Upper profile

slightly arched.

Length

Medium length

Shape

Thicker in dogs than in bitches

Skin

Without dewlap. In the long-haired variety, the presence of a neck-ruff with longer hair is highly desirable.

Topline

Level

Whiters

Only slightly marked

Back

Short and firm

Loin

Strongly muscled

Croup

Broad and strong; almost flat or slightly sloping

Chest

Ribcage broad and deep, ribs well sprung. Seen from front, roomy but not exaggerated. Seen from side, reaching to elbows. Not barrel shaped

Underline and belly

Formed by a clearly tucked up belly. Slack belly is permitted but not desired

Set on high, flat in appearance, of moderate length; broad at root, tapering gradually towards the tip. Tail carriage is an important characteristic of the breed : when the dog is moving it is carried either high in a curve or in a semicircle with tip towards the loin region, which gives balance to the body, it should never be carried between the hindlegs nor curled below the backline. The hair on the tail depends on the variety and is in harmony with the body coat. In the long haired variety, the tail coat forms a plume. Tail is pendant in repose and forms a slight hook.

Forequarters

Forelegs straight and of good length; seen from the front, they form a straight line with the elbows. Seen from the side, they are upright.

Shoulders

Clean and moderately muscled. Good angulation between shoulder-blade and upper arm

Elbows

Firm and fitting close to body which ensures free movement.

Pasterns

Slightly sloping, strong and flexible

Hindquarters

Hindlegs well muscled with long bones, vertical and parallel to each other with good angulation at hip, knee and hock joints, in harmony with angulation of forequarters.

Hocks

Short with well developed Achilles’ tendons; seen from rear, they are well apart straight and vertical.

Hindfeet

Very small and oval with toes well apart but not splayed (neither hare- nor cat-foot). Nails particularly well arched and moderately long. Pads well developed and very elastic. Dewclaws are not desirable.

Gait / Movement

Steps are long, springy, energetic and active with good reach and drive. Seen from rear, hind legs should move almost parallel to each other, so that the foot prints of the hind feet fit directly into those of the front feet. With increasing speed, the limbs show a tendency to converge towards the centre point of gravity (single track). Movement remains free and springy without visible effort, head raised and back firm.

Skin

Smooth and elastic all over body

Hair

In this breed there are two varieties of coat

Short haired

Coat is short, lying close all over body. If there is an undercoat, the hair is somewhat longer; sparse coat on throat and belly permissible; slightly longer on neck and tail, short on face and ears. Coat is glossy and its texture is soft. Hairless dogs are not tolerated.

Long Haired

Coat should be fine and silky, smooth or slightly wavy. Not too thick undercoat desired. Coat is longer, forming feathering on ears, neck, rear of front and hind legs, on feet and on tail. Dogs with long billowing coat will not be accepted.

Color

All colors in all possible shades and combinations are admitted, except merle colour.

In this breed only the weight is taken into consideration, not the height. Ideal weight : between 1.5 and 3 kg. However, dogs between 500 gr and 1.5 kg are accepted. Subjects weighing less than 500 gr and more than 3 kg shall be disqualified.

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.