^© The Kennel Club - Unauthorised Reproduction of Text and Images Prohibited.

A Breed Standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function. Absolute soundness is essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions or exaggerations which would be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed. From time to time certain conditions or exaggerations may be considered to have the potential to affect dogs in some breeds adversely, and judges and breeders are requested to refer to the Kennel Club website for details of any such current issues. If a feature or quality is desirable it should only be present in the right measure.

To view photos of this breed please visit the Kennel Club Picture Library

Interim

General Appearance
Complete or almost complete lack of hair, with a smooth and soft skin. Body slightly longer than high. Females may be slightly longer than males.

Characteristics
A quiet and tranquil dog.                       

Temperament
Happy, alert and intelligent, a good companion. Aloof with strangers.

Head and Skull
Viewed from above the skull is wide, strong and clean with a slightly defined occipital crest. Slight but definite stop and tapering straight muzzle with moderately developed cheeks. Nose dark in dark coloured dogs, brown or rose in blonde and bronze coloured dogs and spotted in spotted dogs. Lips tight.

Eyes
Medium sized and almond shaped. Colour varies according to skin colour, ranging from black, through shades of brown, to amber and yellow, but as dark as possible preferred.

Ears
Always erect, carried obliquely. Long, large, of delicate texture and very elegant.

Mouth
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
Rather long, slightly arched and very elegant. Skin tight and firm.

Forequarters
Shoulders well laid back with flat muscles.  Good angulation between shoulder and upper arm. Elbows strong and held close to the chest, never turning outward. Straight legs of good length.

Body
Strong build. Back level and perfectly straight with strong, well muscled loin. Chest deep and long reaching to the elbows. Moderately arched ribs carried well back. Gentle tuck up.

Hindquarters
Sloping croup with rounded rump which is solid and muscular. Well angulated. Hindlegs well muscled and straight, set apart.

Feet
Long and compact with tufted hair. Pads strong and resilient. Nails black in black dogs, lighter coloured in bronze or blonde dogs.

Tail
Long, thin and tapering from the base to the tip. When moving, held in a curve but never touching the back. At rest, hangs with a hook at the end.

Gait/Movement
Moves with long, free and elegant strides. At a fast trot, the head and tail held high.

Coat
Hairless although there are some tufts of harsh hair on the forehead and back of the neck that may be any colour but should not reach great length. It is common to find hairs on the feet and end of the tail.

Colour
Solid, uniform and dark colours are preferable. Black, dark grey, red, liver, bronze and blonde. There are also spotted dogs of any colour including white spots.

Size
Miniature: 25-35cms (9.75-13.75ins)
Intermediate: 36-45cms (14.25-17.75ins)
Standard: 46-60cms (18-23.5ins)

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.

Last Updated - January 2007

Glossary of Canine Terms

Some links to health information and resources that may be relevant to this breed:

Veterinary screening schemes - The Kennel Club operates these with the British Veterinary Association.

DNA screening schemes - detect disease-causing mutations in a number of breeds.

Current Accredited Breeder Scheme health screening requirements and recommendations - for Kennel Club Accredited Breeders show what is required and recommended for the sire and dam of any litter of this breed bred by a Kennel Club Accredited Breeder.

Breed Watch - a tool aimed at dog show judges and exhibitors to highlight and tackle any current concerns in a breed

Health Test results Finder Tool - access results of any official KC health testing scheme for Kennel Club registered dogs

2004 Purebred Dog Health Survey Results - Individual summaries are available where the breed response rate was greater than 15%.

Recommended Reading

All the below publications are available to order from the Online Shop.

Kennel Club Breed Standards Kennel Club Breed Standards are available for most breeds indicating the qualities which competition judges normally take into account and the standard or model which breeders endeavour to achieve. The Breed Standards can be purchased by group.

Breed Clubs and Societies

There are no clubs or societies at present for this breed.

Date page created:

Categories:

Utility Group 

This article has been read 11952 times.