meet the... Bohemian Shepherd

Head

• General Appearance: Mesaticephalic, moderate in size, and somewhat long yet wedge-shaped when viewed from above or in profile. It is in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is broad, measured in front of the ears; it is as wide as it is long (from occiput to stop). In profile, the forehead and topskull are flat (never domed) when viewed from the front or in profile. A furrow extending from the stop and up the center of the topskull may be absent or barely perceptible, and the occiput is slightly marked. The supraciliary arches are distinct but not overly protrusive. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
• Expression: Confident, energetic, pleasant, self-composed, keen, watchful, and intelligent.
• Stop: The stop is moderate; it is neither definite nor smooth.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 4:5, with the topskull being just greater in length than the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel or may be just slightly convergent.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad, tapering slightly toward the nose. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. The upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are well pigmented, fairly clean, and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws. The lips should never appear loose or pendulous or extend below the lower plane of the bottom jawline.
• Nose: The nose is large, well-pigmented, and black. The nostrils are well opened. The nose is flush with the vertical line of the end of the muzzle or may protrude just a touch beyond.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are well-developed yet not protrusive. They are smoothly padded to denote strength.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level or scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to open almond in shape, and set slightly oblique. They are medium to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes should never appear large and round, nor should they have exposed whites. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
• Ears: Medium in size, short, firmly erect, and set high and somewhat close to the skull. The tips may be pointed or rounded. The ears are never long, overly large, tipped, drooped, rounded, or broken.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Strong, deep, of good substance, and powerfully muscled, the body should allow for strength, agility, stamina, and endurance. The body is never light, weedy, racy, rangy, heavy, or cloddy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for proud head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket is long, pronounced, and deep, extending to the point of the elbows and accounting for 48 to 50% of the dog’s height at the withers. The forechest is well developed yet not overly protrusive.
• Topline: Straight and level or just slightly sloped from somewhat prominent withers to croup. The back is slightly long (yet never overly long), broad, strongly muscled, and straight yet supple. The loin is taut, straight, or just slightly (almost imperceptibly) arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Long, broad, powerful, and gently sloped.
• Underline: A slight to moderate tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. It is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, often in a downward-neutral position to level with the topline, but it is never tucked. It is of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, gently curved, or curved toward the tip.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are fairly long and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The distance from the withers to the brisket may be equal to, or just less than, the distance from the elbows to the ground.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate yet sturdy (never heavy) bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are fairly long, equal in length, strong, moderate (never heavy) bone, sturdy bone, and well-muscled.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough black pads and nails. Toes are well-webbed for swimming.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: Double-coat with a soft, dense undercoat. The outer coat is medium-long length (2-5 inches in length), shiny, straight or slightly wavy, harsh, and close fitting. The undercoat is soft and dense. The coat is shorter on the head, face, and front of the legs, paws, and toes. The coat is longer on ear leathers, which are profusely furred, with the longest of the coat being found on the neck, chest, back, back of the limbs, and tail, which is somewhat flagged.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Black or gunmetal with distinct, clearly defined tan to red traditional points (preferred) or creeping tan or red markings, with or without a melanistic mask.

Movement

The movement of the Bohemian Shepherd breed is smooth, fluid, energetic, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. The width between the forefeet, when extended, should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The Bohemian Shepherd breed is strong-nerved, self-assured, self-composed, watchful, and alert when necessary. They are quick to react to events in their environment but show levelheadedness. They should never be timid, shy, nervous, anxious, or overly fearful (including fear-aggressive). They are expected to permit neutral and friendly interactions between their family, owner, handler, and others; however, they are not overly friendly but tend to be somewhat aloof towards strangers. The breed is physically capable of speed, power, agility, and endurance, and they are self-aware enough to know their capabilities and limits. This offers them a great deal of confidence. The Bohemian Shepherd breed is an extremely intelligent breed, capable of learning and discerning many tasks and activities. They are renowned for their scenting ability and grow especially fond of children if introduced to them early on and properly. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper, healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.