meet the... Estrela Mountain Dog

Head

• General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type and always in proportion to the rest of the body. The head is fairly clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles, with the skin being well-fitted but pliant. Wrinkles and loose skin, especially around the eyes, is incorrect on the head. The head is somewhat long, forming a somewhat elongated wedge. It should never appear heavy or light. The topskull is somewhat arched, both in profile and from the front. The head is well-padded with powerful muscles in the cheeks and temporal area. The superciliary arches are slightly developed, with a developed median furrow. The occipital protuberance is not pronounced. The occiput is fairly developed but well concealed by the coat.
• Expression: Lively, calm, noble, and expressive.
• Stop: Only slightly marked, never defined or abrupt.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1 to 5:4, with the topskull being equal (preferred) to the muzzle or the muzzle being just slightly longer.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis may be just slightly divergent.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is fairly long, strong, full, deep, and broad at the base but tapering toward the tip. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight but with a very slight convex arch (Roman nose) toward the nose. The upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak. The muzzle should never appear pointed.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and well-fitted over the teeth and jaws. The lips and flews are tightly fitted and sufficient in length to just reach the lower plane of the jaw, giving the muzzle its broad and deep appearance. The corners of the lips are closed, and lips should never be pendulous or “wet.” The lips should be well-pigmented and black.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are slightly developed. They should gradually taper toward the muzzle.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work is not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Medium to medium-small in size. They are oval to almond in shape, ranging from amber (preferred) to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The brows are somewhat defined. There should be no sign of looseness around the eyes. Exposed whites, haw, or pink membranes are incorrect and should be faulted. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
• Ears: Somewhat small in size, neither high nor low on the skull, but set just above the level of the eyes. The ears are fairly broad at the base, hanging, and rose-eared with somewhat rounded tips. There is sufficient lift at the base. The inner edge and tips are visible and lie away from the head.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Substantial, deep, broad, and of good length, with moderately strong and solid bone substance and powerful muscle throughout. Powerful yet elegant, never heavy, cloddy, racy, or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for a good 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 relatively clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or overly pendulous dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
• Topline: Level from withers to croup or slightly rising toward an almost imperceptibly elevated croup. The back is firm, broad, strongly muscled, somewhat short, and straight, yet supple. The loin is short, broad, taut, flat, and level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Broad, fairly long, and gently sloped. The croup should be equal in height to the withers, or just slightly (almost imperceptibly) higher than the withers.
• Underline: A slight 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. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually downward or below the level of the topline, never tucked or carried up over the back. The tail is of a moderately long length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be gently curved, curved toward the end, or with a shepherd’s crook at the end.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are 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 is just less than the distance from the elbows to the ground.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of solid 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 long, equal in length, strong, sturdy, solid 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 pads.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: The Estrela Mountain Dog breed comes in two coat varieties: the standard smooth coat and the long coat.
  
  Smooth-coat variety: Very dense, harsh, close-fitting outer coat. Soft, dense undercoat. Shorter on the head, face, ears, and front of the legs, paws, and toes. Hair is slightly longer on the backside of the legs, forming moderate “trousers,” and on the neck, forming a slight ruff.
  
  Long-coat variety: Straight or slightly wavy outer coat that tends to be uneven in density and length. The dense, harsh, long guard hairs form abundant feathering and fringes, especially on the ears, bushy, thick tail, and back of the legs where there are profuse trousers. The coat is longest on the shoulders, neck, and chest, forming a mane. The feet, especially between the toes, also exhibit thick fur. The coat is significantly shorter and denser on the head, face, front side of legs, paws, and toes.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Solid colors in fawn, cream, yellow, or gray sables, agoutis, or grizzles, all with or without black masks (with or without mask extensions), all with or without black brindling, all with or without minimal white to white trim markings.

Movement

Movement is powerful yet athletic, energetic, efficient, effortless, and tireless. 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. When extended, the width between the forefeet 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 Estrela Mountain Dog breed is an impressive dog with a serious and devoted nature, fierce loyalty, and extraordinary strength to back up its imposing presence. Although docile and calm with their family, they will not hesitate to protect their family or property from any perceived harm. Like other large and giant breeds, they bond instinctively to children. Being an excellent guardian of property and person, they will remain leery of anyone deemed an outsider. 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.