ORIGIN :
Great-Britain.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 24.03.2004.
UTILIZATION : Dissuasion and Companion
Dog.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 2
Pinscher and Schnauzer-Molossoid breeds-Swiss
Mountain and Cattle Dogs and other breeds.
Section 2.1 Molossoid breeds,
Mastiff
Type.
Without
working trial.
GENERAL APPEARANCE :
Smooth-coated, thick set, rather low in stature, broad, powerful and
compact. Head fairly large in proportion
to size, but no point so much in excess of others as to destroy the general
symmetry, or make the dog appear deformed, or interfere with its powers of
motion. Face short, muzzle broad, blunt
and inclined upwards. Dogs showing respiratory distress highly undesirable. Body
short, well knit, with no
tendency towards obesity. Limbs
stout, well muscled and in hard condition.
Hindquarters high and strong but somewhat lighter in comparison with
heavy foreparts. Bitches not so grand or
well-developed as dogs.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Conveys impression of determination, strength and activity. Alert, bold, loyal, dependable, courageous,
fierce in appearance, but possessed of affectionate nature.
HEAD : Viewed from side, head appears very high and short from back to point
of nose. Forehead flat with skin upon
and about head, loose and finely wrinkled, neither
prominent nor overhanging face.
Projections of frontal bones prominent, broad, square and high. From stop, a furrow, both broad and deep
extending to middle of skull being traceable to apex. Face from front of
cheek-bone to nose, short, skin wrinkled.
Distance from inner corner of eye (or from centre of
stop between eyes) to extreme tip of nose not exceeding length from tip of nose
to edge of underlip.
CRANIAL
REGION :
Skull : Skull large in circumference.
Viewed from front appears very high from corner of lower jaw to apex of
skull; also very broad and square.
Stop : Deep, wide indentation between eyes.
FACIAL
REGION : Viewed from front, the various properties of
the face must be equally balanced on either side of an imaginary line down
centre.
Nose : Nose and nostrils large, broad and black, under no circumstances
liver colour, red or brown; top set back towards eyes. Nostrils large wide and open, with well-defined
vertical straight line between.
Muzzle : Muzzle short, broad, turned upwards and very deep from corner of eye
to corner of mouth. Nose roll must not interfere with the line of layback.
Lips : Flews (chops) thick, broad, pendant and very deep, hanging completely
over lower jaws at sides, not in front, joining underlip in front and quite
covering teeth.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws broad, massive and square, lower jaw projecting in front of
upper and turning up. Jaws broad and
square with six small front teeth between canines in an even row. Canines wide apart. Teeth large and strong not seen when mouth
closed. When viewed from front under jaw
directly under upper jaw and parallel.
Cheeks : Cheeks well-rounded and extended sideways beyond eyes.
Eyes : Seen from front, situated low down in skull, well away from
ears. Eyes and stop in same straight
line, at right angles to furrow. Wide
apart, but outer corners within the outline of cheeks. Round in shape, of moderate size, neither
sunken nor prominent, in colour very dark- almost black- showing no white when
looking directly forward. Free from
obvious eye problems.
Ears : Set high-i.e. front edge of each ear (as viewed from front) joins
outline of skull at top corner of such outline, so as to place them as wide
apart, as high and as far from eyes as possible. Small and thin. “Rose ear” correct, i.e. folding inwards
back, upper or front inner edge curving outwards and backwards, showing part of
inside of burr.
NECK : Moderate in
length, very thick, deep and strong.
Well-arched at back, with much loose, thick and wrinkled skin about
throat, forming dewlap on each side, from lower jaw to chest.
BODY :
Topline : Slight fall to back close behind shoulders (lowest part) whence spine
should rise to loins (top higher than top of shoulder), curving again more
suddenly to tail, forming arch (termed roach back)-a distinctive
characteristic of breed.
Back : Back short, strong, broad at shoulders, comparatively narrower at loins.
Chest
: Chest wide, laterally round, prominent and
deep. Body well-ribbed up behind. Brisket capacious, round and very deep from
top of shoulders to lowest part where it joins chest. Well let down between
forelegs. Large in diameter, round behind forelegs (not flat-sided, ribs
well-rounded).
Belly : Belly tucked up and not pendulous.
TAIL : Set on low,
jutting out rather straight and then turning downwards. Round, smooth and devoid of fringe or coarse
hair. Moderate in length-rather short
than long-thick at root, tapering quickly to a fine point. Downward carriage (not having a decided
upward curve at end) and never carried above back.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs very stout and strong, well-developed, set wide apart,
thick, muscular and straight, presenting rather bowed outline, but bones of
legs large and straight, not bandy nor curved and short in proportion to
hindlegs, but not so short as to make back appear long, or detract from dog’s
activity and so cripple him.
Shoulders : Shoulders broad, sloping and deep, very powerful and muscular giving
appearance of being “tacked on” body.
Elbows : Elbows low and standing well away from ribs.
Pasterns : Pasterns short, straight and strong.
HINDQUARTERS : Legs large and muscular, longer in proportion than forelegs, so as to
elevate loins.
Legs
long and muscular from loins to hock; short, straight, strong lower part.
Stifles : Stifles round and turned slightly outwards away from body.
Hocks : Hocks thereby made to approach each other and hind feet to turn
outwards. Hocks slightly bent, well let down.
FEET : Fore, straight and turning
very slightly outward; of medium size and moderately round. Hind, round and compact. Toes compact and thick, well split up, making
knuckles prominent and high.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Peculiarly heavy and constrained, appearing
to walk with short, quick steps on tips of toes, hind feet not lifted high,
appearing to skim ground, running with one or other shoulder rather advanced. Soundness of movement of the utmost
importance.
COAT
HAIR : Fine texture, short, close and smooth (hard only from shortness and
closeness, not wiry).
COLOUR : Whole or smut, (i.e. whole colour with black mask or muzzle). Only whole colours (which should be brilliant
and pure of their sort). viz., brindles,
reds with their various shades, fawns, fallows etc., white and pied (i.e.
combination of white with any of the foregoing colours). Dudley, black and black with tan highly
undesirable.
WEIGHT :
Dogs
: 25 kgs (55 lbs).
Bitches
: 23 kgs (50 lbs).
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.
Judges are required to strictly adhere to this standard and take the following faults into consideration :
FAULTS :
ELIMINATING
FAULTS :
Any dog clearly showing
physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
N.B. : Male animals
should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.