GENEARAL APPEARANCE:
Head,
in general outline, giving a square appearance when viewed from any point.
Breadth greatly desired; in ratio to whole head and face as 2/3. Body
massive, broad, deep, long, powerfully built, on legs wide apart and squarely
set. Muscles sharply defined. Size a great desideratum, if combined with
quality. Height and substance important if both points are proportionately
combined.
CHARACTERISTICS:
Large, massive, powerful, symmetrical, well-knit frame. A combination
of grandeur and courage.
TEMPERAMENT:
Calm, affectionate to owners, but capable of guarding..
HEAD & SKULL:
Skull broad between ears, forehead flat, but wrinkled when attention is
excited. Brows (superciliary ridges) slightly raised. Muscles of temples
and cheeks (temporal and masseter) well developed. Arch across skull of
a rounded, flattened curve, with depression up centre of forehead from
median line between eyes to halfway up sagittal suture. Face or muzzle
short, broad under eyes, and keeping nearly parallel in width to end of
nose; Truncated i.e. blunt and cut off squarely, thus forming a right-angle
with upper line of face, a great depth from point of nose to underjaw.
Underjaw broad to end. Nose broad with widely spreading nostrils when
viewed from front, flat (not pointed or turned up) in profile. Lips diverging
at obtuse angles, with septum, and slightly pendulous so as to show a
square profile. Length of muzzle to whole head as 1/3. Circumference of
muzzle (measured mid way between eyes and nose) to that of head (measured
before the ears) as 3/5.
EYES:
Small, wide apart, divided by at least pace of two eyes. Stop between
eyes well marked but not too abrupt. Colour hazel brown, darker the better,
sowing no haw.
EARS:
Small thin to touch, wide apart, set on at highest points of side of skull,
so as to continue outline across summit, and lying flat and close to cheeks
when in repose.
MOUTH:
Canine teeth healthy; powerful and wide apart; incisors level; or lower
projecting beyond upper but never so much as to become visible when mouth
is closed.
NECK:
Slightly arched, moderately long, very muscular, and measuring in circumference
about one or two inches less than the skull before ears.
FOREQUARTERS:
Shoulder and arm slightly sloping, heavy and muscular. Legs straight
and strong and set wide apart; bones being large. Elbows square. Pastern's
upright.
BODY:
Chest wide, deep and well let down between forelegs. Ribs arched and well
rounded. False ribs deep and well set back to hips. Girth one-third more
than height at shoulder. Back and loins wide and muscular; flat and very
wide in bitch, slightly arched in dog. Great depth of flanks.
HINDQUARTERS:
Broad, wide and muscular, with well-developed second thighs, hocks bent,
wide apart and quite squarely set when standing or walking.
FEET:
Large and round. Toes well arched. Nails black.
TAIL:
Set on high, and reaching hocks, or a little below them, wide at its root
and tapering to end, hanging straight in repose, but forming a curve with
end pointing upwards, but not over back, when dog is excited.
GAIT/MOVEMENT:
Powerful, easy extension.
COAT:
Short and close lying, but not too fine over shoulders, neck and back.
COLOUR:
Apricot-fawn, silver-fawn, fawn, or dark fawn-brindle. In any case, muzzle,
ears and nose should be black with black round orbits, and extending upwards
between them.
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.
NOTE:
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended
into the scrotum.
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