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Breed Standard 

 

The basis of breed shows is the judging of pedigree dogs against the 'Breed Standard', which is a picture in words that describes each breed of pedigree dog. For all licensed breed shows, the Kennel Club Breed Standards must be used for the judging of pedigree dogs.

The Breed Standards are owned by the Kennel Club, and all changes are subject to approval by the Kennel Club General Committee. New Breed Standards, for newly recognised breeds, are drawn up once the breed has become sufficiently established within the UK. Careful research is conducted into the historical background, health and temperament of any new breed before Kennel Club recognition is granted. The Kennel Club currently recognises 215 breeds (August 2015). Upon recognition, breeds are placed on the Imported Breed Register until they are deemed eligible for transferral to the Breed Register.


(The documentation provided both above and as part of the breed standards examples below are owned entirly by The Kennel Club and have kindly been replicated for information purposes only. No copyright infringement is implied by anyone involved with Sayenchi and we at Sayenchi are not the owners nor authors of any of the publications found within this page).

The Kennel Club
Breed Standard -
Long Coat Chihuahua

General Appearance
Small, dainty, compact.

 

Characteristics
Alert little dog; swift-moving with brisk, forceful action and saucy expression.

 

Temperament
Gay, spirited and intelligent, neither snappy nor withdrawn.

 

Head and Skull
Well rounded 'apple dome' skull, cheeks and jaws lean, muzzle moderately short, slightly pointed. Definite stop.

 

Eyes
Large, round, but not protruding; set well apart; centre of eye is on a plane with lowest point of ear and base of stop; dark or ruby. Light eyes in light colours permissible.

 

Ears
Large, flaring, set on at an angle of approximately 45 degrees; giving breadth between ears. Tipped or broken down highly undesirable.

 

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.

 

Neck
Slightly arched, medium length.

 

Forequarters
Shoulders well laid; lean, sloping into slightly broadening support above straight forelegs, set well under chest giving freedom of movement without looseness.

 

Body
Level back. Body, from point of shoulder to rear point of croup, slightly longer than height at withers. Well sprung ribs, deep brisket.

 

Hindquarters 
Muscular; hocks well let down, with good turn of stifle, well apart, turning neither in nor out.

 

Feet
Small and dainty, turning neither in nor out; toes well divided but not spread, pads cushioned, fine, strong, flexible pasterns. Neither hare- nor cat-like, nails moderately short.

 

Tail
Medium length, set high, carried up and over back (sickle tail). When moving never tucked under or curled below the topline. Furry, flattish in appearance, broadening slightly in centre and tapering to point.

 

Gait/Movement
Brisk, forceful action, neither high-stepping nor hackney; good reach without slackness in forequarters, good drive in hindquarters. Viewed from front and behind legs should move neither too close nor too wide, with no turning in or out of feet or pasterns. Topline should remain firm and level when moving.

 

Coat

 

Long Coat: soft texture (never coarse or harsh to touch) either flat or slightly wavy. Never tight and curly. Feathering on ears, feet and legs, pants on hindquarters, large ruff on neck desirable. Tail long and full as a plume.

 

Colour
Any colour or mixture of colours but never Merle (dapple).

 

Size
Weight: up to 2.7kg (6lb), with 1.8 - 2.7kg (4 - 6lb) preferred.

 

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.

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The Kennel Club
Breed Standard -
French Bulldog

General appearance

Sturdy, compact , solid, small dog with good bone, short, smooth coat. No point exaggerated, balance essential. Dogs showing respiratory distress highly undesirable.

 

Characteristics

Full of courage, yet with clown-like qualities. Bat ears and short tail characteristic features of the breed.

 

Temperament

Vivacious, deeply affectionate, intelligent.

 

Head and skull

Head square in appearance and in proportion to dog’s size. Skull nearly flat between ears, domed forehead. The skin covering the skull and forehead should be supple enough to allow fine wrinkling when the dog is alert. Well defined muzzle, that can clearly be viewed in profile, broad, deep and set back, muscles of cheeks well developed. Stop well defined. Lower jaw deep, square, broad, slightly undershot and turned up. Nose black and wide, relatively short, with visibly open nostrils and line between well defined. Lips black, thick, meeting each other in centre, completely hiding teeth. Upper lip covers lower on each side with plenty of cushion, never so exaggerated as to hang too much below level of lower jaw.

