FCI-Standard N° 97 / 05. 03. 1998 (Dutch / Ned. standaard Keeshond grijs, Keeshond groot, Middenslag, Klein en Dwergkeeshond)

GERMAN SPITZ, INCLUDING KEESHOND AND POMERANIAN (Deutscher Spitz, inklusive Keeshond und Pomeranian)

Foto Wolfsgrijze (grijze) Keeshond and foto Dwergkeeshond

TRANSLATION : C. Seidler.

ORIGIN : Germany.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 05.03.1998.

UTILIZATION : Watch and Companion Dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 5     Spitz and primitive types.

                                              Section 4   European Spitz.

                                              Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY :  German Spitz are descendants of the stone age « Peat Dogs » (Torfhund) « Canis familiaris palustris Rüthimeyer » and the later Lake Dweller’s (Pfahlbau) Spitz; they are the oldest breed of dog in Central Europe. Numerous other breeds have been produced from them. In non-German speaking countries Wolfsspitz are known as Keeshonds and Toy Spitz as Pomeranians.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Spitz breeds are captivating on account of their beautiful coats, made to stand off by plentiful undercoat. Particularly impressive is the strong, mane-like collar round the neck (ruff) and the bushy tail carried boldly over the back. The foxy head with alert eyes and the small pointed, closely set ears give the Spitz his unique characteristic, cheeky appearance.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : The ratio of height at withers to body length is 1 : 1.

BEHAVIOUR AND  CHARACTER : The German Spitz is always attentive, lively and exceptionally devoted to his owner. He is very teachable and easy to train. His distrust to strangers and lack of hunting instinct make him the ideal watchdog for home and farm.

He is neither timid nor aggressive. Indifference to weather, robustness and longevity are his most outstanding attributes.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION : The Spitz’s medium size head, seen from above, appears broadest at the back and tapers in wedgeshape to the tip of the nose.

Stop : Moderate to marked, never abrupt.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose : The nose is round, small and pure black, dark brown in brown Spitz.

Muzzle : The muzzle is not overlong and stands in pleasing proportion to the skull (in Wolfspitz/Keeshond, Giant Spitz and Medium-size Spitz the ratio length of the muzzle to length of the skull is approximately 2:3, in Miniature Spitz and Toy Spitz approximately 2:4).

Lips : The lips are not exaggerated, close fitting to the jaws and do not form any folds to the corner of the mouth. They are completely black in all colours, brown in brown Spitz.

Jaws/Teeth : The jaws are normally developed and show a complete scissor bite with 42 teeth, corresponding to the teeth formula of the dog, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. In Miniature-and Toy (Pomeranian) Spitz the lack of a few premolars is tolerated. Pincer-bite is permissible in all varieties of Spitz.

Cheeks : The cheeks are gently rounded, not protruding.

Eyes : The eyes are of medium size, longish shape, slightly slanting and dark. The eyelids are black in all shades of colour, dark brown in brown Spitz.

Ears : The small ears are set high and relatively close to each other, triangular and pointed; they are always carried upright, stiff at the tips.

NECK : The medium length neck is set broadly into the shoulders, slightly arched without throatiness and covered by a thick, profuse coat forming a large ruff.

BODY :

Topline : The topline starts at the tips of the erectly carried prick-ears and merges in a gentle curve with the short, straight back. The bushy, sweeping tail, which partially covers the back, rounds off the silhouette.

Withers/Back: : The high withers drop imperceptibly into the shortest possible, straight, firm back.

Loin : Short-coupled, broad and strong.

Croup : The croup is broad and short, not falling away.

Chest : The deep chest is well sprung, the forechest well developed.

Lower line : The brisket reaches as far back as possible; the belly has only a slight tuck up.

TAIL : The tail is set on high and of medium length. It reaches upwards and rolls forward over the back, straight from the root. It lies firmly over the back and is covered with very bushy hair. A double curl at tip of tail is tolerated.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS :

General : Straight, rather broad front.

Shoulders : The shoulder-blade is long and well laid back. The upper arm, which is approximately the same length, forms an angle of 90 degrees to the shoulder-blade. The shoulder is well muscled and firmly connected to the brisket.

Elbow : The elbow joint is strong, close fitting to the brisket and turns neither in nor out.

Forearm : The forearm is of medium length in relation to the body, sturdy and completely straight. The back of the forearm is well feathered.

