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Intelligent with a varminty, alert expression, holding a proud carraige, having loyal, obedient characteristics. Capable of great endurance tests followed with speed, a racy working dog.
Fault: Shy, aggressive, laid back
HEAD
Elongated blunt well chiselled wedge shape- as seen from side profile and in balance to the body. Flat skull with slight stop, dry, showing no wrinkles, equal in length to muzzle and to widest part of skull width. Muzzle line parrallel to top line of skull. Small neat ear (leather) carraige that can be erect but normally dropped. Well filled out under the eyes with flat cheeks. Strong underjaw, no loose flews.
Fault: Broad head (skully), bumpy skull, cheeky (wide), snipey (narrow), down-faced, head & nose not equal/parrallel, dish-faced (like an arab horse). Flying/hound ears, mis-aligned/lobsided jaw.
EYES
Moderately deeply set almond shaped eye lids. Darker shades more desirable with uniform colour of iris.
Faults: Eyes lighter than markings in any colour, round or prominent (bulging).
MOUTH
Strong, well developed with 42 canine teeth (20 upper, 22 lower) evenly placed and complete in a regular scissor bite, top overlapping no more than a 2mm gap.
Fault: Overshot (pig jaw), level bite, undershot (wry) with dissarranged or missing teeth, jowly. Large flews (lippy).
NECK
Slightly convexed, clean cut, muscular, long, lean and in proportion to the shape of the dog.
Well developed fore chest (not overdone, as this restricts front moving reach) and deep brisket. Length of shoulder blade from tip of scapula should meet at an angle of 90% to the upper arm and both should be equal in length. Legs should have round bone, be well muscled and in proportion with the rest of the body, be straight and parrallel to each other from elbow- that lie close to brisket down to pastern.
Faults: Straight or short upper arm, Elbows out, bent legs, loose pastern. Broad and over done forechest which minimises front reach on the move. Loaded shoulders, paddling (moving wide with feet turned out). Pigeon toes/knitting (pointing inwards). Weak pasterns (wrists) looks like a heavy flat foot pounding the floor on movement.
BODY
Should equal in length to height, measure from ground to withers and forechest to rear projection of upper thigh. Ideal Height: Dogs 27", Bitches 25 1/2". Slightly sloping topline from withers to top of croup, bitches can be slightly longer in loin. Deep and well spring of rib (thorax) should be down to elbow. Undercarraige (belly tuck-up) fairly well tucked up. Ample sternum (breast bone) to allow front reach of foot in line with nose- when in a running gait.
Faults: Sway back (dippy topline), steep/level topline. Narrow, shallow lacking substance (Shelley), slab sided (narrow rib cage), Barrel chest, straight undercarraige (cut up of loin). Roached/long/short/weak coupling, Missing testical(s) in a male.
HINDQUARTERS
Muscular strong and long well developed first and second thigh muscles (gaskin) with well bent stifle (knee joint). Pelvis should fall away at a 30% angle with a well filled out croup. Hock to heel perpendicular to ground and parrallel to each other (when standing four square). Hocks should neither turn in nor out.
Faults: Wide/narrow between rear thigh, bowlegged, Hocky. Under angulated legs (stunted movement), over angulated legs (lacks rotary rear action, cliping toes on floor), drop in croup (goose-rumped). A staight hip bone gives less angulation and thigh muscles, showing a lesser mover.
TAIL
Use to be customarily docked at first to third joint in the UK, up until April 2007. Although veterinary docked imported dogs may be shown at non-public paying shows. Tail appears to be continuation of spine without a material drop. Length generally down to hock and raised when moving.
Fault: Kinks (crank), Unfortunately the gay curl/squirrel tail (carried too far forward on the back) has not yet been classed as a fault within this breed. Although it is fair to say, that, if the hip bone or croup is not long enough, this would naturally give a high tail set and will be carried over the back, conformation should be true to it's natural bone origin and not to; how one interperates the look of the outer skin overall look with over or underdone muscle tone.
MOVEMENT
Body equally balanced with good front reach and rear rotary driving action, holding a firm back/topline. Legs not throwing in nor out, running in a single tracking motion. Should be on tight cat-like well arched feet, with or without dew claws.
Fault: Hair/flat feet, knuckling over, leggy, deviation from the obvious.
COAT & COLOUR
Smooth, short, hard and thick dense jacket with permissable undercoat on neck. Colours as shown in the picture: Brown, Blue, Black, Fawn (Isabella) with clearly defined rust red markings. Mask should be on muzzle, throat, forechest, legs and below tail with pencil markings above the eyes, cheeks, toes and feet.
Fault: Albino, white coat, white splashes, missing defined marks, curly coat, ridges.
The box donates a square balanced picture, as viewed from the side
Correctly trotting in a single tracking gait. Viewed from the side, the foot should reach in a line parallel to the nose and rear feet should not interfere with the front, nor should they overlap.