 

Eyes

Preferably dark and matching. Moderate size, round, neither sunken nor prominent, showing no white when looking straight forward; set moderately wide apart and on same level as the stop.

 

Ears

’Bat ears‘, of medium size, wide at base, rounded at top; set high, carried upright and parallel, a sufficient width of skull preventing them being too close together; skin soft and fine, orifice as seen from the front, showing entirely. The opening to the ear canal should be wide and open.

 

Mouth

Slightly undershot. Teeth sound and regular, but not visible when the mouth is closed. Tongue must not protrude.

 

Neck

Powerful, well arched, of moderate length.

 

Forequarters

Legs set wide apart, straight boned, strong, muscular and short.

 

Body

Cobby, muscular and well rounded with deep, wide brisket and ribs well sprung. Strong, gently roached back. Good ‘cut up’. The body while broader at the shoulders should narrow slightly beyond the ribs to give definition to the relatively short, thick, strong, muscular loin.

 

Hindquarters

Legs strong, muscular and relatively longer than forelegs with moderate angulation. Absolute soundness essential. Hocks well let down.

 

Feet

Small, compact and placed in continuation of line of leg, with absolutely sound pasterns. Hind feet rather longer than the fore-feet. Toes compact; well knuckled; nails short, thick and preferably black.

 

Tail

Undocked, set low, thick at root, tapering quickly towards tip, preferably straight, and long enough to cover anus. Never curling over back nor carried gaily.

 

Gait/movement

Free and flowing. Soundness of movement of the utmost importance.

 

Coat

Texture fine, smooth, lustrous, short and close.

 

Colour

The only correct colours are: Brindle; Fawn; Pied;

Brindle – Colour pattern caused by a mixture of black hairs and fawn hairs. White markings permitted provided that brindle predominates. Eye rims, eyelashes and lips black.

Fawn – Clear, self-coloured fawn with or without a black mask. White markings permitted, provided that fawn predominates. Cream and red shades less desirable. Eye rims, eyelashes and lips black.

Pied – Brindle Pied: White predominates with brindle patches. (The brindle as defined above). Fawn

Pied: White predominates with fawn patches.

Whites are classified with pieds for show purposes.

In pieds, eye rims, eyelashes and lips should preferably be black.

Any white in the above colours should be clear with no ticking or spots.

All other colours highly undesirable, including solid black, black and white, black and tan, mouse, grey/blue, liver/chocolate and all patterns of these colours.

(We however carefully breed these colours to ensure quality and most importantly the health of our dogs is at the forefront of our breeding program - please ask for more details).

Size

Ideal weight: dogs: 12.5 kgs (28 lbs); bitches: 11 kgs (24 lbs). Soundness not to be sacrificed to smallness.

 

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 and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

 

Note

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

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The Kennel Club
Breed Standard -
Pug

General appearance

Decidedly square and cobby, it is ‘multum in parvo’ shown in compactness of form, well-knit proportions and hardness of muscle, but never to appear either low on legs or leggy.

 

Characteristics

Great charm, dignity and intelligence.

 

Temperament

Even tempered, happy and lively disposition.

 

Head and skull

Head relatively large and in proportion to body, round, not apple-headed, with no indentation of skull. Muzzle relatively short, blunt, square, not upfaced. Nose black, fairly large with well-open nostrils. Wrinkles on forehead clearly defined without exaggeration. Eyes or nose never adversely affected or obscured by over nose wrinkle. Pinched nostrils and heavy over nose wrinkle is unacceptable and should be heavily penalised.

 

Eyes

Dark, relatively large, round in shape, soft and solicitous in expression, very lustrous, and when excited, full of fire. Never protruding, exaggerated or showing white when looking straight ahead. Free from obvious eye problems.

 

Ears

Thin, small soft like black velvet. Two kinds: ‘button ear’ – ear flap folding forward, tip lying close to skull to cover opening; ‘rose ear’ – small drop ear which folds over and back to reveal the burr.

 

Mouth

Slightly undershot. Wide lower jaw with incisors almost in a straight line. Wry mouths, teeth or tongue showing all highly undesirable and should be heavily penalised.

