The present FCI breed standard

GENERAL APPEARANCE: Sturdy, medium sized, long haired, generally square outline; resolute expression.

CHARACTERISTICS: Lively, good natured. Loyal companion dog with many engaging ways.

TEMPERAMENT: Outgoing, alert, intelligent and game; neither fierce nor pugnacious. Sparing of affection to strangers.

HEAD AND SKULL: Skull of mediumlength, neither broad nor coarse, narrowing slightly from ear to eye, neither domed nor absolutely flat between ears. Zygomatic arch curved, but not overdeveloped so as to bulge. Marked stop in front of eyes but not exaggerated. Muzzle strong; well developed lower jaw. Length from eye to tip of nose equal to length from eye to base of skull. Nose black. Head well furnished with long hair, falling forward over eyes. Lower jaw carrying small, but not exaggerated amount of beard.

EYES: Large, round, neither prominent nor sunken; set fairly wide apart; dark brown. Eye rims black.

EARS: Pendant, carried not too close to head, V-shaped, not too large, heavily feathered.

MOUTH: Scissor or reverse scissor bite. Incisors set in a slight curve, evenly spaced and set perpendicular to jaw.

FOREQUARTERS: Heavily furnished. Shoulders well laid; legs straight and parallel; pasterns slightly sloping.

BODY: Well muscled, compact and powerful. Length from point of shoulders to root of tail equal to height at withers. Well ribbed up. Back level over ribs; loin short, slightly arched; croup level.

HINDQUARTERS: Heavily furnished. Stifles well bent, hocks low-set.

FEET: Large, round, heavily furnished with hair between toes and pads. Standing well down on pads; no arch in feet.

TAIL: Medium length, set on fairly high and carried in a gay curl over back. Very well feathered. Kink near tip often occurring and permissible.

GAIT/MOVEMENT: Smooth; good reach; powerful drive. When walking or trotting hind legs should track neither inside nor outside the front legs.

COAT: Double coat. Undercoat fine and woolly. Top coat profuse, fine but not silky nor woolly; long; either straight or waved but not curled.

COLOUR: White, golden, cream, grey or smoke, black, parti-colour and tri-colour; in fact any colour except chocolate or liver permissible.

SIZE: Height at shoulder: dogs: 35,5 - 40,5 cm (14 - 16 ins); bitches: slightly smaller.

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.

Webmaster: Ellen Lind