Life span

9 to 11 years.

 

Temperament

This dog is large, powerful, intelligent, and faithful.

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Head and Skull

The skull is slightly convex with the frontal bone tending to be flat. Width and length in this breed is almost identical. Jaw and cheek muscles are well developed without appearing overly prominent, and covered with loose skin. The stop is pronounced, and the furrow between the frontal lobes is well defined and is about two thirds the size of the skull.

 

Eyes

Ranging from medium to large in size, the eyes are slightly oval and set well apart. Eyelids are black and never sagging. Eye colour can range from medium to dark brown dependent on coat colour.

 

Muzzle

Should be shorter than the skull length, approximately 40% of total head length. Width is two thirds of the skull. Wide base slightly narrower towards the nose. Bridge of nose is straight, flat and without ridges. Teeth will have scissor bite with wide dental arch at the canines. Teeth are wide and set solidly with large molars, small incisors and well-developed canines.

 

Ears

The ears will fall naturally to the sides of the head and are medium sized covered with fine, short hair and in the shape of a rose.

 

Nose

Noticeable strong black pigmentation and wide, in line with the muzzle. To facilitate breathing, the breed has large nostrils.

 

Neck

Neck should be muscular and cylindrical, and shorter that the head length with loose skin on the underside in a slight dewlap.

 

Forequarters

Shoulders should be well laid back, upper arms well angulated and oblique. Forearms to be well balanced and straight with strong bones and musculature. Forefeet have rounded toes not too close together, with well developed black pads. Nails should be dark.

 

Hindquarters

Strong and parallel when viewed from behind and without obvious deviation. Long and well muscled thighs. Angulation of knee not overly pronounced. Rear pastern well let down and hind feet identical to front apart from being slightly longer.

 

Body

The breed should have a long, deep and broad body with a straight topline with no deformities supported by strong but scarcely visible muscles. Height at the croup should be one to two centimetres more than the height at the withers. Croup is rounded and broad and of medium length. The chest will have well defined pectoral muscles and a well sprung ribcage.

 

Tail

Thick at the base and tapered to the tip, no longer than down to the hock. When moving it will rise but without curling or leaning forwards. Resting it will hang straight with a slightly curved tip.

 

Gait

When moving, the breed is agile, supple, and with a long reach able to cover a good distance. The tail will be low and the head slightly higher than the back. When alert, both tail and head are carried high.

 

Coat

The breed has short coarse hair which is flat and without undercoat. Ear hair is short and fine. Hair will be slightly longer at the withers and behind the thighs.

 

Colour

Varying from a warm dark brown to pale grey or blonde, all shades of fawn to sandy. It is acceptable to see white marks on the throat, base of neck or chest, forefeet and toes of hindfeet. Mask is black, not spreading above eye level.

 

Size

For males, the height at the withers is between 60 and 66 centimetres, and 56 to 62 in females. Weight for males is between 50 and 65 kilos, for females 40 to 55 kilos.

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Disqualifications

• Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid.

• Viciousness or extreme shyness.

• Overshot bite.

• Blue, grey, or yellow eyes, or non-matching eyes.

• Croup lower than withers.

• Docked tail.

• Absence of dark mask.

• White markings covering more than 20% of the dog.

• Albinism. 

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Due to The Animal Welfare Act 2006, dogs with a docked tail will not allowed to be show at our events.