Catalan sheepdog

Interim

General Appearance A hardy, well balanced, medium sized sheepdog with moderate length of coat. Body slightly longer than high, approximately in the proportion of 9:8.

Characteristics Active and intelligent with a noble expression and a well-balanced and amenable character. Hardy and adaptable to all climates.

Temperament Excellent family dog. Alert, loyal and easily trainable. Can initially be wary of strangers.

Head and Skull Strong head, well proportioned with the rest of the body. The skull is slightly longer than wide with a marked central furrow which flattens towards a pronounced occiput. The proportion of skull to muzzle is 4 to 3. Slight but perceptible stop, not pronounced. Muzzle straight, rather short and blunt. Nose black.

Eyes Round. Dark amber to chestnut in colour, with black rims. Alert and intelligent expression.

Ears High set, triangular, hanging close to the head. Slightly longer than wide, covered with long hair ending in fringes.

Mouth Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Good sized strong teeth. Tongues may have dark pigmented patches. Lips and roof of mouth black. Lips close fitting.

Neck Moderately short, solid and muscular, set well into shoulders.

Forequarters Prominent withers. Shoulders well muscled and well laid back. Upper arm strong and muscular with elbows close to the body. Forearms strong, lean, straight and parallel when viewed from the front. Pasterns relatively short.

Body Strong, muscular and slightly longer than high, approximately in the proportion of 9 to 8. Level topline. At first sight, the croup may appear higher, owing to abundance, quantity and denseness of coat. Well sprung ribs, chest reaching to level of elbow. Neither barrel ribbed nor slab sided. Short coupled with strong loin and slight tuck up.

Hindquarters Slightly sloping croup. Strong and muscular with well developed first and second thighs. Hocks well let down and parallel when viewed from behind. Double, boned dew claws, set low, are a breed characteristic.

Feet Oval. Pads firm and black. Toes close together, well covered with hair, including between the pads. Nails black and strong.

Tail Low set and reaching below the hock. When at rest, the tail hangs and can form a curve or hook at its lowest part. When moving, the tail may be raised but not above the level of the back. Abundantly covered with slightly wavy hair.

May be born tailless.

Gait/Movement Smooth gait. Walks with fairly short strides, trots freely with vigour. Feet never raised very high. Head raised when moving slowly, carried lower as the pace increases.

Coat Rough coated of medium length. Straight or slightly wavy. Fine, dense undercoat. A moustache, beard and pronounced crest on top of the head. Eyebrows should not obscure the eyes. Denser on hindquarters. Legs, toes and tail well covered with hair. Skin fairly thick and close fitting all over the body and head.

Colour Fawn, Sable and Grey in all shades.

Black, which may have fawn or grey shadings at the extremities. May be frosted with white.

From a distance, the dog can appear to be self- coloured. Seen close up, it is apparent that this comes from a combination of the different shades.

White or black spots/patches highly undesirable. A few white hairs or small white marking on the chest are permissible. White permissible on the upper part of the toes, but must not be accompanied by white nails.

Size Ideal height: Dogs 47–55cm (18 ½ – 21 ½ ins)

Bitches 45–53cm (17 ¾ – 20 ½ 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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum

How old is your dog, still a baby I would think. Looks a little bum high at the moment on the photo's. Would love to hve a look when in adult coat.

hi she was 8 months on the pics,she was so heavy coated she looked so bum high she is now 11 months and lost all the baby coat her adult is starting to come through i will try and find a pic of her now

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great pup lovly expression nice shiny coat and texture good topline lovly bitch goodluck with her

Your girl is lovely, like her colour especially. Can't wait to see her as she matures. What's her breeding? I have some friends in Catalans.

Gorgeous

I have only very recently become aware of the Catalan..........and have fallen completely in Love with them


Jann xxx