BREED STANDARD

General Appearance

Well proportioned, smooth outline showing quality, gracefulness and perfect balance, combined with sufficient substance to give impression of endurance. Any tendency to coarseness or weediness undesirable.

Characteristics

Tenacious, hard-working sheepdog of great tractability.

Temperament

Keen, alert, responsive and intelligent. Neither nervous nor aggressive.

Head & Skull

Skull fairly broad, occiput not pronounced. Cheeks not full or rounded. Muzzle, tapering to nose, moderately short and strong. Skull and foreface approximately equal in length. Stop very distinct. Nose black, except in brown or chocolate colour where it may be brown. In blues nose should be slate colour. Nostrils well developed.

Eyes

Set wide apart, oval-shaped, of moderate size, brown in colour except in merles where one or both or part of one or both may be blue. Expression mild, keen, alert and intelligence.

Ears

Medium size and texture, set well apart. Carried erect or semi-erect and sensitive in use.

Mouth

Teeth and jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck

Of good length, strong and muscular, slightly arched and broadening to shoulders.

Forequarters

Front legs parallel when viewed from front, pasterns slightly sloping when viewed from side. Bone strong but not heavy. Shoulders well laid back, elbows close to body.

Body

Athletic in appearance, ribs well sprung, chest deep and rather broad, loins deep and muscular, but not tucked up. Body slightly longer than height at shoulder.

Hindquarters

Broad, muscular, in profile sloping gracefully to set on of tail. Thighs long, deep and muscular with well turned stifles and strong well let down hocks. From hock to ground, hindlegs well boned and parallel when viewed from rear.

Feet

Oval, pads deep, string and sound, toes arched and close together. Nails short and strong.

Tail

Moderately long, the bone reaching at least to hock, set on low, well furnished and with an upward swirl towards the end, completing graceful contour and balance of dog. Tail may be raised in excitement, never carried over back.

Coat

Two varieties: 1) Moderately long; 2) Smooth. In both, topcoat dense and medium textured, undercoat soft and dense giving good weather resistance. In moderately long-coated variety, abundant coat forms mane, breeching and brush. On face, ears, forelegs (except for feather), hindlegs from hock to ground, hair should be short and smooth.

Gait/Movement

Free, smooth and tireless, with minimum lift of feet, conveying impression of ability to move with great stealth and speed.

Colour

Variety of colours permissible. White should never predominate.

Size

Ideal height: dogs: 53 cms (21 ins); bitches slightly less.

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.

Note

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.