Characteristics: Good tempered, very agile. Excellent nose, soft mouth; keen love of water. Adaptable, devoted companion.
Temperament: Intelligent, keen and biddable, with a strong will to please. Kindly nature, with no trace of aggression or undue shyness.
Head and Skull: Skull broad with defined stop; clean cut without fleshy cheeks. Jaws of medium length, powerful not snipey. Nose wide, nostrils well-developed.
Eyes: Medium size, expressing intelligence and good temper; brown or hazel.
Ears: Not large or heavy, hanging close to head and set rather far back.
Mouth: Jaws and teeth strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. Upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Neck: Clean, strong, powerful, set into well-placed shoulders.
Forequarters: Shoulders long and sloping. Forelegs well-boned and straight from elbow to round when viewed from either front or side.
Body: Chest of good width and depth, with well sprung barrel ribs. Level topline. Loins wide, short coupled and strong.
Hindquarters: Well-developed not sloping to tail; well turned stifle. Hocks well let down, cowhocks highly undesirable.
Feet: Round, compact; well-arched toes and well-developed pads.
Tail: Distinctive feature, very thick towards base, gradually tapering towards tip, medium length, free from feathering, but clothed thickly all round with short, thick, dense coat, thus giving 'rounded' appearance described as 'Otter' tail. May be carried gaily but should not curl over back.
Gait/Movement: Free, covering adequate ground; straight and true in front and read.
Coat: Distinctive feature, short dense without wave or feathering, giving fairly hard feel to the touch; weather resistant undercoat.
Colour: Wholly black, yellow or liver/chocolate. Yellows range from cream to fox read. Small white spot on chest permissible.
Size: Ideal height at withers: Dogs 56-57cms (22-22.5 ins); Bitches 54-56 cms (21.5 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,
Note: Male animals should have two apparently
normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.