South Rusian Ovcharka

ORIGIN -- South Russian Ovcharka is a dog of above average and large size, strong, enduring, active with strong bone and dry powerful musculature. Dogs have stretched frame; and males are shorter than females. Sex type must be well pronounced. The lowest height LIMIT for males is (65 cm) 25 1/2 inches, for females (62 cm) 24 1/2 inches. If a dog is proportionally built, it should be more. The body, head, limbs and tail of South Russian Ovcharka are covered with thick, rough dense coat.

These dogs are unpretentious in keeping, adaptable to different climatic conditions and usually used for guarding and protecting of the territory. BEHAVIOR PECULIARITIES -- Type of temperament is confidence and mistrustful the main reaction is defensive one in active form. Unconfident behavior, phlegm and excessive excitability are the major faults that make dog's breeding value lower.

HEAD -- Long, moderately broad, has almost not narrowed wedge form. The forehead is flat. The occiput and cheeks are well-developed. The stop is distinct, but not abrupt; supraorbital ridges are slightly marked. The muzzle is slightly shorter than the half length of the head; it is well filled under the eyes and in the set region, slightly pinched to a nose. Lips are tight. The nose is large, desirable black.

EARS -- Set on high, middle sized, triangular, hanging, fit closely to the cheeks.
Ears dropped on cartilage are not desirable.

EYES -- Not big, oval, looking straight ahead and well apart. The eyelids are close fitting; total pigmentation is preferable.

TEETH -- White, large, tightly set; a full dentition (42 teeth). It is admissible when the first premolar is doubled. The incisor bases are set in a line. Scissors.
Alveolar slope of incisors is not desirable but admissible if it is not break the bite.
The broken incisors that can't prevent from determining the bite don't influence the mark.

NECK -- Dry, long, with well-developed musculature, equal to the head length. Set at an angle of 40-45° to a back line.

BODY -- The chest is moderately broad, oval in section. Ribs are slightly poorly arched. A front part of the chest is well developed and prominent in comparison with the glenohumeral joints. The chest lowered to an elbow line. Its depth is 45-48% of dog's height in withers. The belly is reasonably tucked up. The withers is well-developed, long. The height in withers is not more than the height in croup. The back is broad, muscular, strong, slightly roached and forms soft arch with the loin. The top point of the back is at this arch. The loin is short, broad, muscular, arched. The croup is broad, muscular, slightly sloped, and moderately long.

TAIL -- Low-set, long, dropped when a dog is quiet, reaches the hock joints, and lifted up to the top line level when a dog is excited. Often tail end curled nearly in a ring, and 2-3 last vertebras are knitted.
The tails lifted upper the top line or curled on back are undesirable.

FOREQUARTERS -- Dry, muscular, at front view straight, parallel and moderately wide set. The blades and humerus are long, sloped and make an angle of the glenohumeral joint of about 90-100°. Forearms are straight, oval in section, set vertically. The elbows are turned backward. The pasterns strong, moderately long, set with little slope.

HINDQUARTERS -- Dry, muscular, at rear view parallel, slightly wider than forequarters. The thighs are wide with well-developed muscles. Femur and gaskins are long, slightly sloping in set, hock and stifle angulations are well-marked, hocks joints are dry, flat. Rear pasterns are dry, moderately long.

PAWS -- Oval, large, arched.

COAT -- Hair is long - not less than 10 cm - all over the body, head, limbs and tail. Hair is harsh, dense slightly broken or straight. It forms forelock covering the eyes and reaching the nose, moustaches and beard. Undercoat is long, dense, easily felted.

It is desirable to have long hair - 20 cm and more. Coat less than 10 cm is admissible in young dogs and in dogs in shedding.

Short forelock not covering eyes and weak hair at the nose back are serious faults.

COLOR AND PIGMENTATION -- White, white with grey or fawn, grey (all variants), light fawn, white with grey or fawn spots. Black nose, eyelids and lips are desirable in any color. The claws can have any color.

It is undesirable but admissible: grey or fawn-grey color, brownish seasonal color of the nose, grey or liver nose with dark eyes and good pigmentation of lips and eyelids; eyelids color with intervals, if unpigmented part is not more than 25%; lips color with intervals.

MOVEMENTS -- Frictionless, elastic gait. Quiet trot is the characteristic movement. Legs have straight track with forelegs converging slightly in movement. Joints of fore- and hind- legs are free in movement, the back and loin are springy. The withers and croup are at the same level. The neck is on the back level or slightly lower.

The transit from trot to gallop in moderate movement is serious fault.

FAULTS -- Rough and damp building, the wither higher than the croup, too long legs, cobby, near square format. Dogs in feminy type. Rough head, rounded scull, abrupt stop; narrow, light, short, downfaced or broken up face muzzle, damp lips. Semi-dropped or too low set ears. Round eyes, damp eyelids, pronounced 3rd eyelid, wall-eye. Small, parted, yellow teeth. The height in withers lower than 65 cm for males, 60 - for females. High set or damp neck, the neck with dewlap. Shallow, flat, narrow, opened, barrel chest. Narrow, arched, soft back. Long, narrow, flat loin. Narrow, short, horizontal croup. Curl tail. Straight shoulders, short vertical pasterns. Short thighs and gaskins. Weak ligaments, damp joints. Well marked sickle hocks. Little angulation. Dewclaws. Heavy, unbalanced, not free movements. The croup is much higher than the withers. Side winding gait, pace. The transition from the step to gallop when the speed is rising.

DISQUALIFICATION -- Unproportional building. Square format. Cowardice, choleric, uncontrolled aggressiveness. Any deviations from scissors, the lack of one tooth. Bilateral or unilateral cryptorchidism, underdeveloped testicles. Short, soft hair, corded coat. Short taut coat on the head and legs. All colors that are not included in the standard. Dark mask. Blue or white eyes, eyes of different colors. The absence of more than 25% of eyelids pigmentation, pink or butterfly nose, pink lips. Bobbed tail.