Head:
The head is proportional to body size and approximatly 25 cm long (or 40 % of withers height ). The skull is slightly longer then the muzzle, covering 58 % of the total lenght of the head. The females have a slightly longer muzzle (57%-43% ). Seen from the profile forehead topline is slightly convex, and muzzle topline is flat, slightly converged respectively.
Skull:
The forehead is dry, wide, with an obvious central forehead line. Viewed from above and profile, skull is slightly convex and rounded. The eye-arcs are gently expressed.
Stop:
The transition between the skull and the muzzle is moderatly defined.
Muzzle:
The muzzle is shorter then the skull, with wide and deep base, gradually and gently narrowing towards the tip. The nostril is straight and wide. The profile of the under jaw crossing from a slanting arc to a straight line, which diverges with the nostril line
Nose:
The nose is wide and dark pigmented.
Lips:
The lips are of the medium thickness, nestled, the upper lip slightly exceeding the lower one. The corners of the lips are closed.
Teeth:
The teeth meet in a scissor bite. Dentition must be complete. (42)
Eyes:
The eyes are almond shaped, neither protruding nor falling in, dark or light brown ( chestnut color), with a calm, but piercing and fearless expression. The eyelids, like all visible mucous tissues are dark pigmented.
Ears:
The ears are fixed into the imaginary line which connects the top of the nose and the inner eye-corners, or slightly lower. They are hanging, set by on the head in a " V " shape, medium long, reaching the inner corners of the eyes and covered with a short, dense coat.
Neck
Profile:
Upper profile neck line is gently convex or straight in the upper part and the bottom neck line is straight. The neck is medium long. Because of its dense coat, neck appears shorter. It is deep, wide and muscular It is well linked with the head and body, without rapid transition between them. The neck is gently raised in relation to the line of the back. The skin is tightly stretched, without loose folds of skin. The coat is dense, long and rough, creating a mane where head meets the neck, which visually widens and deepens this part of the head.
Body
General Appearance:
Upper line of the body is straight, or gently lets down from the withers to the hips.. Back line where hips are higher thenwithers, is tolerable with dogs brought up in the mountains. Body is slightly longer than the height.
Withers:
The withers are gently expressed and broad. The neck and the withers are strongly connected, with a gently transition between them.
Back:
The back is straight and broad, not to long. The lion is shorter, broad and muscular.
Hips:
Hips are medium long, slanting backwards, broad and well muscled.
Thorax:
The thorax is deep, and its bottom line reaching at least until the elbows, medium long with gently rounded ribs. The breast is broad and muscular. The with of the thorax should be at least 20 % larger than height.
Abdomen:
The abdomen is tight and muscular. The bottom line is gently rising backwards. The lion is relatively short with expressed transitions.
Tail
The tail is long and reaches at least to the hock. The hip line continues following the upper line of the tail, without rapid transitions. The tail is powerful; at its base, gradually becomes thinner towards the tip. Covered with thickhair which is longer on the bottom parts, giving a bunchy impression. The tail is saber shaped, raised high when in action, and when anxious, carried in an arch over the back line.
Forelegs
Appearance:
Generally viewed, the forelegs have a proper posture, in proportion with the body, and the height at the elbows amount is 55% of their withers height. The individual parts of the forelegs are in proportion with one another as well as with the body.
Shoulder Blades:
Sufficiently long and wide, well connected to the thorax, slanting gently, making and angle of 65 degrees withthe horizontal axis. The upper arm is muscular, more falling than the than the shoulder blades, making an angle of 55 degrees with the horizontal axis. The elbow angle (between upper arm and shank) is approximately 145 degrees, The elbow is broad, with a proper posture, set slightly closed to the thorax.
Shank:
Vertical, with strong bones, long and muscular. The hind part of the shank is richly coated. The paw ankle is wide, with gradual lines of transition.
Pastern:
Gently slanted, strong and broad.
Paws:
Powerful, with convex toes compactly closed together, spoon-shaped. Nails are strong, with black pigment, finger tips and pads have dark or black pigment, strong but flexible.
Hind legs
Appearance:
Viewed from behind the posture of the hind legs is proper, slightly wider than the forelegs. The profile also shows proper leg posture, and angles being sufficiently closed. The thigh is well muscled, with strongly rounded muscle structure, slanted, forming similar angle with the horizontal axis as the shoulder blade. The angle of the knee is more open than the one of the shoulder ( approximately 125 degrees ). The knee is strong and wide. The shank is slanted and strong, with a sufficiently deep muscle structure and with expressive "flags" of coat.
Hock:
Broad and enough open (with an angle of approximately 125 degrees).
Hind Upper Paw:
Strong, slightly more slanting than the front upper paw, with rare cases of dewclaws, which should be removed.
Gait
The step is rich, long and easy. It prefers the medium long, but high trot. When galloping it is somewhat heavier, but with long rich jumps.
Skin
Medium thick, flexible and tightly stretched on the body, with no wrinkles. All visible mucous tissues have dark or black pigment
Coat
The head, ears and front parts of the legs are covered in thinck and short coat. The neck, body, the back parts of the limbs and tail are covered in long and slightly rougher, almost straight coat. Under the long outer coat, there is shorter, much finer and thicker under coat. The length of coat on the withers is 10-12 cm, and should not be shorter than 7 cm.
Color
The dog is self-colored. All shades ranging from almost white to dark gray, almost black, are acceptable. Most popular is the grayish-green and dark gray color. Multicolor is not allowed. In pigmented dogs, small white marks on the breast and toes are allowed, but not desirable. In all pigmented dogs the dominant color is most intensive on the upper parts of the head, neck and body. In the bottom body parts the pigment gradually fades into lighter shades of the lower leg parts (dirty gray or yellowish_. These transitions into lighter shades must not be to sharp, or to avoid a multi-colored impression.
Weight
The male in working condition should weigh approximately 35-45 kg, and the female 30-40 kg.
Faults
Lighter
Insufficiently wide head skull, slightly longer muzzle, insufficiently developed jaws, insufficiently wide and broad chest, too flat or too rounded ribs, light defects in leg posture, slightly shorter coat (while the hair on the rare parts of legs is still well expressed), white marks on the chest and paws, slightly shorter tail, "rabbit paws" as other lighter faults.
Serious Faults:
too long (pointed muzzle, too expressed stop, ears are set-on too high and insufficiently folded over, level bite, the back is daddle-like, the tail is carried sideways, lymphatic build as all other serous faults.
Disqualifying:
Absence of premolar teeth, greater disproportion between lenght and height, insufficient height at the withers, insufficiently long coat (under 7cm), multicolored coat, tiger-like color, no pigment in the visible mucous tissues and eyes degenerative phenomena (overshot and undershot bite, obvious "O" and "X" leg posture, congenitally short tail, docked tail, very sagged back and other degenerative phenomena).
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