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The Full Hovawart Description

Indicative Breed Standard

General Appearance

Medium size, strong but not heavy.

Characteristics

Hardy, works in all weathers, watchful, agile, swift, dignified, self-assured.

Temperament

Playful, alert, intelligent, devoted to his family, can be wilful and dominant towards other dogs.

Head and Skull

Strong head, skull moderately broad, free from wrinkle. Equal length of skull and muzzle. Moderate stop. Nose never blunt, but pointed.

Eyes

Dark preferred, toning with pigmentation. Oval, medium-sized, alert and intelligent expression.

Ears

Triangular, hanging, set medium to high. May be covered with long or short hair.

Mouth

Tight lips, scissor bite preferred, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws, but pincer bite tolerated.

Neck

Strong, medium length, no dewlap.

Forequarters

Well laid shoulder, strong and muscular. Forelegs straight when viewed from front. Moderate slope on pastern, flexible and well feathered. Free- moving elbow, not too tight. Dewclaws optional.

Body

Well balanced. Longer from point of breastbone to buttocks, than height at withers. Strong topline, level from withers to croup, which is not too long, and slightly sloping. Foreribs fairly flat, but gradual spring to centre of body. Deep brisket. Loin moderately deep.

Hindquarters

Muscular, with width. Well angulated, without exaggeration. From hock joint to foot, of medium length. Strong, flexible hock joint. Legs parallel when viewed from rear.

Feet

Oval. Hard pads, well arched, tight. Strong nails.

Tail

Long and bushy, reaching below hock but not to ground. Carried high when moving, loosely curled over croup, but not in a complete circle or falling to either side. When standing, tail hangs straight down.

Gait/Movement

Free, supple, tireless. Soundness very important, with no stilted action. Head tends to drop at high speed. When trotting, tends to converge.

Coat

Long in appearance, but short on face and front legs. Not so long on rib cage and thighs. Fine, light undercoat, straight or lightly waved. Long coat averages 10-22.5 cms (4-9 ins) but feathering may be 15-30 cms (6-12 ins). Never trimmed, except around feet.

Colour

Black/Gold: deep shining coal-black, with no signs of rustiness, with medium gold to gold-brown markings. Markings on head should begin below back of nose and below eye, and reach to beginning of neck and on breast, should be present, but must not extend continuously to forelegs. At forelegs the marks should reach (seen from the side) from toes to the carpul joint, and on inner side should reach nearly to vent. Beginning from toes, (from the side) a middle blond or solid brown strip should be visible above hock joint. Underneath beginning of tail, marking should be visible. A small white spot on breast, and a few white hairs at end of tail are permissible.
Blond: middle blond coat should reach from back of nose to end of tail, and should lighten to belly. A small white spot on breast and a few white hairs at point of tail are permissible.
Black: deep shining coal black with no signs of rustiness, a few white spots on breast and a few white hairs at point of tail are permissible. All other pigment to suit colour of dog, i.e. a blond can have brown nose and eye is darker than gold of dog.

Size

Height: dogs: 63-70 cms (25-271/2 ins); bitches: 58-65 cms (23-251/2 ins). Weight: dogs: 30-40 kgs (66-68 lbs); bitches: 25-35 kgs (55-77 lbs).