General Appearance
Sturdy, muscular, wiry, with fine bone. Whole well covered with long (according to age), profuse corded coat. Long hair overshadows eyes like an umbrella. Viewed from side, trunk and limbs should present square figure.

Characteristics
Herding dog, medium-sized, nimble and extremely intelligent.

Temperament
Lively, wary of strangers, but not displaying nervousness or unprovoked aggression.

Head and Skull
Disregarding hair, head small and fine with slightly domed skull. From front it appears round, from side almost elliptical. Muzzle one-third length of head, with well defined stop, not snipey but bluntly rounded. Arches of eye socket well defined, nose relatively large and black, eye rims and flews black in all colours.

Eyes
Medium size, dark brown with lively expression.

Ears
Set slightly below level of skull, V-shaped, pendant, of medium size, covered with long hair. Length of ears about half length of head. Ears do not appear noticeable, even when alert.

Mouth
Roof uniformly dark or variegated with deep pigmented spots on dark base. Flews tight and black. Tongue bright red. Jaws and teeth strong with perfect scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Set at an angle of 45 degrees to horizontal, of medium length, tight skinned and muscular. When fully coated, neck appears to merge with body.

Forequarters
Shoulders well laid. Elbows tight. Forelegs straight and muscular, and viewed from any angle, vertical.

Body
Withers slightly higher than level of back, which is of medium length. Loin short and broad, belly slightly tucked up. Ribs deep, rib cage broadening from behind elbows and well sprung. Rump short and slightly sloping but this is not obvious because of tightly curled tail.

Hindquarters
Strong, and well muscled. Pelvis forming an angle of 90 degrees with thighbone. Well bent stifle. Hocks set fairly low. When viewed from the rear, the legs should be parallel, with feet turning neither in nor out. Wide pelvis desirable, especially in bitches.

Feet
Short, round, tight. Hindfeet slightly longer than forefeet. Nails strong, black or slate grey. Pads springy, dark grey in colour.

Tail
Medium length, curled tightly over rump-loin area; long hair of tail mixes indistinguishably with similar hair of rump so that tail does not appear separate.

Gait/Movement
Stride not far-reaching. Gallop short. Typical movement short- stepping, very quick, in harmony with lively disposition. Movement never heavy, lethargic or lumbering.

Coat
Correct proportion of top and undercoat creates, naturally, the desired cords. Matting and felting to be avoided, and a combed coat is as undesirable as a neglected one. Coat generally longest on hindquarters, shortest on head and feet. Some dogs will grow a floor-length coat.

Colour
Acceptable colours black, rusty-black, white and various shades of grey and apricot. Black sometimes appears weathered, rusty, or with slight intermingling of white hairs. Grey and apricot in all their shades may have an intermingling of black or white hairs, with or without black mask, ear tips and tail tip. The overall appearance of all variants must be that of a solid colour. A white spot on chest of not more than 5 cms (2 ins) is permissible. A few white hairs on feet also permissible. Body skin should be well pigmented and slate grey in colour, especially in blacks and greys.

Size
Height: dogs: 40-44 cms (16-171/2 ins); bitches: 37-41 cms (141/2-16 ins). Weight: dogs: 13-15 kgs (29-33 lbs); bitches: 10-13 kgs (22-281/2 lbs).

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.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.