 

Neck

Slightly arched to resemble a crest, strong, thick with enough length to carry head proudly.

 

Forequarters

Legs very strong, straight, of moderate length, and well under body. Shoulders well sloped.

 

Body

Short and cobby, broad in chest. Ribs well sprung and carried well back. Topline level neither roached nor dipping. Should be hard of muscle. Substance must not be confused with obesity which is highly undesirable.

 

Hindquarters

Legs very strong, of moderate length, with good turn of stifle, well under body, straight and parallel when viewed from rear.

 

Feet

Neither so long as the foot of the hare, nor so round as that of the cat; well-split-up toes; the nails black.

 

Tail

High set, tightly curled over hip. Double curl highly desirable.

 

Gait/movement

Viewed from in front should rise and fall with legs well under shoulder, feet keeping directly to front, not turning in or out. From behind action just as true. Using forelegs strongly putting them well forward with hindlegs moving freely and using stifles well. A slight unexaggerated roll of hindquarters typifies gait. Capable of purposeful and steady movement.

 

Coat

Fine, smooth, soft, short and glossy, neither harsh, off standing nor woolly. Any stripping or trimming of the coat which alters the length, texture or outline must be penalised.

 

Colour

Silver, apricot, fawn or black. Each clearly defined, to make contrast complete between colour, trace (black line extending from occiput to tail) and mask. Markings clearly defined. Muzzle or mask, ears, moles on cheeks, thumb mark or diamond on forehead and trace as black as possible.

(We however carefully breed these colours to ensure quality and most importantly the health of our dogs is at the forefront of our breeding program - please ask for more details).

 

Size

Ideal weight 6.3-8.1 kgs (14-18 lbs).

 

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 and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

 

Note

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

Smooth Coat Chi_edited_edited.png
The Kennel Club
Breed Standard -
Smooth Coat Chihuahua

General Appearance
Small, dainty, compact.

 

Characteristics
Alert little dog; swift-moving with brisk, forceful action and saucy expression.

 

Temperament
Gay, spirited and intelligent, neither snappy nor withdrawn.

 

Head and Skull
Well rounded 'apple dome' skull, cheeks and jaws lean, muzzle moderately short, slightly pointed. Definite stop.

 

Eyes
Large, round, but not protruding; set well apart; centre of eye is on a plane with lowest point of ear and base of stop; dark or ruby. Light eyes in light colours permissible.

 

Ears
Large, flaring, set on at an angle of approximately 45 degrees; giving breadth between ears. Tipped or broken down highly undesirable.

 

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.

 

Neck
Slightly arched, medium length.

 

Forequarters
Shoulders well laid; lean, sloping into slightly broadening support above straight forelegs, set well under chest giving freedom of movement without looseness.

 

Body
Level back. Body, from point of shoulder to rear point of croup, slightly longer than height at withers. Well sprung ribs, deep brisket.

 

Hindquarters 
Muscular; hocks well let down, with good turn of stifle, well apart, turning neither in nor out.

 

Feet
Small and dainty, turning neither in nor out; toes well divided but not spread, pads cushioned, fine, strong, flexible pasterns. Neither hare- nor cat-like, nails moderately short.

 

Tail
Medium length, set high, carried up and over back (sickle tail). When moving never tucked under or curled below the topline. Furry, flattish in appearance, broadening slightly in centre and tapering to point.

 

Gait/Movement
Brisk, forceful action, neither high-stepping nor hackney; good reach without slackness in forequarters, good drive in hindquarters. Viewed from front and behind legs should move neither too close nor too wide, with no turning in or out of feet or pasterns. Topline should remain firm and level when moving.

 

Coat
 

Smooth Coat: smooth, of soft texture, close and glossy, with undercoat and ruff permissible.

 


Colour
Any colour or mixture of colours but never Merle (dapple).

Size
 

Weight: up to 2.7kg (6lb), with 1.8 - 2.7kg (4 - 6lb) preferred. 

 

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

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The Kennel Club
Breed Standard -
English Bulldog

General appearance

Smooth-coated. Fairly thick set, rather low in stature, broad, powerful and compact. Head, fairly large in proportion to size but no point so much in excess of others as to destroy the general symmetry, or make the dog appear deformed, or interfere with its powers of motion. Face relatively short, muzzle broad, blunt and inclined upwards although not excessively so. Dogs showing respiratory distress or making excessive respiratory noise highly undesirable. Body fairly short, well knit, limbs stout, well-muscled and in hard condition with no tendency towards obesity. Hindquarters high and strong. Bitches not so grand or well developed as dogs.

