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Breed Standard
Date of issue: September 1st 1995
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A dog of impressive appearance with a robust body which shows good muscle development and powerful bone structure, able to move all day long on harsh mountain terrain, under variable weather conditions, with the minimum food requirements. From the early months of his life, he adapts easily to the daily life of the goat, sheep or cattle herd, moving freely and without disturbing the animals, while he soon develops a relation of co-existence with them and a protective instinct towards the herd. His ancestors are the ancient Greek flock-guarding molossians, while today he appears as a primitive sheepdog and guardian of rustic-mountain type, with a conformation perfectly adapted to his duties and good health. The specimens of the breed demonstrate a pronounced expression of the sexual characteristics, with noted masculinity in the males and femininity in the females, particularly obvious on the head features and the body proportions.
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Brindle working sheepdog |
HEAD
The skull-to-muzzle ratio is 3:2 , with a visible cranio-facial angle (stop) and well-developed supercilliary arches (eye-brows), giving the impression of a smooth arch (curve) on the top of the skull as seen from the side, forming a moderate dome, especially in the male specimens. The occipital protruberance is visible. The cheeks are flat and deep. The muzzle is broad and deep, smoothly tapering towards the nose, which is black in colour, or dark brown in the brown specimens. The width of the skull is equal to its length, reaching up to 16-17 cms.
MOUTH
Complete and strong dentition with particularly well-developed canine teeth. The upper and lower jaws are strong and form a scissor bite.
EARS
Set on the level of the eyes and to the back, triangular and of medium size, lying flat against the cheeks or slightly revealing their insides. Their skin is thick and covered by dense coat.
EYES
Of medium size, almond in shape, symmetrically set on lines parallel to the longitudinal axis of the head, with a good distance in between them. Their colour is dark brown.
NECK
Strong, thick, muscular, of medium length, slightly arched in males.
BODY
Strong, with good muscle development, broad and short back, muscular loins; the topline is developed along a straight line. Thorax deep and wide, well-arched ribs leaving amble room to the heart and lungs, smoothly tapering downwards the level of the elbows without giving a barrel shape to the chest. The pelvis is broad and slightly falling away to the rear.
LEGS
Muscular and of strong bone, forming good angulations at the joints, enabling them to move on parallel lines with long strides and good drive, demonstrating power and stability. The feet are of good size and the toes tight, while presence or absence of dewclaws is irrelevant.
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10 years old male |
TAIL
Long or of medium length, bushy or forming a plume on the long-coated individuals, reaching the hocks and carried smoothly curved downwards when the dog is at repose, raised in a curve over the pelvis when the dog is alert or moving. Strong and thick; tail-less specimens also occur.
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5 years old male working as a flock guardian in the Kalambaka area |
COAT
Dense, thick, double, of good quality and protective from the weather conditions. Occurring in two varieties, short and long-coated. The males have a mane. The coat is more ambuntant on the rear of the legs.
COLOUR
The most usual colours are black, white, brindle, brown and fawn, in the
self-coloured dogs. Very common also are the mixed colours with a white base
and spots or areas of black, brown or brindle. Black and tan also occurs,
with the tan or red-fawn areas situated above the eyes, on the throat, the
belly and the extremities of the legs.
On the self-coloured dogs, spots of white on the chest, the extremities of
the legs and the tail are allowed.
BEHAVIOR & TEMPERAMENT
Dog characterized by devotion and willingness to work, with a high sense of duty, independence in action, mistrustfulness towards strangers, self-confidence and pronounced protection instinct for his surroundings. He demonstrates particular hostility towards the wild animals and ability to chase them off, while he is also alert and especially mobile during the night time. A dog of dominant tendencies that usually submits to a single person only, lacking nervousness or shyness, usually calmly withdrawn, but ready to check every, possibly threatening, arising situation with sudden outbursts of healthy aggressiveness.
SIZE & MEASURMENTS
Height at the withers: 70-76 cm or more in males
65-70 cm or more in females
Body length: slightly more than the height of the dog in the male individuals. The females can be slightly longer in relation to height.
Weight: 40-50 kg or more for males
30-40 kg or more for females.
The weight should be in relation to size. Fat or flaccid individuals are not
in working condition and therefore are not desirable.
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4th century bC. Athens Museum. Marble statue of molossian puppy, found in Pireus. Heather Crowe foto |
CLASSIFICATION
Group II , Molossoid breeds of herding / flock-guarding type.
NOTE
Male dogs must have two visibly normal & well-developed testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
(Christodoulos Drivas).