Standard of the SOUTH RUSSIAN OVCHARKA
Country of origin: Russia
FCI Standard No: 326

The Ovcharka of meridional Russia is a dog of robust constitution, of above average size; he is fierce and distrustful of strangers, not very demanding and adept easily to diverse climatic conditions and temperatures.

GENERAL APPEARANCE:

Robust, lean, with massive bone structure and a strongly developed musculature.
 * FAULTS: Frail constitution, bones too light, insufficient musculature; constitution of coarse or gross appearance.

SEXUAL TYPE:

                                      MALES                                                                    FEMALES
Well evident according to sex. The males are courageous, stronger and more massive than the females.
* FAULTS: Females of male type.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Effeminate type male.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:

BONE INDEX:
Males 17 to 19 cm
Females 16 to 18 cm

LENGHT INDEX (FORMAT):   108-110
* FAULTS: Slight divergences of the given norm.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Accentuated divergences of the given norms (square shape or very elongated).

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT:
Type of highly nervous activity, strong, balanced, lively. Dominant reaction: active way of defense.
* FAULTS: Excessive excitability, timidity, laziness.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Uncontrolled excitability. Cowardice.

HEAD:

Elongated shape with a moderately broad forehead; the occipital crest and the zygomatic arches are strongly pronounced. The stop is barely visible. The nose is big and black.
* FAULTS: Coarse head, accentuated stop, superciliary arches prominent, muzzle too short or too elongated, grey lips, nose grey or brown.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Narrow muzzle, weak, turned up of truncated shape. Pink nose.

TEETH:

White, big, fitting closely. The incisors are set regularly and close in scissor bite.
* FAULTS: Teeth to small and spaced, yellow or prematurely worn. Broken teeth but not impeding a correct closure of the jaws. Lack of premolars.
**SEVERE FAULTS: Everything which does not correspond to a perfect closure of the teeth in scissor bite. Decayed teeth. Incisors set irregularly.

EARS:

Relatively small, of triangular shape, hanging.
* FAULTS: Detached ears.

EYES:

Oval shape, set horizontally, dark; the eyelids lean, tight.
* FAULTS: Light eyes.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Eyes of different colour, pink eyelids.

NECK:
Lean, muscular, of moderate length, set high.
* FAULTS: Neck too short, set low.

BODY:

WITHERS:
Apparent but not high. Back straight and strong.
* FAULTS: Weak back or roach-back.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Saddle back or humped.

LOIN:

Short, broad, rounded.
* FAULTS: Slightly elongated, straight or too rounded.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Long, narrow, drooping.

CHEST:

Reasonably broad, slightly flattened, deep.
* FAULTS: Chest insufficiently let down (above the elbow).
** SEVERE FAULTS: Narrow chest, too small, barrel shaped.

BELLY:

Moderately tucked up.
* FAULTS: Excessively whippety or sagging.

FEET (FRONT AND BACK):
Oval shaped, strong, well arched, covered with long hair.
* FAULTS: Flat feet, splayed feet.

GAIT / MOVEMENT:

The gaits are free and extended. The natural gaits of this dog are the heavy trot and the gallop. At the trot, the legs move in a straight line with a slight convergence to the median line. The articulations of the fore- and hindquarters straightening up freely.
* FAULTS: Slight lateral deviation in the movement of the legs; insufficient straightening up of the articulations.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Restrained gait, lack in action.

COAT:
Hair long 10-15 cm, coarse, thick, dense of equal length on head, chest, legs and tail, with a well developed undercoat.
* FAULT: Straight hair.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Soft texture, short hair.

COLOUR:

                 GREY                                 GREY & WHITE                   BEIGE                           WHITE & GREY
Most often white but also white and yellow, straw colour, greyish (ashen grey) and other shades of grey; white lightly marked with grey, grey speckled.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Black, rusty or brown coat; strongly speckled.

HEIGHT AT THE WITHERS:
Males 65 cm minimum
Females 62 cm minimum.
* FAULTS: Size of less than 65 cm for the males, less than 62 cm for the females.
** SEVERE FAULTS: Size of less than 60 cm for the males, less than 58 cm. for the females.
(Amplification: The total body length from the front point of shoulder to the rearmost projection of the croup should exceed the dog's height at withers by 8% to 10%. The animal gives a definite impression of masculinity or femininity, according to sex. Dogs are generally bigger and heavier.
* FAULT: Doggy bitches.
** SEVERE FAULT: Bitchy dogs.)

(Amplification: TAIL:

Low set, long, falling at rest, reaching the hock joints, with the end curved upward. Lifted up to the top line level when the dog is excited. Often the tail end is curled in a ring with the last 2-3 vertebrae joined together.
* FAULT: Tail curled over the back.
** SEVERE FAULTS: ring shaped tail; short or cropped tail)

(Amplification: FOREQUARTERS: Front legs are straight, parallel, relatively long. The angle formed by the shoulder bone and upper arm bone is about 100 degrees. Pasterns are strong, wide and long, with a slight slant.
HINDQUARTERS: Are powerful, wide set, parallel. Well-angulated. The upper thighs are well-muscled. Stifle bones are long, inclined. Hock joint is clean-cut, angular. The hock is strong, long, slightly inclined.
** SEVERE FAULTS: no angulation; short stifles)
FAULTS:
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault is regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

ELIMINATING FAULTS:
»» Everything which does not correspond to a correct closure of jaws in scissor bite.
»» Hair short and straight
»» All the shades of the coat which have not been taken into consideration in the present standard.

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

NB: The "Amplifications" are from the new concept standard that the RKF has proposed to the FCI but has not been accepted yet.