General
Appearance:-There are two varieties of the St Bernard. * Short-hair variety ( Stockhaar /
Smooth coat ) * Long-hair variety ( Rough coat )
Both varieties are of notable size, and have a balanced, sturdy,
muscular body with imposing head and alert facial expression.
Size:
Minimal height:
Dogs 70 cm ( 27.56 in )
Bitches 65 cm ( 25.59 in )
Maximum height:
Dogs 90 cm ( 35.43 in )
Bitches 80 cm ( 31.50 in )
Dogs
which exceed the maximum height will not be penalized, provided their general
appearance is balanced and their movement correct.
Behavior
- Temperament:- Friendly by nature. Temperament calm
to lively, watchful.
Important
Proportions:- Ideal proportion for height at
winters to body length (measure from the point of shoulder to the
point of the schism).
Head:-
*
General:Massive
and imposing. *
Cranial Region: Skull strong, broad, seen in profile and from the
front slightly rounded; sideways it merges gently rounded into
the strongly developed high cheek bones, falling away steeply
towards the muzzle. Occipital bone only moderately pronounced.
Superciliary ridges strongly developed. The frontal furrow, which
starts as the root of the muzzle and runs over the whole skull,
disappears toward the base of the occipital. The skin of the
forehead forms wrinkles over the eyes which converge toward the
frontal furrow. When the dog is attentive, the wrinkles become
more pronounced. When alert, the set-on of the ear and the
top line of the skull appear in a straight line. * Stop:Marked pronounced.
Facial
Region:-
* Muzzle:
Short,
does not taper. Nasal bridge straight, witha shallow furrow running its length.
Length of muzzle shorter than its depth, measured at the root of
the muzzle. * Nose: Black, broad and square. Nostrils
well opened. * Lips: Edge of lips black. Flews of upper
jaw strongly developed, pendulous, forming a wide curve towards
the nose. Corner of moth remains visible. * Eyes: Medium size. Colour dark brown to
lighter nut-brown. Not too deeply set, with a friendly expression.
Eyelids are close fitting as possible. Complete pigmentation on
eye rims. Natural tightness of lids desired. A small angular
wrinkle of the lower eyelid with inconspicuous showing of the
conjunctiva, as well as a small angular wrinkle of the upper lid
are allowed. * Ears: Medium size, set on high and wide.
Strongly developed burr at the base. Ear flaps pliable, triangular
with the tip rounded off. The back edge stands off slightly, the
front edge lies close fitting to the cheeks. * Neck: Strong, dewlap not too exaggerated.
Body:- *
General: General
appearance imposing and balanced. * Top line: Withers well defined. Straight from
withers to loin. Rump falls away gently and merges with a root of
tail. * Back: Broad, strong and firm. * Chest: Brisket moderately keep and with
well sprung ribs, but not reaching beyond the elbows. * Belly
& lower line: Slight tuck-up towards rear. * Tail: Set on broad and strong. Tail long
and heavy, its last vertebrae reaching at least to the hocks.
When in repose, the tail hangs straight down or may turn gently
upward in the lower third. When animated, it is carried higher.
Limbs:- *
General: Stance
rather broad, straight and parallel when seen from front. *
Shoulders:
Muscular, shoulder-blade oblique, well attached to the chest wall. * Upper
arm: The
same length or only slightly shorter than the shoulder-blade.
Angle between shoulder blade and upper arm not too straight. * Elbow:Laying
well onto the body. * Forearm: Straight, heavy boned, tautly
muscled. * Pasterns: Vertically straight when seen from
front and at the light angle when seen from the side. * Forefeet: Broad, compact, with strong, well
arched toes.
Hindquarters:- *
General: Hindquarters
muscular with moderate angulations. Seen from rear, the hind legs
are parallel and not too close together. * Upper
thigh:
Strong, muscular with broad buttocks. * Stifle: Well angulated, turning neither in
or out. * Lower
thigh:
Slanting and rather long. * Hock
joints:
Slightly angulated and firm. * Hock: Straight and parallel when seen
from behind. * Hind Feet:
Broad, compact, with strong well arched toes. Dewclaws tolerated
as long as they do not hinder movement.
Gait:- Co-ordinated,
smooth reaching strides with good drive from the hindquarters.
Hindquarters tack in line with the forequarters.
Coat
& Hair:- *
Short-hair variety ( Stockhaar / Smooth): Top coat dense, smooth
close lying and coarse, with rich undercoat. Buttocks lightly breeched. Tail
covered with dense fur. * Long-hair
variety ( Rough coat ): Top coat plain, of medium length
with a rich undercoat. Over the hunches and rump usually somewhat
wavy. Front legs feathered. Buttocks well breeched. Short hair on
face and ears. Bushy tail.
Colour
& Markings:- *
Colour:
Basic colour white with either small or large reddish-brown
splashes ( "splash coat") or a continuous reddish-brown
blanket covering back and flanks ( "mantle coat" ). A
torn reddish-brown mantle ( broken up by white ) is of equal
value. Reddish-brown brindle permissible. Brownish-yellow
tolerated. Dark brown shadings on head desirable. Slight black
shadings on body tolerated.
* Markings: Chest, feet, tip of tail, muzzle
band, blaze and patch on neck must be white.
** Desirable:
White collar. Symmetrical dark mask.
Faults:- Every
departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault
which will be assessed according to the degree of departure from
the standard. * Lack of correct gender
characteristics. * Unbalanced gender appearance. * Strong winkles on head, excessive
dewlap. * Muzzle too short or too long. * Flews of the lower jaw turning
outward. * Under or overshot bite. * Missing teeth other than PM 1 (
Premolar 1 ) * Low set on ears. * Light eyes. * Entropion, Ectropion. * Eyelids too loose. * Sway back or roach back. * Rump higher than withers or falling
away steeply. * Tail carried curled over back. * Crooked or severely turned out front
legs. * Poorly angulated, bowed or cow-hocked
hindquarters. * Faulty movement. * Curly coat. * Incomplete or totally absent
pigment on nose, around the nose, on lips and eyelids. * Faulty markings, e.g. white with
reddish-brown ticks. * Faults of temperament:
aggressiveness, shyness.
Disqualifying
Faults:- * Coat totally white or totally
reddish-brown. * Coat of a different colour. * Wall eye, blue eye.
N.B.:-
Male
animals should have two apparently normal developed testicles
fully descended into the scrotum.
