meet the... New Guinea Singing Dog

Head

• General Appearance: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull-type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped when viewed from any direction, vulpine, and in proportion with the rest of the body. The topskull is fairly broad and may be slightly arched for flat. A slight median furrow runs from the stop, disappearing towards the occiput. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
• Expression: Curious, sharp, and alert, with a hint of mischievousness.
• Stop: The stop is slight to definite.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 4:5, with the topskull being just longer than the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel to slightly convergent.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level, tapering gently from the full and broad base 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.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are well-pigmented and clean. They fit tightly over the teeth and jaws and should never extend beyond the lower plane of the bottom jawline. The rear corners of the lips may be drawn upwards, giving the dog a “grinning” expression.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are well developed and powerfully muscled, supported by broad zygomatic arches, giving the face breadth and depth.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two very large, 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 hunting is not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Somewhat small to moderate in size, almond to triangular in shape, and amber to medium to dark brown in color. The eyes are set slightly obliquely. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. They are never bulging. 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. The eyes are also highly reflective of light, appearing to glow a greenish color due to a well-developed tapetum.
• Ears: Somewhat small to medium in size. Set fairly high on the skull with the ears oriented toward the 10 and 2 o’clock position when relaxed but drawn up to the 11 and 1 o’clock position when alert. They are triangles in shape, with tips orienting just slightly forward (hooded) and the back of the ear being a continuation of the arched neck. The ears are well-lined with fur. When showing submission, the ears will lie even further forward as opposed to being retracted back, as in most wild and domestic canids—a trait unique to this breed. They are always carried firmly erect by maturity. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.

Body and Tail

• General Description: The body is of good substance, having strong, lean musculature and solid, yet never heavy, bone throughout. The body is never heavy and cloddy, nor racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters. In comparison to domesticated dogs, the body is fairly narrow and especially flexible.
• Neck: Moderately long to allow for good head carriage and 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: Sufficiently deep and broad to allow for ample heart and lung function. Narrow in comparison to domestic dogs overall, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well developed without being excessively pronounced.
• Topline: Straight and level to just slightly sloped from the well-developed withers to croup. The back is of a medium length, broad, strongly muscled, straight, and extremely flexible. The loin is taut and may be flat, level, or with a slight arch, yet supportive. The back is never elongated, swayed, or excessively roached.
• Croup: Broad with strong muscle and gently sloped.
• Underline: The underline is moderately tucked-up with a defined flank and waist. 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 up above the level of the topline and gently curved over the back or out almost level with the topline when gaiting. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, gently curved, sabered, sickled, or brushed.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The New Guinea Singing Dog breed is somewhat short-legged for a wild dog, although they should never appear dwarfed. The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and are moderately well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are of a moderately long length and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate yet sturdy bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
  An interesting note about this breed is the increased flexibility in their limbs. The New Guinea Singing Dog can rotate their forefeet and hindfeet more than the normal canine, which assists them in climbing. They can also splay their forelegs sideways to 90 degrees.
• Pasterns: Gently sloped, of a good length, and never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are sufficiently long, equal in length, strong, of moderate yet 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 pads. Front feet may “toe-out” just slightly.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: The coat consists of a harsh, weather-resistant outer coat and a short, dense, and supportive undercoat. The coat on the face, ears, skull, and front of the legs is short. The coat on the body is slightly longer at the cheek tufts and on the chest, neck, back of the forelegs, and hindlegs, forming a bristly brush tail. The coat should be clean and free of parasites and should never be altered in any other way.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Puppies are born a brown, red, and tan agouti color, similar to most other wild pups. Mature coat colors can include; tan, fawn, red, rust, red-brown, sables (all with or without black mask), black with tan points, and all with or without white ghosting (diluted) points. Most all will have some minimal white or white trim.

Movement

Smooth, flowing gait with graceful and agile movements. The movement is 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. 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 New Guinea Singing Dog breed is, first and foremost, a feral dog. These dogs have developed alone in the wilderness for eons without interference or reliance upon humans, and they lack any reliance on humans and can exist without them just fine. That being said, dogs that have been raised by people from young pups or for generations are eager to interact with (not so much please) people. They can be comical, affectionate, and protective. They are also eager to learn tricks when in the right mood. However, like most wild canids, they are difficult to confine and will come and go as they please in search of new adventures. They also exhibit an extremely high prey drive, making any other animal fair game. If left to their own devices in an unstimulating and unenriched environment, they will create their own entertainment, often to the tune of exploring what their surroundings are made of and figuring out how many options there are to escape to find a more stimulating environment. For these reasons, when kept as pets, these dogs must undergo socialization and companionship obedience training to help them understand the boundaries that exist outside of the wild that will keep them and others safe. 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. This breed is the only breed in which monocryptorchid males are permitted, although not preferred.