GENERAL APPEARANCE - Compact, elegant and sound with substance.
CHARACTERISTICS - Keen, alert, gay and sporting.
TEMPERAMENT - Discerning and devoted.
HEAD AND SKULL - Long skull, flat and narrow, level and wedge-shaped, without showing cheek muscles, well filled up under eyes, with tapering, tight-lipped mouth.
EYES - Small, dark and sparkling. Almond shaped, not prominent.
EARS - Small and V-shaped, carried well above the top line of head and hanging close to head above eyes.
MOUTH - Jaw level, with perfect, regular scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
NECK - Fairly long and tapering from shoulder to head and slightly arched at crest; free from throatiness.
FOREQUARTERS - Shoulders clean and well-sloped. Front narrow and deep. Forelegs quite straight, set on well under dog; and proportionate length to body.
BODY - Short with well sprung ribs, slightly arched over the loin and cut up behind ribs.
HINDQUARTERS - Strong and muscular, well bent at stifle. Hind legs neither cow-hocked nor with feet turned in.
FEET - Small, semi-harefooted and strong with well arched toes.
TAIL - Short and set on where arch of back ends, thick where it joins body, tapering to a point, carried not higher than level of back.
GAIT/MOVEMENT - Straight, free and balanced with good reaching forequarters and driving power in hindquarters.
COAT - Close, smooth, short and glossy, of firm texture.
COLOUR - Jet black and rich mahogany tan distributed as follows: on head, muzzle tanned to nose, nose and nasal bone jet black. Small tan spot on each cheek and above each eye, under-jaw and throat tanned with distinct tan V. Legs from knee downward tanned with exception of toes which shall be pencilled with black, a distinct black mark (thumbmark) immediately above feet. Inside hind legs tanned but divided with black at stifle joint. Under tail tanned, vent tanned by marking as narrow as possible so that it is covered by tail. A slight tan mark on each side of chest. Tan outside hind legs, commonly called breeching, is undesirable. In all cases black should not run into tan or vice versa, but division between colours clearly defined.
SIZE -
Ideal height: Dogs 40-41 cms (16 ins) at shoulders
Bitches 38 cms (15 ins) at shoulders.
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.