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Estrela Mountain Dog

Estrela Mountain Dog

FCI standard Nº 173
Origin
 Portugal
Translation
 Portuguese Kennel Club. Revised by Jennifer Mulholland, Raymond Triquet and Renée Sporre-Willes
Group
 Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid breeds, Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs
Section
 Section 2.2 Molossoid breeds, Mountain type
Working
 Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI
 Thursday 23 June 1955
Publication of the official valid standard
 Tuesday 04 November 2008
Last update
 Monday 30 March 2009
En français, cette race se dit
 Chien de la Serra Estrela
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar
 Serra da Estrela Berghund
En español, esta raza se dice
 Perro de la Sierra de la Estrela
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd
 Cao da Serra da Estrela
In his country of origin, his name is

Cão da Serra da Estrela

Usage
A livestock guarding dog, watch dog and companion dog; also used for draught work.

Brief historical summary
Since remote times, this dog has developed and settled in the Estrela Mountains area, its true origin being lost in time. Nevertheless, it can be considered one of the most ancient breeds in the Iberian Peninsula. It can be found from the foot of the mountains to the summit (approximately 2000 m), mainly in the summer, after the snow has melted, when the green pastures are much sought after by the herds, because the excessive heat has dried the grass on the lowlands. The progressive recognition of its aptitudes has led to its diffusion throughout the world since the second half of the 20th century.

General appearance
Large, mastiff-type molossoid dog. There are two varieties of coat: long and short. Rustic, substantial, with brisk gait and an impressive attitude. The breed has a lively, calm and expressive look; it is well proportioned; well made with harmonious appearance, which is traditionally how the breed has been recognised since a long time.

Important proportions
Moderately long (sub-longilinear), tending to mediolinear. The depth of the chest is less than half the height at withers. The muzzle and skull should be approximately the same length; if not, the skull should be slightly longer.

Behaviour / temperament
Inseparable companion of the shepherd and faithful flock guardian, bravely protecting it against predators and thieves. Wonderful farm and house guard, distrustful towards strangers and typically docile to its master.

Head

Cranial region
Head
 Strong, voluminous and long and slightly convex seen in profile. Well inserted and in good proportion to the body, with the skull in proportion to the foreface; all parts in perfect harmony. Smooth skin on the skull and cheeks.
Skull
 Well developed, rounded, with slightly divergent longitudinal superior cranium-facial axes, convex profile, slightly developed superciliary arches with slightly apparent frontal furrow, occipital protuberance not prominent. 
Stop
 Only slightly marked and at approximately equal distance to the tip of the nose and the occipital protuberance.

Facial region
Nose
 Straight and in line with nosebridge; well opened nostrils; large and black.
Muzzle
 Long, tapering to the tip, without being pointed; tends to be straight but very slightly convex at the tip.
Lips
 Well developed but not thick, well overlapping, not pendulous; mucous membrane of mouth, palate and edges of lips with intense black pigmentation.
Jaws and teeth
 Clean cut mouth with well developed jaws; full dentition with strong, white, well implanted and close-fitting teeth, preferably with scissors bite, pincer bite acceptable.
Eyes
 Medium sized, tending to small, oval shaped, level set, equal in size and well open, with a keen and calm expression; preferably dark amber in colour. Close fitting lids with black rims. Eyebrows slightly apparent.
Ears
 Set on at medium height; hanging, carried falling backwards and laterally against the side of the head, with inner edge visible (so called rose-ear); thin, triangular, rounded at the tip; small in comparison to the body.

Neck
Short, straight and thick; well set and well connected into the shoulders; with a slight dewlap, not exaggerated.

Body
Topline
 Straight. Almost level.
Back
 Preferably short, well muscled.
Loin
 Short; broad; well muscled; well connected to the croup.
Croup
 Slightly sloping; short, broad and muscled. Height at croup should be equal or slightly superior to the height at the withers.
Chest
 Broad; deep; well sprung without being cylindrical; well let down to the elbow or slightly below it.
Underline and belly
 The underline should rise gradually but smoothly from sternum to the groin; belly not too wide, in proportion to the animal’s substance and harmoniously connected to the body.

Tail
Set on at medium height; long; thick; carried below the horizontal, scimitar-shaped, with a hook at the end. At rest it hangs naturally between the thighs, reaching at least the hock; when excited and in motion, the tail rises above the horizontal, curving upward and forward, sideways and downward, without being carried over the croup. It should be well furnished with hair, and feathered in the long-haired variety.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality
 Upright with strong bone and thick joints, moderately open angulation, with easy movement.
Forearm
 Straight, parallel, long, with strong bone and almost cylindrical in shape.

Hindquarters
Generality
 Upright, strong bone with thick joints, moderately open angles, with easy movement.
Metatarsus
 Vertical, almost cylindrical. Possible presence of single or double dewclaws.
Hock
 Slightly let down; moderately open, neither turned in nor out.

Feet
Proportioned, neither too round nor too long, between cat and hare feet (not splayed); thick, tight toes with abundant hair between toes and pads; dark nails, preferably black, well developed; pads thick and hard.

Gait and movement
Sound and easy movement.

Coat
Hair
 Strong, very abundant, slightly coarse, without excessive harshness, the texture is similar to goat hair. The undercoat is composed of fine hair, short, abundant and entangled, normally lighter in colour than the outer coat.
Long-haired variety:
Straight or slightly wavy top coat, uneven in some areas. It is shorter and more dense on the limbs, below the elbows and hocks, as well as on the head; on the ears, it becomes gradually shorter from the base to the tip, becoming thinner and softer. It is longer on the tail, which is bushy, thick and feathered, around the neck and throat and on the buttocks, which are abundantly feathered, as well as the back side of the forearms.
Short-haired variety:
Short hair, evenly distributed over the body, slightly shorter on the head and limbs, without feathering.
Colour
 The following colours are accepted and considered typical:
• Solid: yellow, fawn and grey in all ranges of colour intensity.
• Wolf Grey: fawn, yellow and grey tones, commonly in lighter and darker shades.
• Brindle: Fawn, yellow or grey base colour with blackish brindling. In the cranium-facial area, a dark coloured mask is typical.
White markings are admitted only at the extremities of fore- and hind feet and on a small extension on the lower region of neck and chest.

Size and weight
Height at withers
 Males 65-73 cm, females 62-69 cm, tolerance + 2 cm.
Weight
 Males 45-60 Kg, females 35-45 Kg.

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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

General faults
 General bad appearance, thinness or obesity.
 Height outside the limits set by the standard, but within 2 cm tolerance at the upper limit.
 Head narrow, long and pointed.
 Eyes light coloured.
 Ears incorrectly set, too long, thick or rounded tips; hanging completely flat.
 Tail carried over the back; absence of hook.
 Colour absence of dark mask.

Serious faults
 Animals showing nervous unbalance with signs of shyness.
 Nose pale coloured nostrils, partly unpigmented nose.
 Ears cropped.
 Tail docked or rudimentary.
 Hair somewhat different from the described type.
 Males under 65 cm or over 75 cm.
 Females under 62 cm or over 71 cm.

Disqualifying faults
 Aggressive or overly shy.
 Atypical.
 Head very narrow, very long and very pointed completely lacking molossoid type.
 Undershot or overshot.
 Wall eyes or difference in size.
 Anurous.
 Hair completely atypical.
 Any colour not mentioned in the standard.
 Albinism.

NB :
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography
http://www.fci.be/
Details
Also available: Français (France) Deutsch (Deutschland) Español (España) Nederlands (nl-NL)
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