 

Characteristics

Conveys impression of determination, strength and activity.

 

Temperament

Alert, bold, loyal, dependable, courageous, fierce in appearance, but possessed of affectionate nature.

 

Head and skull

Skull relatively large in circumference. Viewed from front appears high from corner of lower jaw to apex of skull; also broad and square. Cheeks well rounded and extended sideways beyond eyes. Viewed from side, head appears very high and moderately short from back to point of nose. Forehead flat with skin on and about head slightly loose and finely wrinkled without excess, neither prominent nor overhanging face. From defined stop, a furrow extending to middle of skull being traceable to apex. Face from front of cheek bone to nose, relatively short, skin may be slightly wrinkled. Muzzle short, broad, turned upwards and deep from corner of eye to corner of mouth. Nose and nostrils large, broad and black, under no circumstances liver colour, red or brown. Nostrils large wide and open, with well-defined vertical straight line between. Over nose wrinkle, if present, whole or broken, must never adversely affect or obscure eyes or nose. Pinched nostrils and heavy over nose roll are unacceptable and must be heavily penalised. Distance from inner corner of eye (or from centre of stop between eyes) to extreme tip of nose should not be less than distance from tip of the nose to edge of the underlip. Flews (chops) thick, broad and deep, covering lower jaws at sides, but joining underlip in front. Teeth not visible. Jaws broad, strong and square, lower jaw slightly projecting in front of upper with moderate turn up.  Viewed from front, the various properties of the face must be equally balanced on either side of an imaginary line down centre.

 

Eyes

Seen from front, situated low down in skull, well away from ears. Eyes and stop in same straight line, at right angles to furrow. Wide apart, but outer corners within the outline of cheeks. Round, of moderate size, neither sunken nor prominent, in colour very dark – almost black – showing no white when looking directly forward. Free from obvious eye problems.

 

Ears

Set high – i.e. front edge of each ear (as viewed from front) joins outline of skull at top corner of such outline, so as to place them as wide apart, as high and as far from eyes as possible. Small and thin. ’Rose ear‘ correct, i.e. folding inwards back, upper or front inner edge curving outwards and backwards, showing part of inside of burr.

 

Mouth

Jaws broad and square with six small front teeth between canines in an even row. Canines wide apart. Teeth large and strong, not seen when mouth closed. When viewed from front under jaw directly under upper jaw and parallel.

 

Neck

Strong, muscular neck, well arched, moderate in length with clear definition between head and shoulders. Some loose, skin about throat, forming slight dewlap on each side.

 

Forequarters

Shoulders broad, sloping and deep, very powerful and muscular giving appearance of being ’tacked on‘ body. Brisket round and deep. Well let down between forelegs. Ribs not flat-sided, but well rounded. Forelegs very stout and strong, well developed, set wide apart, thick, muscular and straight, bones of legs large and straight, not bandy nor curved and short in proportion to hindlegs, but not so short as to make back appear long, or detract from dog’s activity. Elbows low and standing well away from ribs. Pasterns short, straight and strong.

 

Body

Chest wide, prominent and deep. Back relatively short, strong, broad at shoulders. Slight fall to back close behind shoulders (lowest part) whence spine should rise to loins (top higher than top of shoulder), curving again more suddenly to tail, forming slight arch over the loin – a distinctive characteristic of breed. Body well ribbed back with good length of sternum. Belly tucked up and not pendulous. Firm muscular condition highly desirable.

 

Hindquarters

Legs large and muscular, slightly longer in proportion than forelegs. Hocks slightly bent, well let down; legs long and muscular from loins to hock. Stifles turned very slightly outwards away from body.

 

Feet

Fore, straight and turning very slightly outward; of medium size and moderately round. Hind, round and compact. Toes compact and thick, well split up, making knuckles prominent and high.

 

Tail

Set on low, jutting out rather straight and then turning downwards. Round, smooth and devoid of fringe or coarse hair. Moderate in length – rather short than long – thick at root, tapering quickly to a fine point. Downward carriage (not having a decided upward curve at end) and never carried above back.

