Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog

Breed Standard

Common CFCR – WDF nomenclature

__ORIGIN: __Romania.

__UTILIZATION: __Excellent herding dog, incorruptible guardian and marvellous companion.

__CLASSIFICATION: __Group I — Romanian Shepherd Dogs (national native breeds).

__Morphological type: __shepherd guard dog, long-coated type.

__Working trial: __not compulsory.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY

The Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog was selected from a natural breed of the Carpathian Mountains, the principal reason being utility. This breed has many fanciers in Romania because of its vigorous appearance. The standard was first drafted in 1981 and subsequently adapted and revised in 2002.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

A large dog but never heavy; vigorous and spectacular. The coat is long and well-furnished on the head, all of the body and the limbs. Males are taller and stronger than females, showing clear sexual dimorphism.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS

The body is longer than the height at the withers (ideal ratio is 11:10). The depth of chest should be approximately half of the height at the withers. The muzzle is slightly shorter than the skull.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT

A calm and stable dog. A good herd dog, very courageous and an efficient fighter against possible animal prey (bear, wolf, lynx). Wary of strangers.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION

__Skull: __Moderate width, slightly rounded. The upper profiles of the skull and muzzle are almost parallel. Eyebrow arches not too prominent. The zygomatic arches are only slightly defined. Occipital protuberance well defined.

__Stop: __Not too pronounced.

FACIAL REGION

__Nose: __Wide, well developed, black.

__Muzzle: __Equal to or a little shorter than the skull; well developed, tapering progressively towards the nose but never pointed; strong lower jaw.

__Lips: __Thick, tight, strongly pigmented.

__Jaws / Teeth: __Powerful jaws; complete dentition (lack of PM1 and M3 allowed), strong and healthy white teeth, well set; scissor bite. Level bite tolerated but not preferred.

__Cheeks: __Not protruding.

__EYES: __Moderate size, oblique; the colour is hazel, dark brown or slightly lighter, never yellow. Eyelids well pigmented. Calm and intelligent expression.

__EARS: __Relatively high set, “V”-shaped with the tip slightly rounded, 10–15 cm long, hanging closely to the cheeks; cropping forbidden.

__NECK: __Moderate length, broad and powerful, without dewlap.

BODY

Well developed.

__Topline: __Straight and solid.

__Withers: __Moderately defined.

__Back: __Horizontal, strong and muscled.

__Loin: __Moderately long, wide and very muscular.

__Croup: __Muscled and moderately sloping towards the set of the tail.

__Chest: __Not too long, broad, the depth being approximately half of the height at the withers, ribs well sprung.

__Underline and belly: __Slight tuck-up without being exaggerated.

__TAIL: __High set on. At rest it is carried hanging, reaching to or lower than the hock; when the dog is alert or in action the tail is carried higher, slightly curved, sometimes above the topline but never curled over the back or touching it. Docking is forbidden.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS

__General appearance: __Upright, seen from the front or the side.

__Shoulder: __Moderate length, oblique, very muscular and well attached. The scapulo-humeral angle is approximately 100°–105°.

__Upper arm: __Moderate length, well muscled.

__Elbow: __Close to the body, turning neither in nor out.

__Forearm: __Sufficiently long, powerful and muscled.

__Carpus (wrist): __Firm.

__Metacarpus (pastern): __Slightly sloping seen from the side.

__Forefeet: __Oval, compact and massive, toes tight and arched, nails ash-grey coloured.

HINDQUARTERS

__General appearance: __Very muscular and powerful, straight and parallel seen from behind. Angulations only slightly open.

__Thigh: __Long, broad and very muscular.

__Stifle (knee): __The femoro-tibial angle is approximately 100°–105°.

__Lower thigh: __Sufficiently long, muscled with good bone.

__Hock joint: __Moderate height, strong, well bent, turning neither in nor out.

__Metatarsus (rear pastern): __Not too long, robust and almost vertical, seen from the side. The presence of dewclaws should not be penalised.

__Hind feet: __Slightly longer than the forefeet.

__GAIT / MOVEMENT: __Harmonious, free, well coordinated, powerful and effortless. The trot is preferred. The gallop is sustained and balanced.

__SKIN: __Thick, tight-fitting and well pigmented.

COAT

__Hair: __The coat is abundant on the head and body, of harsh texture, straight and of a minimum length of 10 cm. The undercoat is denser and more supple and of a lighter colour. On the limbs the coat is shorter. The tail is well furnished.

__Colour: __Piebald: the ground colour must be white with well-defined black or grey markings. Solid colours: solid white or solid grey. Tips of the ears should be pigmented dark grey or black (“earrings”).

SIZE AND WEIGHT

Height at the withers:

• Males: minimum 70 cm, ideal height 75 cm.
• Females: minimum 65 cm, ideal height 70 cm.

__Weight: __In proportion to the size.

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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.

• Overweight or weak subject.
• Tail curled or carried in a ring.
• Absence of teeth other than PM1 and M3.
• Elbows turned in or out.
• Heavy gait.

SEVERE FAULTS

• Sexual dimorphism not sufficiently marked.
• Untypical expression.
• Round, protruding eyes.
• Wall eye.
• Erect ears.
• Coat too short (less than 8 cm).
• Curly coat or of a texture other than described in the standard.
• Topline sagging, arched or dipping.
• Spreading feet, turned out or in.
• Rear limbs with angulation too open.
• Cow hocked.
• Presence of brindle markings.
• Males below 70 cm at the withers, females below 65 cm.

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS

• Aggressive or overly shy dogs.
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities.
• Untypical subject.
• Absence of incisor or canine teeth.
• Overshot or undershot.
• Albinism.
• Naturally absent or naturally short tail.
• Docked tail.
• Height at the withers less than 68 cm for males.
• Height at the withers less than 63 cm for females.

N.B.

• 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.