Standard of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog)

Standard of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) the FCI standard 328

Brief historical description:

Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) - one of the earliest breeds of dogs, has its history from the Dane-like dogs of Tibet, close in the origin to the shepherd and combat dogs of Asia. Since olden times these remarkable dogs accompanied cattle-breeders in the extensive territories, which stretch from steppes and foothills of the Caucasus to the Iranian upland. In essence this breed was formed under severe conditions of mountains.

Overview:

Large dog of the rough type, with massive backbone and strong volumetric musculature. Size somewhat stretched. Sexual type is well expressed - males are larger, more massive with heavier, larger heads, with expressed mane.

Character/behavior:

Behavior self-confident, balanced, calm. For the breed is uncharacteristically uncertain behavior and superfluous excitability.

Main proportions:

The lower limit of growth for a male 68 cm, for a female 64 cm. Larger growth is desirable during the proportional constitution. The ratio of the length of snout to the length of skull composes 2:3. Dog must not seem by high-foot.

Head:

Large, massive.

Cranial part:

Wide and volumetric cranial part, with developed cheek-bones forehead wide, is slightly convex, with the noticeable, but not salient superciliary arcs.

Passage from the forehead to the snout:

Short, noticeable, but not sharp.

Front:

Snout:

Massive, volumetric, not lengthened, the well filled in the base and under the eyes snout; smoothly and evenly narrowing to the nose.

Snout length:

It is somewhat shorter than the length of cranial part.

Lips:

Thick.

Nose:

Large, black.

Teeth:

In full complete set (42 teeth). White, large, well developed, closely fitted to each other. The bases of cutters are arranged into one line. Bite scissors-like or straight independent of age.

Eyes:

Small, the oval form, dark, slantwise, are deep and widely planted. Eyelids dry, closely fitted.

Ears:

Those hanging on the cartilage, small, highly planted, briefly are diluted.

Neck:

Thick, is somewhat shorter than the length of head, with a lion's mane, set at the angle of 30-40 degrees with respect to the line of back. Insignificant suspension is allowed.

Body:

Upper line:

The appreciable, is well developed, wide, brawny, which comes forward above the line of back.

Back

Back is wide, is straight/direct, strong/firm, sinewy

Waist

Short, wide, sinewy, somewhat convex.

Croup

Wide, sinewy, moderately long, rounded, almost horizontal.

Chest

Lowered to the line of elbows or below, long, wide, rounded in the section. Ribs are noticeably bent, false ribs are well developed. The forward section of the breast somewhat comes forward with respect to the arm-vane joints.

Stomach

Moderate.

Tail

Highly-set, in the calm state omitted. Crescent-shaped, by hook or by ring.

Front paws:

During the inspection from the front straight lines, widely and parallel. The length of front paws to the elbow somewhat more or is equal to half of the height of dog in the withers. Index of hight 50 or somewhat more.

Forearms:

The straight lines, massive, in the section are rounded, are sinewy, are moderately long. Elbows are directed strictly back.

Metacarpuies:

Short, massive, are set almost vertically.

Rear paws:

With the inspection from behind - straight lines and parallel, on the side - somewhat rectified in the knee. Posture of rear paws not set aside.

Thigh and shin:

Short. Are strong, wide, angles somewhat rectified.

Metatarsi:

Massive, vertically set.

Paws:

Large, rounded, in the lump.

Motions:

Free, usually leisurely. Characteristic pace is the lynx, upon the acceleration usually passing into a somewhat heavy gallop. During the motion the feet must move rectilinearly with a certain proximity of front/leading extremities to the center line. The joints of front/leading and rear extremities freely are unbent. Withers and croup on the lynx are located on the same level, the line of the top in relative rest.

Skin:

Thick, sufficiently elastic.

Woolen cover:

Woolen is fur the straight line, rough, with the thick underfur. Is shorter, closely fitted on the head and the fronts of the feet of hair. Depending on the length of fur two forms of the woolen cover are distinguished: - long-haired. Long hair forms on the neck " mane ", on the backs of extremities " combings " and " pants ". The long fur, which covers tail from all sides, makes with its thick and downy; - short-haired - with the thick, relatively short fur. " mane ", " combings ", " suspension " on the tail are absent. Fur by length is not less than 4 cm in the region of back.

Color:

Diverse: gray - from the dark gray, the almost black, to the light pale gray, including zone-gray; white; tiger - from the dark-auger- tiger almost black, to the light-pale-yellow-tiger. With single-tone color are encountered black mask/shield, white marks on the breast, the stomach, the paws, the tip of tail. There are speckled and spotty color of the enumerated shades; however, is preferable continuous color. They are undesirable: widespread extensive piebald. Specks on the snout and paws.

Height:

The height in the withers for a male not lower than 68, for a female - is not below 64 cm. desirable height for males - 72 - 75 cm., for females - 66 - 69 cm.

Defects:

Overview:

Lightness or the friability of constitution, poor bones, square or strongly stretched housing. Expressed dewlap.

Head:

Small, light, disproportionate to housing head. Convex forehead, the chamfered back of the head. Long, light, pointed, strongly pulled up or omitted snout, weak lower jaw. Sharp passage from the forehead to the snout. Plications of the skin on the head, brill, the damp, sagged eyelids.

Eyes:

Very large, convex, circular, very bright with the blue or yellowish-green nuance eyes. Sagged eyelids, strongly developed third eyelid.

Teeth:

Small, rare, much destroyed teeth.

Neck:

Highly placed.

Body:

Upper line:

Narrow, sagged or humpbacked back .

Waist:

Narrow, long, humpbacked or sagged back .

Croup:

Narrow, short, sharply chamfered croup.

Chest:

Underdeveloped, flat, narrow, small, short chest .

Limbs:

Straight or sharp arms, the short, bent or thin forearms, weak metacarpuies, weak elbows Strongly expressed highly-backawn, the superfluously expressed or flat angles, the strongly drawn off posture, weak bonds. Narrow mill/posture of limbs.

Paws:

Flat, dissolved paws.

Motions:

Spreading lynx, untypical for the species/rock superfluously sweeping motions. The connected heavy movements. Sharp highly-backawn in the motion. Unbalanced motions.

Height:

Height in the withers for males lower than 65, for females below 62 cm.

Disqualifying defects:

Behavior / temperament:

Cowardice, choleric, the unguided aggressiveness. Cowardice, unrestrained aggressiveness, choleric.

Overview:

Male dogs in female type.

Teeth-bite:

All deviations from the standart bite, absence of any tooth.

Tail:

Innate dock-taile.

Fur

Soft, wavy, very short (mole) fur.

Color

Black color in all variations (except black mask), hepatic color in all variations or blue of color in all variations. Genetically weakened pigmentation: ashy in combination with the gray encircling of eye-lids and by bright eyes; the pale-yellow or darkishly pale-yellow in combination with the brown encirclings of eye-lids also of lips, with the brown lobe of nose and the bright eyes. Cryptorchism complete or one-sided.