General Appearance:
Compact,
short coupled and well knit with an almost square outline. Firm
condition, the profuse off-standing coat not disguising any lack of
substance.
Characteristics:
The German Spitz is
intelligent, active and alert. Its buoyancy, independence and devotion
to the family are the breed characteristics.
Temperament:
Happy, equable disposition, showing confidence, with no sign of nervousness or aggression.
Head and Skull:
Medium
large, broad and nearly flat skull when viewed from above, and
narrowing in a wedge shape to the nose. Stop moderately defined; muzzle
approximately half the length of head. Cheeks clean. Flews tight, no
trace of lippiness.
Nose:
Black in Black, White and
Black/white parti-colours. Self colour as compatible with coat colour
in other colour varieties. Never parti-colour or pink.
Eyes: Medium
size, oval shaped and obliquely set. Not too wide apart. Always dark
with black rims in blacks, white, black/white parti-colours, black/tan
bi-colours. As dark as compatible with coat colour in other colour
varieties.
Ears:
Small triangular and set rather high. Perfectly erect.
Mouth:
A
perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely
overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Black lips in
black, white, black/white parti-colours, black/tan bi-colours. Colour
as compatible in other colour varieties.
Neck:
Clean, moderately short and well set into the shoulders.
Forequarters:
Moderately
sloping shoulder, upper arm of sufficient length to ensure elbow is
vertically below point of withers, turning neither in nor out.
Well-boned, straight legs. Pasterns strong and flexible.
Body:
Length
from point of shoulder to point of buttock equal to height at withers;
short, well developed loin. Moderate tuck up. Well ribbed and rounded.
Distance from brisket to ground not less than half the height from
ground to withers. Topline level. Hindquarters: Moderate angulation
with hocks moderately well let down. Neither cow hocked nor wide behind.
Feet:
Small, rounded cat-like with well-arched toes.
Tail:
Set high, curled right up from root, lying curled over back.
Gait/Movement:
Moving
without exaggeration from any angle. Straight coming and going. Viewed
from side, effortless, brisk action, retaining topline.
Coat:
Double
coat consisting of soft woolly undercoat and long harsh textured
perfectly straight top coat covering the whole of the body. Very
abundant around neck and forequarters with a frill of profuse
off-standing straight hair extending over the shoulders. Forelimbs well
feathered tapering from elbows to pasterns. Hindlimbs feathered to
hocks. Ears covered with soft short hair. Hair on face smooth and
short. Tail profusely covered with long spreading hair. This is not a
trimmed breed and evidence of trimming and shaping, other than tidying
of the feet, anal area and legs below the hocks unacceptable.
Colour:
All colour varieties and markings acceptable. Butterfly pigment not permitted with any colour.
Size:
Kleins 23-29 cms (9 - 11 ½ inches) Mittels 30-38 cms (12 - 15 inches) Dogs masculine, bitches feminine.
Faults:
Any
departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and
the seriousness with which the fault shall be regarded should be in
exact proportion to its degree.
Note:
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
Copyright: The Kennel Club