Metacarpus (Pastern) : The strong, medium length front pastern stands at an angle of 20 degrees from the vertical.

Front feet : The front feet are as small as possible, round and closed, so called cat feet, with well arched toes. Toe-nails and pads are black in all shades of colour, but dark brown in brown dogs.

HINDQUARTERS :

General : The hindquarters are very muscular and abundantly feathered to the hocks. The hind legs stand straight and parallel.

Upper and lower thigh : Upper and lower thigh are of about equal length.

Stifle : The stifle joint is strong with only moderate angulation and is turned neither in nor out in movement.

Metatarsal (Hock) : The hock is of medium length, very strong and vertical to the ground.

Hind  feet : The hind feet are as small as possible, tightly closed with well arched toes, so called cat feet. The pads are coarse. The colour of nails and pads is as dark as possible.

GAIT/MOVEMENT : The German Spitz moves straight ahead with good drive, fluid and springy.

SKIN : The skin covers the body tightly without any wrinkles.

COAT

HAIR : The German Spitz has a double coat: Long, straight, stand off top coat and short, thick, cotton-wool-like undercoat. Head, ears, front side of front and hind legs and the feet are covered by short, thick (velvety) hair. The rest of the body has a long rich coat. Not wavy, curly or corded, not parted on the back. Neck and shoulders are covered by a thick mane. The backside of the front legs is well feathered, the hind legs have ample feathering from croup to hocks. The tail is bushy.

COLOUR :

a) Wolfspitz / Keeshond : Grey shaded.

b) Giant-Spitz : Black, brown, white.

c) Medium size Spitz : Black, brown, white, orange, grey-shaded, other colours.

d) Miniature Spitz : Black, brown, white, orange, grey-shaded, other colours.

e) Toy Spitz / Pomeranian : Black, brown, white, orange, grey-shaded, other colours.

Black Spitz : In the black Spitz, the undercoat and skin must also be black and the colour on top must be a shining black without any white or other markings.

Brown Spitz : The brown Spitz should be uniformly dark brown.

White Spitz : The coat should be pure white without any trace of yellow in particular, which often occurs, specially on the ears.

Orange Spitz : The orange Spitz should be evenly coloured in the medium colour range.

Grey-shaded Spitz Keeshond / Keeshond : Grey-shaded is a silver grey with black hair-tips. Muzzle and ears dark in colour; round the eyes well defined « spectacles » shown as a delicately pencilled black line slanting from outer corner of eye to lower corner of ear, coupled with distinct markings and shading forming expressive short eyebrow; mane and ring on shoulder lighter; fore- and hindlegs without any black marking under the elbows or stifles, except slight pencilling on the toes; black tip of tail; underside of tail and trousers pale silver grey.

Other coloured Spitz : The term « other colours » covers all shades of colour, such as: cream, cream-sable, orange-sable, black and tan and particolour (with white always as main colour). The black, brown, grey or orange patches must be distributed over the whole body.

SIZE AND WEIGHT :

Height at the withers : a) Wolfspitz / Keeshond      49 cm +/- 6 cm

                                  b) Giant Spitz                     46 cm +/- 4 cm

                                  c) Medium size Spitz          34 cm +/- 4 cm

                                  d) Miniature Spitz              26 cm +/- 3 cm

                                  e) Toy Spitz / Pomeranian  20 cm +/- 2 cm   Dogs under 18 cm undesirable.           

Weight : Each variety of German Spitz should have a weight corresponding to its size.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

SERIOUS FAULTS :

·      Faults in construction.

·      Head too flat; distinct apple head.

·      Flesh-coloured nose, eyelids and lips.

·      In Wolfspitz/Keeshond, Giant Spitz and Medium size Spitz missing teeth.

·      Faults in movement.

·      In grey-shaded Spitz missing of distinct markings of the face.

ELIMINATING FAULTS :

·      Aggresive or overly shy

·      Gap in fontanel.

·      Over-or undershot bite.

·      Ectropion or entropion.

·      Semi-pricked ears.

·      Definite white patches in all not white Spitz.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

FCI-Standard N° 98 / 23. 10. 2002 (Dutch / Ned. standaard)

DEUTSCH DRAHTHAAR (German Wirehaired Pointer)     Foto

TRANSLATION: Elke Peper.

ORIGIN: Germany.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 25.10.2000.

