of slackness but is laterally flexible, so that he may turn around in an earth. Tuck-up is moderate. Chest--Narrow and of moderate depth, giving and athletic rather than heavily-chested appearance; must be flexible and compressible. The ribs are fairly well sprung, oval rather than round, not extending past the level of the elbow.
Color
White, white with black or tan markings, or a combination of these, tri-color. Colors are clear. Markings are preferably confined to the head and root of tail. Heavy body markings are not desirable. Grizzle is acceptable and should not be confused with brindle. Disqualification--Brindle markings.
Longevity range: from 10 to 15 years old.
