General Appearance
Powerful with muscular body. Has harmonious outline. Not
appearing leggy in any way nor too low to the ground.
Characteristics
Powerful, stocky, athletic, imposing. Distinctive head with
forbidding expression.
Temperament
Natural guarding instincts, vigilant and courageous without
aggression. A good companion and very affectionate.
Head and Skull
Large with characteristic expression and appearance. The
skull is broad, wider at ears than eyes. The upper region of
the skull is slightly rounded from side to side. Pronounced
stop forming a near right angle with the muzzle. Distinct
median groove, lessens towards the back of the skull. The
forehead is a prominent feature of the face but does not
overhang it. The head is slightly furrowed with fine
symmetrical wrinkles on each side of the median groove, but
without excess. These are mobile when the dog is alert.
Prominent cheeks due to very strong muscle development. The
muzzle is powerful, short and slightly hollowed below the
eyes with moderate folds, the width hardly decreasing
towards the tip of the muzzle, when viewed from above looks
square. Topline of muzzle is slightly turned up. Length from
nose to stop between a quarter and one third of the length
of the head. Broad, well-opened nostrils, well pigmented
according to mask colour. Jaws very powerful and broad.
Lower jaw curves upwards. The chin is well defined and must
not overlap the upper flew excessively nor be covered by it.
Upper flew thick, moderately pendulous in profile and shows
a rounded lower line. In front, the edge of the upper lip
meets with the lower lip then drops on each side, forming an
inverted wide 'v'.
Eyes
Oval, set wide apart. Frank expression. Showing no haw.
Colour hazel to dark brown for dog with black mask, lighter
colour tolerated in dogs with brown mask or no mask.
Ears
Relatively small, of slightly darker colour than coat. The
front of the base of the ear is slightly raised. They must
fall forward and down but not hang limply, the front edge
being close to the cheek when the dog is alert. The tip of
the ear is slightly rounded, not reaching beyond the eye.
Set rather high, at the level of the upper line of the
skull, appearing to accentuate its width even more.
Mouth
Undershot, the back of the lower incisors not in contact
with the front of the upper incisors. Strong teeth,
particularly the canines. Lower canines set wide apart and
slightly curved. Incisors of good size, well aligned,
especially in the lower jaw where they form an apparently
straight line. Teeth not visible when mouth closed.
Neck
Strong, muscular and solid, skin supple and loose.
Circumference almost equals that of head. The well defined
dewlap starts at the level of the throat forming folds down
to the forechest without exaggeration. Neck very broad at
base merging smoothly into the shoulders.
Forequarters
Well laid shoulders, withers well defined. The legs are
strong, exceptionally muscled and as straight as is
compatible with a broad-chested dog. Pasterns strong and
slightly sloping.
Body
Chest broad, powerful and deep, let down below the elbows.
The depth of the chest is slightly more than half of the
height of the dog at the withers. Ribs well sprung, but not
barrel shaped. Back solid, broad and muscular. Topline as
straight as possible and maintained while on the move. The
length of the body is greater than the height at the withers
as 11 is to 10 measured from the point of the shoulder to
the point of the buttock. Underline slightly tucked up.
Hindquarters
Broad loin. Rather short and solid croup moderately sloping
down to the root of the tail. Hind legs strong and muscular.
Well angulated stifles. Well-developed second thigh. Low set
hocks.
Feet
Strong. Toes tight. Nails strong and curved. Pads well
developed and supple. Well up on his toes despite his
weight. Hind feet slightly longer than front feet.
Tail
Very thick at the base. Tip preferably reaching the hock.
Carried low. Raised when the dog is in action, but never
curving over the back or curled. Kinked tail highly
undesirable.
Gait/Movement
Movement is free, quite supple for his size and weight and
close to the ground. Good drive from hindquarters, good
extension of the forelegs. At a faster gait, the head is
carried lower. Absolute soundness essential.
Coat
Fine, short and soft to the touch. The skin is thick and
loose fitting, without excessive wrinkles. Folds on the
ribs or limbs highly undesirable.
Colour
Self-coloured, in all shades of fawn, from mahogany to
Isabella. Chocolate highly undesirable. Good pigmentation
is desirable. Limited white patches are permissible on the
chest and the extremities of the limbs. White patches on the
head or body highly undesirable.
Three mask colours allowed:
Black mask - mask must not extend above the eyes. Slight black shading allowed on ears, skull, neck and down the topline. Nose black.
Brown mask - nose and eye rims are
brown
No mask - coat is fawn, skin appears red, nose may be
reddish.
Size
Ideal height at the shoulder: dogs 60-68 cms (23½ - 26¾
ins); bitches 58-66 cms (22¾ - 26 ins). Weight: dogs at
least 50 kgs (110 lbs); bitches at least 45 kgs (99 lbs).
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered
a fault and the seriousness with which the fault be regarded
should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect
upon the health and welfare of the dog.
Note
The male should have two apparently normal testicles fully
descended into the scrotum