UTILIZATION: According to his purpose of a versatile working gundog the German Wirehaired Pointer must possess all the dispositions asked for the breed. He must be usable for all the work in the field, in the woods and in water before and after the shot.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I.: Group 7      Pointing Dogs.

                                             Section 1.1  Continental Pointing Dogs.

                                             With working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: The Deutsch Drahthaar is a rough coated pointing dog whose initial breeding started at the end of the 19^th century (Griffon Korthals), and that has been systematically bred from the beginning of this century based on the ideas of „Hegewald“ (Sigismund Freiherr von Zedlitz and Neukirch) with the sealed aim of creating an assertive, efficient wirehaired German gundog. In accordance with the principle of "by working ability to type" and  with consequent regard to freedom of breeding, within a short time a gundog has been developed from the best of the rough coated types (Pudelpointer, Griffon Korthals, German Broken Coated Pointing Dog) and by using the German Shorthaired Pointer, that excels through his useful weatherproof coat and his versatility in all fields of practical hunting. Due to these characteristics, the Deutsch Drahthaar within a few decades has developed to become the most popular and well-tried among the large gundog breeds in Germany as well as in many countries of the world.

GENERAL APPEARANCE: A pointing dog of noble appearance, with harsh coat completely protecting the skin, with an attentive expression full of energy. The movement should be powerful, ground covering, flowing and harmonious.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: The length of the body and the height at the withers should be as equal as possible. The length of the body may exceed the height at the withers by up to 3 cm.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT: Firm, self-controlled, well-balanced, without shyness of game, neither sensitive when shots are fired nor shy or aggressive.

HEAD: In proportion to the size and the sex of the dog. Lines of head slightly diverging.

CRANIAL REGION:

Skull: Flat, slightly rounded at the sides only, moderately broad, pronounced superciliary ridges.

Stop: Clearly visibly pronounced.

FACIAL REGION:

Nose: Strongly pigmented corresponding to the colour of the coat. Nostrils well opened.

Muzzle: Long, broad, strong, deep. Slight roman nose.

Lips: Thick, close-fitting, not overhanging. Well pigmented corresponding to the colour of the coat.

Jaws / teeth: Large teeth. Powerful jaws with a regular, complete scissor bite with the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. 42 teeth according to the dentition formula.

Eyes: As dark as possible, neither too deep-set nor protruding, with an alert, lively expression. Eyerims well pigmented and close-fitting.

Ears: Of medium size, set on high and wide, not twisted.

NECK: Of medium length, strongly muscled; slightly arched napeline, clean cut throat, no dewlap.

BODY:

Topline: Slightly sloping from the withers in a straight line.

Withers: Pronounced.

Back: Firm, well muscled.

Loins: Short, broad, muscular loin region.

Croup: Long and broad, slightly sloping and well muscled. Broad pelvis.

Chest: Broad and deep with well developed forechest, the breastbone reaching as far back as possible. Ribs well arched.

Underline and belly: Slight tuck-up towards the rear in an elegant curve.

TAIL: Following the topline, carried as horizontally as possible or slightly raised, but not steep. Neither too thick nor too thin. Docked for the hunting purposes. (In countries where docking is prohibited by law, the tail may be left natural. It should reach to the hocks and should be carried straight or slightly sabre-like.)

LIMBS:

FOREQUARTERS: Viewed from the front, straight and parallel, viewed from the side, legs set well under the body. The distance from the elbows to the ground to be approximately equal to the distance from the elbows to the withers.

Shoulders: Well laid-back, sloping shoulder blade, strongly muscled. Forming a good angle together with the upper arm.

Upper arm: As long as possible, with well developed, lean muscles.

Elbows: Close to the body, neither turning in nor out. Good angulation between upper arm and forearm.

Forearm: Lean, set perpendicular, strong bones.

Carpal joint: Strong.

Pasterns: Slightly sloping.

Front feet: Oval-round with well-knit toes and sufficiently thick, tough, robust and well-pigmented pads. They are set parallel, neither turning in nor out in stance or when moving.

HINDQUARTERS: Viewed from behind, straight and parallel. Well angulated at the stifles and the hocks. Strong bones.

Upper thigh: Long, broad, muscular, with good angulation between pelvis and upper thigh.

Stifle: Strong, with good angulation between upper and lower thigh.

Lower thigh: Long, muscular and sinewy.

