Pyrenean sheepdog, smooth-faced

FCI:

Pyrenean sheepdog, smooth-faced - Group I - Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Section 1 - Sheepdogs. Recognized in the year 1926.

General Appearance:

Character is like a breed Long Haired Pyrenean Shepherd. It's a lively, energetic and obedient dog, lively, fast and relentless, wary of strangers it is easier to use than the Long-haired variant. It is a small but courageous, totally dedicated to its owner, cheerful, talented and with great sense of humour. It is a strong, intelligent and active. It is the living image of concentrated power in a small body. Sometimes it can seem like a bit stubborn, but it is due to its independence, without this character it could not control the sheep in its native Pyrenees.

Temperament/Behaviour:

It is s not used to react with slavish obedience what owner just orders. Due to its leadership must be led, always solid and consistent, from its early youth. However, it is also very sensitive, especially to mistreatment, it is mandatory to avoid raising any physical coercion.

Nothing escapes its attention, and it is an excellent guard. To strangers it is often, especially initially reticent. It gets well with children. It is compatible seamlessly with other dogs and pets, which, however, it should be able to get used to in early youth.

It requires a lot of movement, three short walks a day satisfy it. Merging activity and mobility makes it an excellent dog, sports such as agility, flyball, frisbee. It needs lots of exercise and mental activity. It learns quickly and it literally welcomes any opportunity to work. It proves itself as a rescue dog. It is dissatisfied when nothing happens and bored. It is suitable for sporty owner, may accompany joggers or bike riding or rollerblading. It does not have a hunting instinct, so it can be sloughed off on walks freely unless you can call it back.

Permanent housing in an outdoor pen, it is well tolerated it does not suit it by its psychical side.

Body:

This is similar to its relative physique, body frame is almost square. The height at withers, male is 40-54 cm and female is 40 to 52 cm.

The head should have a generally triangular shape, covered with short, fine hair. The skull is approximately as wide and long muzzle should be slightly shorter than the skull, but longer and softer than Long Haired Pyrenean Sheepdog. The forehead slopes gently to the muzzle. The front slope is barely noticeable. The muzzle should be straight and wedge tapering to the nose. It must be black.

The lips are not too severe.  Completely covers the upper mandible. The edges of the lips should be, as well as the palatum of the mouth, either black or heavily marked with black spots. A full set of teeth, bite should be scissors, pincer bite is permitted.

Eyes should be expressive, slightly almond shaped and dark brown colour, glass colour permissible in individuals with the colour blue merle or slate grey. The rims are black.

The earlobes are rather short, moderately broad at the base are triangular, fine ends and extend to the tip. They should be hung, attached to the surface of the cheeks and very moving. In alertness raise their peaks to the sides, to the level of the upper line of the skull. They can also be semi-erect and in this case must be the bottom of the upright and movable and the upper third or half should ideally fall forward or to the sides.

The neck is quite long and muscular. Body has to be shorter than by the Long Haired Pyrenean Sheepdog. Topline of body should be firm, pronounced withers, back fairly long and strong. Loins: Short, slightly arched. Croup should be relatively short and steep.

The tail is too long, it is set rather low at the end of a hook hooked up with a rich "flag" on the bottom. In alertness may be lifted above the top line of the body and bent forward. Often it docked (unless it is prohibited by law). Some individuals have bobtail, which is considered acceptable.

Chest is reasonably spacious, ribs are slightly arched. The forelegs must be straight, lean, sinewy, well-fringed. The blades are relatively long, slightly oblique. Forearms should be straight, striking wrists, pasterns slightly slanted. Paws are tight and arched than that of the long, dark-coloured padded. Small hard nails covered by the hair, which is well below between padded.

The hindquarters are markedly angulated. Thighs are too long to be slightly slanted, strong, well muscled. Tibia should be relatively long, sloping, hocks are dry, low over the base, fetlocks must be vertical to ground, slightly skewed. Dewclaws on hind legs may be single or double. Movement is free and energetic, fluid and smooth.

The hair is long body or slightly shorter. The longest hairs are on the neck and withers (reach a length of 6-7 cm) and in the middle of the topline. Coat colour can be fawn, lighter or darker, with black shading, or without, or with minor white markings front chest and distal portions of the limbs, grey, lighter or darker, often with some white hair of the head, from the front chest and on the limbs, blue merle, brindle, black or black and white. Unique colour is preferred.

Any faults from the above requirements should be considered as defects and evaluate exactly according to their degree of expression with regard to health and well-being. To negative defects belong aggression or fearfulness, any other colour of the nose and eyelid margins than deep black, overshot or undershot jaw or any jaw deformities, absence of more than two teeth except the first premolars (P1), ears pricked, eyes light yellow or so. glass with differently coloured subjects than harlequins and gray, the edges of the eyelids pink tail limply down mounted or vertically erect hair white-coloured or colour specified in the standard, the black-coloured dogs and bitches white colouring covering more than 1 / 3 area of the body, the total size stands out from the standard required range.