Lack of tail, inverted or extremely tight tails are undesirable.

 

Gait/movement

Appearing to trot with short, quick steps on tips of toes, front feet landing just inside width at point of shoulder, hind feet not lifted high, appearing to skim ground in a semi-circular like motion from inside to out, and tracking virtually behind the front feet. The body weight is transferred from side to side creating the distinctive Bulldog roll. When trotting and viewed from the side correct topline should be maintained. Soundness of movement of the utmost importance.

Coat

Fine texture, short, close and smooth (hard only from shortness and closeness, not wiry).

 

Colour

Whole (solid) colour or ‘smut’ (whole colour with a black mask or muzzle).

Whole colours are red, fawn, white.

Red or fawn may have white markings i.e. red and white, fawn and white.

Brindle – solid background colour marked with darker stripes: red brindle, fawn brindle. Brindles may have white markings, i.e. red brindle and white, fawn brindle and white.

Pied – white background with markings of any of the above listed colours.

Colours should be brilliant. Any of the colours listed may have dark tips or ticking.

 

Any other colour or pattern highly undesirable. (We however carefully breed these colours to ensure quality and most importantly the health of our dogs is at the forefront of our breeding program - please ask for more details).

 

Size

Dogs: 25 kgs (55 lbs); bitches: 23 kgs (50 lbs).

 

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 and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

 

Note

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

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The Kennel Club
Breed Standard -
Toy
 & Miniature Poodle

General appearance

Well balanced, elegant looking with very proud carriage.

 

Characteristics

Distinguished by a special type of clip for show activity and by a type of coat which does not moult.

 

Temperament

Gay spirited and good tempered.

 

Head and skull

Long and fine with slight peak. Skull not broad, moderate stop. Foreface strong, well chiselled, not falling away under eyes; cheek bones and muscle flat. Lips tight fitting. Chin well defined but not protruding. Head in proportion to size of dog.

 

Eyes

Almond shaped, dark, not set too close together, full of fire and intelligence. Eye colour see 'colour' below.

 

Ears

Leathers long and wide, set low, hanging close to face.

 

Mouth

Jaws strong with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. A full set of 42 teeth is desirable.

 

Neck

Well proportioned, of good length and strong to admit of the head being carried high and with dignity. Skin fitting tightly at the throat.

 

Forequarters

Well-laid-back shoulders, strong and muscular. Legs set straight from shoulders, well muscled.

 

Body

Chest deep and moderately wide. Ribs well sprung and rounded. Back short, strong, slightly hollowed; loins broad and muscular.

 

Hindquarters

Thighs well developed and muscular; well-bent stifles, hocks well let down; hindlegs turning neither in nor out.

 

Feet

Tight, proportionately small, oval in shape, turning neither in nor out, toes arched, pads thick and hard, well cushioned. Pasterns strong.

 

Tail

Previously customarily docked.

Docked: set on rather high, carried at slight angle away from the body, never curled or carried over back, thick at root.

Undocked: Thick at root, set on rather high, carried away from the body and as straight as possible.

 

Gait/movement

Sound, free and light movement essential with plenty of drive.

 

Coat

Very profuse and dense of good harsh texture. All short hair close, thick and curly. All traditional trims permissible in the show ring and the dogs judged on equal merit, as long as there is sufficient length to demonstrate colour and quality of coat.

 

Colour

All solid colours. White and creams to have black nose, lips and eye rims, black toenails desirable. Browns to have dark amber eyes, dark liver nose, lips, eye rims and toenails. Apricots and reds to have dark eyes with black points or deep amber eyes with liver points. Blacks, silvers and blues to have black nose, lips, eye rims and toenails. Creams, apricots, reds, browns, silvers and blues may show varying shades of the same colour up to 18 months. Clear colours preferred. Non solid colours are highly undesirable and should be heavily penalised.

(We however carefully breed these colours to ensure quality and most importantly the health of our dogs is at the forefront of our breeding program - please ask for more details).

 

Sizes

Poodles (Toy): height at shoulder should be under 28 cms (11 ins).
 

Poodles (Miniature): height at shoulder should be under 38 cms (15 ins) but not under 28 cms (11 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 and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

 

Note

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

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