Hocks: Short, perpendicular to the ground.

Hind feet: Oval-round with well-knit toes and sufficiently thick, tough, robust and well-pigmented pads. They are set parallel in stance and when moving, turning neither in nor out.

GAIT / MOVEMENT: Covering lots of ground, with good reach and drive, parallel coming and going; with upstanding posture.

SKIN: Tight, close-fitting, without folds.

COAT:

HAIR: Wirehaired harsh, flat lying and dense. Outer coat approximately 2 to 4 cm long; dense, waterresistant undercoat. The outlines of the body may not be obscured by longer coat. Through its harshness and density it should provide as good protection against weather and injuries as possible. The lower parts of the legs, as well as the lower region of the brisket and the belly, should be shorter but densely coated, the head and the ears to be shorter and at the same time denser but never softer coated. Pronounced eyebrows and a well developed not too long, as harsh as possible beard emphasise the determined expression.

COLOUR:

• Brown roan with or without patches.

• Black roan, with or without patches.

• Brown with or without white chest patch.

• Light roan.

No other colour is permitted.

SIZE: Height at withers: Dogs:     61 to 68 cm.

                                      Bitches: 57 to 64 cm.

FAULTS: Any departure of the foregoing points must be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

SEVERE FAULTS:

• Short or narrow or pointed muzzle.

• Weak dentition.

• Very loose eyelids.

• Swayback or roach back.

• Heavily overbuilt.

• Elbows heavily turning in or out.

• Bandy-legged, cow hocked or close behind, in stance  as  well as in movement.

• Pacing permanently when stepping or trotting, stiff or mincing gait.

• Sparce coat, lacking undercoat.

ELIMINATING FAULTS:

• Any kind of  weak temperament, especially gun or game shyness, aggressiveness, nervousness; fear biter.

• Over- or undershot bite, wry mouth, missing teeth other than P1, the canines being set too narrow.

• Entropion, ectropion, differently coloured eyes.

• Innate kinky or stumpy tail.

• Faulty pigment.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. Male animals must have two apparently normally developed testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

TRANSLATION : C. Seidler.

ORIGIN : Germany.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 27.02.1990.

UTILIZATION : Versatile hunting dog, pointing dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 7        Continental Pointing Dogs.

                                              Section 1.1   Continental Pointing Dogs, Type « Braque ».

                                              With working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : There are numerous theories regarding the origin of the Weimaraner Pointing Dog. Only so much is certain: That the Weimaraner, which at that time still contained a great deal of liam hound blood (« Leithund ») was already kept at the Weimar court in the first third of the 19th century.

In the middle of the century, before pure breeding was started, breeding was mainly in the hands of professional hunters and game keepers in central Germany, mostly in the regions round Weimar and in Thuringia. As the days of the liam hounds passed, the dogs were crossed with the « Hühnerhund » and breeding was continued with this cross. From about 1890 on, the breed was produced according to a plan and regarded as suitable for registration in a stud book. Apart from the short-haired Weimaraner, a long-haired variety occurred, if only singly, since the turn of the century. Since being admitted to the stud book, the Weimaraner has been pure bred, remaining mostly free from crosses with any other breeds, in particular, Pointers. Therefore the Weimaraner is likely to be the oldest German « pointing » breed, which has been pure bred for about a hundred years.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Medium to large size hunting dog. Functional working type, pleasing in shape, sinewy and very muscular. Difference in type between dogs and bitches easily distinguished.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :

·      Length of body to height at withers approximately 12 : 11.

·      Proportions of the head: From tip of nose to stop slightly longer than from stop to occiput.

·      Forequarters: Distance from elbow to mid-pastern and distance from elbow to point of withers about equal.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Versatile, easily trained steady and passionate hunting dog. Persevering in systematic search, yet not too lively. Remarkable ability to pick up scent. Ready to seize game and other prey; he is a good watchdog, without aggressiveness however. Reliable pointing dog and worker in water. Remarkable inclination to work after the shot.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION :

Skull : In balance with size of body and facial region. Broader in dogs than bitches, yet in both, the relationship between width of cranial region to total length of head must be in good proportion. Median groove on forehead. Slightly to moderately protruding occipital bone. Zygomatic arches easily traceable behind the eyes.

Stop : Extremely slight.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose : Nose leather large, protruding over the underjaw. Dark flesh colour, merging gradually into gray towards the rear.

