General appearance - Powerful and harmonious build.
Very strong, despite its' weight. Sound and active dog.
Characteristics - Powerful, active, reliable and very enduring.
Temperament - High spirited, alert and faithful.
Skull - skull large and square, viewed from every angle. Fair wrinkles
when interested, but not when in repose. Circumference of skull may be equal to
height of dog measured at the withers. Skull is broad and deep with well-filled
cheeks. Pronounced (stop).
Muzzle - short. Distance from tip of nose to stop approximately one third
of length from tip of nose to centre of occiput. Muzzle broad under eyes and
sustaining nearly same width to end of nose. Blunt and cut off square, forming
right angle with upper line of face, and at same time proportionate with skull.
Underjaw broad to end.
Nose - broad with widely spreading nostrils. Rounded, neither pointed nor
turned up in profile. Flews not pendulous, never hanging below level of lower
jaw.
Eyes - dark or hazel. Set apart the width of muzzle with furrow between.
Light or yellow eyes are highly undesirable.
Ears - V-shaped, set on high and fit to head. Set on wide at level of
occiput giving square appearance to skull, which is very important. Small.
Deeper in color than body. Point of ear is level with eye when alert. Rose ears
highly undesirable.
Jaws/teeth - level bite is desired; slight undershot is allowed but not
preferred. Canine teeth large and set wide apart. Other teeth are strong, even
placed.
Neck - well arched, of moderate length, muscular; almost equal to skull
in circumference.
Body - back is short and straight, but not so short as to interfere with
activity. Back gives a compact carriage to a dog. Roach and sagged backs highly
undesirable. Loin is wide and muscular, with fair depth of flanks. Chest is wide
and deep, well let down between forelegs. Front of chest is deep.
Tail - set high. Strong at root and tapering to the tip, reaching to
hocks. Carried straight or slightly curved, but not hound fashion. Crank tails
(bulldog fashion) highly undesirable.
Forequarters - Forelegs powerful and straight, well boned. From the front
legs are straight and set wide apart. Shoulders are sloping, powerful, muscular,
not overloaded. Pasterns straight and strong.
Hindquarters - hind legs are strong and muscular, not cumbersome. Shanks
are well developed and expedite. Hocks moderately bent. Cow hocks highly
undesirable. Feet well arched. Cat-like, with rounded toes, pads hard. Dark toe
nails desirable. Splayed feet are highly undesirable.
Movements - indicating energy and sense of purpose. When moving straight
neither front nor hind legs should cross or plait. Right front and hind legs
rising and falling at the same time. A backline unimpaired by powerful thrust
from hindlegs denoting a balanced and harmonious movement.
Hair - short and coarse by touch. Weather resistant. Lying flat to body.
Long, wavy or silky coats highly undesirable.
Color - any shade of brindle, fawn (yellow-brown) or red. Color to be
pure and clear. A slight white marking on chest permissible. Other white
markings undesirable. Black muzzle essential, harmonizing with black markings
around eyes contributing to expression.
Size and weight - dogs 63.5-68.5 cms (25-27 ins) high at withers, bitches
61-66 cms (24-26 ins) high at withers. Dogs 50-59 kg (110-130 lbs) of weight.
Bitches 41-50 kg (90-110 lbs) of weight.
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.
