ORIGIN: Tibet .
PATRONAGE : FCI.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 03.05.1990.
UTILIZATION: A companion, watch and guard dog, slow to mature, only reaching its best at 2-3 years in females and at least 4 years in males.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I.: Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer-Molossoid breeds- Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs and other breeds. Section 2.2 Molossoid breeds, Mountain type. Without working trial.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Powerful, heavy, well built, with good bone. Impressive; of solemn but kindly appearance.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:
- Proportions from occiput to stop and stop to end of nose equal, but nose may be a little shorter.
- Body slightly longer than height at withers.
BEHAVIOR I TEMPERAMENT: Aloof and protective.
HEAD : Fairly broad, heavy and strong. Some wrinkling, in maturity, on head, extends from above eyes down to corner of mouth.
CRANIAL REGION:
Skull : Massive, with strongly defined occiput.
Stop: Strongly defined.
FACIAL REGION:
Nose : Broad, well pigmented, well opened nostrils.
Muzzle : Fairly broad, well filled and square, viewed from all sides.
Lips: Well developed, with moderate flews.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws strong with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Level acceptable. Essential that dentition fits tightly, to maintain square form of muzzle.
Eyes : Very expressive, medium size, any shade of brown. Set well apart, oval and slightly slanting.
Ears : Medium size, triangular, pendant, carried low, dropping forward and hanging close to head. Raised when alert. Ear leathers covered with soft, short hair.
NECK : Strong, well muscled, arched. Not too much dewlap. Shrouded by thick upstanding mane.
BODY: Strong.
Back: Straight, muscular.
Croup : Almost imperceptible.
Chest : Rather deep, of moderate breadth, with reasonable spring of rib, to give heart-shaped ribcage. Brisket reaching to below elbows.
TAIL : Medium to long, but not reaching below hock joint. Set high on line with top of back. Curled over back to one side; well feathered.
LIMBS
FOREOUARTERS: Straight, well covered all over with strong hair.
Shoulders: Well laid, muscular, strongly boned.
Pasterns: Strong, slightly sloping.
HINDQUARTERS : Powerful, muscular, with good angulation. Seen from behind, hindlegs parallel.
Stifle : Well bent.
Hock : Strong, low set. Removal of dewclaws (single or double) optional.
FEET : Fairly large, strong, compact. Cat-feet having good feathering between toes.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Powerful, free, always light and elastic. At speed will tend to single-track. When walking appears slow and very deliberate.
COAT
HAIR : Males carry noticeably more than females. Quality of greater importance than quantity. Mainly fairly long, thick, with heavy undercoat in cold weather which becomes rather sparse in warmer months. Hair fine but hard, straight and stand-off. Never silky, curly or wavy. Heavy undercoat, when present, rather woolly. Neck and shoulders heavily coated, giving mane-like appearance. Tail bushy, densely coated; hindlegs well feathered on upper rear parts.
COLOR: Rich black, black and tan, brown, various shades of gold, gray and blue; gray and blue and tan. Tan ranges from a very rich shade, through a lighter color. White star on breast permissible. Minimal white markings on feet acceptable. Tan markings appear above eyes, on lower part of legs and underside of tail. Tan markings on muzzle; spectacle markings around eyes.
SIZE
Height at the withers: Dogs : 66 cm (26 ins) minimum, Bitches : 61 cm (24 ins).
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.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.