Muzzle : Long and, specially in the male, powerful, appearing almost angular. Region of canines and carnassial teeth equally strong. Bridge of nose straight, often slightly arched, never with a concave curve.

Flews : Moderately deep, flesh coloured, as are the gums. Slight labial corner.

Jaws/Teeth : Jaws strong; teeth complete, regular and strong. Top and bottom incisors closely touching (scissor bite).

Cheeks : Muscular, clearly defined. Definitely « clean » head.

Eyes : Amber colour, dark to pale, with intelligent expression. Sky-blue in puppies. Round, set barely slanting. Lids well fitting.

Leathers : Lobular, broad and fairly long, just reaching to corner of mouth. Set on high and narrow, forming a rounded off point at tip. In alterness, turned slightly forward, folded.

NECK : Noble appearance and carriage. Upper line arched in profile. Muscular, nearly round, not too short, clean. Becoming stronger towards the shoulders and merging harmoniously into the topline and chest.

BODY :

Topline : From the arched neckline, over the well defined withers the topline merges gradually into the relatively long, firm back.

Withers : Well defined.

Back : Firm and muscular, without a dip. Not running up towards the rear. A slightly longer back, a breed characteristic, is not a fault.

Croup : Pelvis long and moderately sloped.

Chest : Strong but not unduly broad, with sufficient depth to reach almost to elbows and of sufficient length. Well sprung without being barrel-shaped and with long ribs. Forechest well developed.

Underline and Belly : Rising slightly, but belly not tucked up.

TAIL : Set on slightly lower than with other similar breeds. Tail strong and well coated. Carried hanging down in repose. When alert or working, carried level or higher.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS :

General  : High on leg, sinewy, straight and parallel, but not standing wide.

Shoulders : Long and sloping. Well fitting, strongly muscled. Well angulated shoulder joint.

Upper arm : Sloping, sufficiently long and strong.

Elbows : Free and lying parallel to median plane of body. Turned neither in nor out.

Forearm : Long, straight and vertical.

Pastern joint : Strong and taut.

Pastern : Sinewy, slightly sloping.

Front feet : Firm and strong. Standing straight in relation to median plane of body. Toes arched. Longer middle toes are a breed characteristic and therefore not a fault. Nails light to dark gray. Pads well pigmented, coarse.

HINDQUARTERS :

General : High on leg, sinewy i.e. well muscled. Standing parallel, turning neither in nor out.

Upper thigh : Sufficiently long, strong and well muscled.

Stifle : Strong and taut.

Lower thigh : Long with clearly visible tendons.

Hock joint : Strong and taut.

Hock : Sinewy, almost vertical in position.

Hind feet : Tight and firm, without dewclaws, otherwise like front feet.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Movement in all gaits is ground covering and smooth. Hind and front legs set parallel to each other. Gallop long and flat. Back remains level when trotting. Pacing is undesirable.

SKIN : Strong. Well but not too tight fitting.

COAT

HAIR :

·      Short-haired : Short (but longer and thicker than with most comparable breeds), strong, very dense, smooth lying topcoat. Without or with only very sparse undercoat.

·      Long-haired : Soft, long topcoat with or without undercoat. Smooth or slightly wavy. Long flowing hair at ear set on. Velvety hair is permissible on tips of leathers. Length of coat on flanks 3 - 5 cm. On lower side of neck, forechest and belly, generally somewhat longer. 

Good feathering and breeching, yet less long towards ground. Tail with good flag. Hair between toes. Hair on head less long. A type of coat similar to a double-coat (Stockhaar) with medium length, dense, close fitting topcoat, thick undercoat and moderately developed feathering and breeching, sometimes occurs in dogs of mixed ancestry.

COLOUR : Silver, roe or mouse grey, as well as shades of these colours. Head and leathers generally slightly paler. Only small white markings on chest and toes permitted. Sometimes a more or less defined trace occurs along the back. Dog with definite reddish-yellow marking (« Brand ») may only be given the classification « good ». Brown marking is a serious fault.

SIZE AND WEIGHT  :

Height at the withers :

Dogs :    59 - 70 cm (ideal measurement 62 - 67 cm).

Bitches : 57 - 65 cm (ideal measurement 59 - 63 cm).

Weight : Dogs :    about 30 - 40 kg.

             Bitches : about 25 - 35 kg.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.