UTILITY GROUP
Size - Medium Grooming - Little Exercise -
Moderate
Locality - Town/Country Life-span - Under 9 Yrs
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, limbs stout, well muscled and in hard condition with no
tendency towards obesity. Hindquarters high and strong but somewhat lighter in
comparison with heavy foreparts. Bitches not so grand or well developed as
dogs.
Characteristics
Conveys impression of determination, strength and activity.
Temperament
Alert, bold, loyal, dependable, courageous, fierce in appearance, but
possessed of affectionate nature.
Head and 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. Cheeks well rounded
and extended sideways beyond eyes. 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 wrinkled, neither prominent nor overhanging face. Projections
of frontal bones prominent, broad, square and high; deep, wide indentation
between eyes. 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. Muzzle short, broad, turned upwards and very deep from corner
of eye to corner of mouth. Nose and nostrils large, broad and black, under no
circumstances liver color, red or brown; top set back towards eyes. 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 under lip. Nostrils
large wide and open, with well defined vertical straight line between.
Flews
(chops) thick, broad, pendant and very deep, hanging completely over lower
jaws at sides, not in front, joining under lip in front and quite covering
teeth. Jaws broad, massive and square, lower jaw projecting in front of upper
and turning up. Nose roll must not interfere with the line of layback. Viewed
from front, the various properties of the face must be equally balanced on
either side of an imaginary line down centre.
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 color 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.
Mouth
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.
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.
Forequarters
Shoulders broad, sloping and deep, very powerful and muscular giving
appearance of being ’tacked on‘ body. 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). 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. Elbows low and standing well away from
ribs. Pasterns short, straight and strong.
Body
Chest wide, laterally round, prominent and deep. Back short, strong, broad at
shoulders, comparatively narrower at loins. 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. Body well ribbed up behind
with belly tucked up and not pendulous.
Hindquarters
Legs large and muscular, longer in proportion than forelegs, so as to elevate
loins. Hocks slightly bent, well let down; legs long and muscular from loins
to hock; short, straight, strong lower part. Stifles round and turned slightly
outwards away from body. Hocks thereby made to approach each other and hind
feet to turn outwards.
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.
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.
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
Fine texture, short, close and smooth (hard only from shortness and closeness,
not wiry).
Color
Whole or smut, (i.e. whole color with black mask or muzzle). Only whole
colors (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 colors). Dudley, black and
black with tan highly undesirable.
Size
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.
Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into
the scrotum.
Source: The Kennel Club Org. UK
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