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Temperament and Soundness are the two KEY elements in a good family companion; they must not be sacrificed for any reason.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
Should be athletic and graceful, yet compact with substance and medium boning with a free flowing wavy or curling coat that does not shed. Joyful and energetic when free, soft and quiet when handled. They should approach people in a happy friendly manner with eye-to-eye contact, keen to learn and easy to train.
Size
Standard:
21 to 24 (not over 25) inches (or about 53-63 cm) from the wither to ground measurement. The ideal size for the female is 21-23 inches and the male is 22-24 inches. Weight range tends toward 23-30 kg (about 50-65 lbs). Oversize is a major fault.
Medium:
17 to 20 (not over 21) inches (or about 43-52 cm) from the wither to ground measurement. The ideal size for the female is 17-19 inches and the male is 18-20 inches. Weight range tends toward 13-20 kg or (about 30-45 lbs).
Miniature:
14 to 16 (not over 17) inches (or about 35-42 cm) from the wither to ground measurement. There is no correlation between height and sex in the Miniature size. Weight range tends toward 7-12 kg or (about 15-25 lbs). Undersize is a Major fault.
Body
Height to length ratio should be 10 to 12 [being slightly longer in leg, than body]. But still appearing square and compact. Shoulders should have good angulation with firm elbows held close to the rib cage. Upright shoulders are a fault. Hindquarters should be of medium angulation with short strong hocks. Top line should remain level with strong loin and level croup. They are a galloping dog therefore flanks should rise up from a brisket set just below the elbows, but should not be excessively deep. Ribs should be well sprung but not barreled. Overall they should appear square, balanced, and athletic with good muscling.
Movement
When trotting should be purposeful, strong and elastic with good reach and drive, giving the appearance of "going somewhere". When relaxed, happy or at play they will prance and skim the ground lightly. Excessive tightness in the hip will produce a stilted action and is considered a fault. Top line should remain level with strong loin and croup.
Tail
Is relatively high and is preferred to be carried saber. It is allowed to be carried below the top line or gaily above. Curled possum type tails are undesirable and a fault.
Neck
Firm well muscled neck should be moderately long, slightly arched and flow into well angled shoulders with no appearance of abruptness. The neck should not be coarse or stumpy and should lend an air of elegance to the dog. A short or thick neck is a fault.
Head
Sculptured, Broad, well-defined eyebrows, medium stop, eyes set well apart, nose to eye slightly longer than eye to occiput. The head should be clean and chiseled, and fully coated as on the body, legs and tail. A long, narrow or blockhead is a fault.
Ears
Set moderately flat against head and should be level with eye. Leather should be of medium thickness, when gently drawn forward should reach the top canine tooth. Ear leather reaching beyond the tip of the nose is considered a server fault. Ear canal should be free of Excessive hair and not thick or bulbous. When inquisitive or alert the ear should rise to the top of the head. Thick, heavy ear leather is a fault .
Eyes
Slightly round, large and expressive, always offering eye-to-eye contact when engaged in activity with humans. Protruding or sunken eyes are a fault. Watery or tearful eyes are a fault. Wide round or narrow almond shape is considered a fault.
Teeth
Scissor bite. Undershot or overshot bite is a major fault. Crowding teeth in miniatures is a fault.
Nose
Large, square, and fleshy.
Pigment
Black or Rose. Pigment should be strong pink spots or patches on nose, lips, eye rims, or pads are a fault. Dogs with rose pigment should have eye rims, lips, nose and pads with rose pigment. Pink spots or patches are a severe fault. [Rose should be a rich liver colour].
Eye Colour
Should complement and blend with the coat colour. Black, Blue, Red, Chocolate and Silver dogs must have dark brown eyes. Café, Gold, Cream, Chalk should have Hazel to Brown eyes If they have black pigment. Caramel, Lavender, Parchment and dogs with Rose pigment should have Brown or “ghost” eyes. [Ghost is a Hazel colour range much the same as it is in humans]. Flecking with different shades of Hazel with Green - Blue make this eye colour quite unique. Ghost eyes must remain soft in appearance. Cold, staring, expressionless appearance in all eye colour is a major fault.
COAT AND TYPES
View photo's on the Doodle Coats, Types and generations.
Coat length should be 4-6 inches long. It should be straight, wavy or forming spirals and should naturally grow in staples with a soft texture. It should not be too thick or dense nor should it be fluffy or fuzzy. It should be a single coat, any sign of a double coat is a fault. The ideal Fleece and Wool coats can be spun successfully. Hair coat [Hair texture that sheds] is undesirable and is a major fault. It is important that the coat gives the impression of being a fleece in type rather than dog hair.
Fleece
Texture should be light and silky similar to the texture of the Angora Goat. Appearing to contain a silky lanolin in texture. Appearance can range from an almost straight loosely waved to an obviously waved coat, Kemp is often found around eyes and along the top line. The absence of Kemp is highly prized.
Wool
Texture is denser than that of the Fleece with a similar texture to that of Lambs Wool. Appearing to contain a sheep lanolin in texture. The ideal wool coat should hang in loose hollow spirals. It is acceptable to exhibit a spring appearance rather than spiral but a sprung wool coat is undesirable. An overly thick or dense coat is also undesirable.
There should be no body odor or shedding in the Fleece and Wool coat [with the exception of the Hair coat, which both has odor and sheds in varying degrees, usually seen in the early generation dogs]. It is acceptable to see a coat change from the puppy to adult coat, and also during hormonal changes in fertile bitches. This coat does not shed, but should be groomed out. |