What you need to know

Solid with a wide skull and strongly developed bones. Wide flat forehead which is bisected by a slight furrow. The progression from the forehead to the area of the muzzle is slight. The muzzle is shorter than the forehead, and is slightly tapered with strong but tightly closed dry lips. The nose is large, wide and black. It is permissible for the nose to be brown if the particular dog or bitch has a white or light-colored face.

Major faults can be black, black flecked and brown colors in various combinations. Minor faults can be the head is not sufficiently wide or solid. Too strongly domed or too steep or too flat in the forehead. Short or elongated nose.Lips that are not firmly closed and do not hang over.

Standing and seen from the front, straight and parallel to each other. The shoulder and upper arm angle comes to 100 degrees.Upper arms are straight, solid, moderately long. The pasterns short, solid, standing vertically and only giving slightly. The length of the fore-limbs to the elbow comes somewhat over half the height of the withers. Long- legged index 50–54.

Standing and seen from behind,straight and parallel to each other.Seen from the side, knee joint somewhat stretched out. Short lower leg. Powerful ankle joints which are wide and somewhat stretched. The metatarsus solid. While standing, hind limbs should not brace backwards. A vertical line should run from the buttocks towards the middle of the ankle joints and the metacarpus.

The breed’s thick double coat and mane-like ruff are insulation from heat and cold and protection from predator bites. The coat has a characteristic oiliness with water-repellent and tangle-resistant properties, and an odor that serves as a scent warning to predators. Dirt that dries on the coat shakes off.

Dogs at higher elevations developed longer coats in response to colder winter weather, and larger chest and lung capacity in response to thinner air. Dogs in the steppe regions are often shorter-coated in response to the more temperate climate.

Ears are hanging and set high. Eyes are dark, medium-large, oval-shaped, and set deep. Teeth are white, large, well-developed which should lie tightly next to each other. The base of the incisors are lined up. Scissors grip.

Neck is very powerful and short. It’s not carried high but at an angle of 30–40 degrees to the line of the back. Chest is broad, deep, somewhat domed. Its bottom line reaches the height of the elbow.

Tail is set high. If hanging, reaches the ankle joint. Able to curl itself or be hook-shaped. Tail should not be cropped. Paws are large oval form, domed and well closed.