The Saint Bernard is a giant, strong, muscular dog.
As long as the weight stays in proportion with the height, the taller
the dog the more prized it is. The massive head is powerful. The muzzle
is short, wider than it is long. The teeth meet in a scissors or level
bite. The nose is broad, with wide open nostrils, and like the lips is
black in color. The medium-sized eyes are set somewhat to the sides and
are dark in color. The medium-sized ears are set high, dropping and
standing slightly away from the head. The legs are muscular. The feet
are large with strong, well-arched toes. The long tail is broad and
powerful at the base held low when the dog is relaxed. Dewclaws are
usually removed. There are two types of coat: rough and smooth, but both
are very dense and come in white with markings in tan, red, mahogany,
brindle and black, all in various combinations. The face and ears are
usually black. In the rough-coated dogs, the hair is slightly longer and
there is feathering on the thighs and legs.
The German Shepherd Dog is well proportioned and very
strong. The GSD has a sturdy, muscular, slightly elongated body with a
light, solid bone structure. The head should be in proportion to its
body, and the forehead a little rounded. The nose is most often black,
however, blue or liver still do sometimes occur, but are considered a
fault and cannot be shown. The teeth meet in a strong scissors bite. The
dark eyes are almond-shaped, and never protruding. The ears are wide at
the base, pointed, upright and turned forward. The ears of puppies
under six months may droop slightly. The bushy tail reaches below the
hocks and hangs down when the dog is at rest. The front legs and
shoulders are muscular and the thighs are thick and sturdy. The round
feet have very hard soles. There are three varieties of the German
Shepherd: double coat, plush coat and longhaired coat. The coat most
often comes in black with tan, sable or all black, but also can come in
white, blue and liver, but those colors are considered a fault according
to most standards.
The Samoyed has a compact, muscular body. The
wedge-shaped head is broad and slightly crowned. The muzzle is in
proportion to the size of the dog, tapering to the nose. The stop is
well defined but not abrupt. The nose color can be black, brown or
liver. The lips are black. The teeth meet in a scissors bite. The dark,
almond-shaped eyes are deep-set, somewhat wide apart, with a slanting
lower lid and dark rims. The erect, triangular ears are slightly rounded
at the tips. The tail is moderately long, well-covered with hair,
carried rolled on the back. The legs are solid and muscular and the feet
are flat and covered with hair. The thick, double coat is profuse. The
undercoat is soft, short and thick with longer hairs growing out to the
outer coat. The outer coat is harsh and stands straight out, not wavy.
Males’ coats are more profuse than females’. There is a ruff around the
neck and shoulders, framing the head. Coat colors include pure white,
biscuit, yellow and cream. Sometimes white with silver tips. Pure white
is preferred in the show ring.
