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PWD STANDARD
Size Height at the withers Males, 20 to 23 inches. The ideal is 22 inches. Females, 17 to 21 inches. The ideal is 19 inches.
Weight For
males, 42 to 60 pounds For females, 35
to 50 pounds.
Proportion Substance Strong,
substantial bone; well developed, neither refined nor coarse, and a solidly built, muscular body.
Head
An essential characteristic; distinctively
large, well proportioned and with exceptional breadth of topskull. Expression--Steady, penetrating, and attentive. Eyes--
Medium in size; set well apart, and a bit obliquely. Roundish and neither prominent nor sunken. Black or various tones of
brown in color. Darker eyes are preferred. Eye rims fully pigmented with black edges in black, black and white, or white dogs;
brown edges in brown dogs. Haws are dark and not apparent. Ears--Set well above the line of the eye. Leather is heart shaped
and thin. Except for a small opening at the back, ears are held nicely against the head. Tips should not reach below the lower
jaw.
Skull--In profile, it is slightly longer than the muzzle, its curvature more accentuated at the back than in the
front. When viewed head-on, the top of the skull is very broad and appears domed, with a slight depression in the middle.
The forehead is prominent, and has a central furrow, extending two-thirds of the distance from stop to occiput. The occiput
is well defined. Stop--Well defined. Muzzle--Substantial; wider at the base than at the nose. Jaws--Strong and neither over
nor undershot. Nose--Broad, well flared nostrils. Fully pigmented; black in dogs with black, black and white, or white coats;
various tones of brown in dogs with brown coats. Lips-- Thick, especially in front; no flew. Lips and mucous membranes of
the roof of the mouth, under tongue, and gums are quite black, or well ticked with black in dogs with black, black and white,
or white coats; various tones of brown in dogs with brown coats. Bite--Scissors or level. Teeth--Not visible when the mouth
is closed. Canines strongly developed.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck--Straight, short,
round, and held high. Strongly muscled. No dewlap. Topline--Level and firm. Body--Chest is broad and deep, reaching down to
the elbow. Ribs are long and well-sprung to provide optimum lung capacity. Abdomen well held up in a graceful line. Back is
broad and well muscled. Loin is short and meets the croup smoothly. Croup is well formed and only slightly inclined with hip
bones hardly apparent. Tail--Not docked; thick at the base and tapering; set on slightly below the line of the back; should
not reach below the hock. When the dog is attentive the tail is held in a ring, the front of which should not reach forward
of the loin. The tail is of great help when swimming and diving.
Forequarters
Shoulders
are well inclined and very strongly muscled. Upper arms are strong. Forelegs are strong and straight with long, well muscled
forearms. Carpus is heavy-boned, wider in front than at the side. Pasterns are long and strong. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet
are round and rather flat. Toes neither knuckled up nor too long. Webbing between the toes is of soft skin, well covered with
hair, and reaches the toe tips. Central pad is very thick, others normal. Nails held up slightly off the ground. Black, brown,
white, and striped nails are allowed.
Hindquarters
Powerful; well balanced with the
front assembly. Legs, viewed from the rear, are parallel to each other, straight and very strongly muscled in upper and lower
thighs. Buttocks are well developed. Tendons and hocks are strong. Metatarsus long, no dewclaws. Feet similar in all respects
to forefeet.
Coat
A profuse, thickly planted coat of strong, healthy hair, covering
the whole body evenly, except where the forearm meets the brisket and in the groin area, where it is thinner. No undercoat,
mane or ruff. There are two varieties of coat:
Curly--Compact, cylindrical curls, somewhat lusterless. The hair on the
ears is sometimes wavy.
Wavy--Falling gently in waves, not curls, and with a slight sheen.
No preference will be
given to coat type, either curly or wavy.
Clip
Two clips are acceptable:
Lion
Clip--As soon as the coat grows long, the middle part and hindquarters, as well as the muzzle, are clipped. The hair at the
end of the tail is left at full length.
Retriever Clip--In order to give a natural appearance and a smooth unbroken line,
the entire coat is scissored or clipped to follow the outline of the dog, leaving a short blanket of coat no longer than one
inch in length. The hair at the end of the tail is left at full length.
No discrimination will be made against the correct
presentation of a dog in either Lion Clip or Retriever Clip.
Color
Black, white,
and various tones of brown; also combinations of black or brown with white. A white coat does not imply albinism provided
nose, mouth, and eyelids are black. In animals with black, white, or black and white coats, the skin is decidedly bluish.
Gait
Short, lively steps when walking. The trot is a forward striding, well balanced
movement.
Temperament
An animal of spirited disposition, self-willed, brave, and
very resistant to fatigue. A dog of exceptional intelligence and a loyal companion, it obeys its master with facility and
apparent pleasure. It is obedient with those who look after it or with those for whom it works.
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