FCI-Standard N° 349 / 13 . 07. 2005 / GB

ROMANIAN MIORITIC SHEPHERD DOG
(Ciobanesc Românesc Mioritic)

TRANSLATION : Jennifer Mulholland and Raymond Triquet.

ORIGIN : Romania.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 06.07.2005.

UTILIZATION : Excellent herding dog, incorruptible guardian and marvellous companion.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs).
Section 1 Sheepdogs.
Without working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog was selected from a natural breed of the Carpathian mountains, the principle reason being utility. This breed has many fanciers in Romania because of its vigorous appearance.
The standard was drafted by the Romanian Cynological Association in 1981. The Technical Commission of the R.C.A. adapted and revised the Standard on 29.03.2002 to conform to the F.C.I model established in Jerusalem.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : A large dog but never heavy; vigorous and spectacular. The coat is long and well furnished on the head, all of the body and the limbs. Males are taller and stronger than females.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
· The length of the body / height at withers 11 : 10.
· The depth of chest should be approximately half of the height at the withers.
· The muzzle is slightly shorter than the skull.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : A calm and stable dog. A good herd dog, very courageous and efficient fighter against possible animals prey (bear, wolf, lynx). Wary of strangers. He likes children.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Moderate width, slightly domed. The upper profiles of the skull and muzzle are almost parallel. Seen from the front the upper line is slightly domed. The zygomatic arches are only slightly defined. Occipital protuberance well defined.
Stop : Not too pronounced.

FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Wide, well developed, black.
Muzzle : A little shorter than the skull; well developed, tapering progressively towards the nose but never pointed; strong underjaw.
Lips : Thick, tight, strongly pigmented.
Jaws/Teeth : Powerful jaws; complete dentition, strong and healthy with well set white teeth; scissor bite.
Cheeks : Not protruding.
Eyes : Moderate size, oblique; the colour is hazel, dark brown or slightly lighter, never yellow. Eyelids well pigmented. Calm and intelligent expression.
Ears : Relatively high set, “V” shaped with the tip slightly rounded, 10-15 cm long, hanging closely to the cheeks : cropping forbidden.

NECK : Moderate length, broad and powerful, without dewlap.

BODY : Well developed.
Topline : Straight and solid.
Withers : Moderately defined.
Back : Horizontal, strong and muscled.
Loin : Moderately long, wide and very muscular.
Croup : Muscled and moderately sloping towards the base of the tail.
Chest : Not too long, broad, depth being approximately half of the height at the withers, ribs well sprung.
Underline : Slight tuck up without being whippety.

TAIL : High set-on. At rest, it is carried hanging, reaching or lower than the hock; when the dog is alert or in action, the tail is carried higher, slightly curved, sometimes above the topline but never curled over the back. Docking is forbidden.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS : Upright, seen from the front or the side.
Shoulder : Moderate length, oblique, very muscular and well attached. The scapula-humerus angle is approximately 100°-105°.
Upper arm : Moderate length, well muscled.
Elbow : Close to the body, turning neither in or out.
Forearm : Sufficiently long, powerful and muscled.
Carpal joint : Firm.
Metacarpus (pastern) : Slightly sloping seen from the side.
Feet : Oval, compact and massive, toes are tight and arched, nails ash-grey colour.

HINDQUARTERS : Very muscular and powerful, straight and parallel seen from behind. Angulations only slightly open.
Upper thigh : Long, broad and very muscular.
Stifle : The femur-tibial angle is approximately 100°-105°.
Lower thigh : Sufficiently long, muscled with good bone.
Hocks : Moderate height, strong, well bent, turning neither in nor out.
Metatarsus (rear pastern) : Not too long, robust and almost vertical, seen from the side. The presence of dewclaws should not be penalized.
Feet : Slightly longer than the front feet.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Harmonious, free, well coordinated, powerful and effortless. The trot is preferred. The gallop is sustained and balanced.

SKIN : Thick, tight fitting and well pigmented.

COAT

HAIR : The coat is abundant and the head and body, harsh texture, straight and minimum length of 10 cm. The undercoat is more dense and supple and of a lighter colour. On the limbs the coat is shorter. The tail is well furnished.

COLOUR :
Piebald : The ground colour must be white with well defined black or grey markings.
Solid colours : Solid white or solid grey.

SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Male : minimum 70 cm – ideal height 75 cm.
Female : minimum 65 cm - ideal height 70 cm.
Weight : In proportion to the 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.
· Overweight or weak subject.
· Tail curled or carried in a ring.
· Absence of teeth, other than PM1.
· Elbows turned in or out.
· Heavy gait.

SERIOUS FAULTS :
· Sexual characters not sufficiently marked.
· Untypical expression.
· Round, protruding eyes.
· Wall eye.
· Erect ears.
· Coat too short (less than 8 cm).
· Curly coat or of a texture other than described in the standard.
· Topline sagging, arched or dipping.
· Spreading feet, turned out or in.
· Rear limbs : angulation too open.
· Cowhocks.
· Presence of brindle markings.

ELIMINATING FAULTS :
· Aggressive or overly shy.
· Untypical subject.
· Absence of incisives or canines.
· Overshot or undershot.
· Albinism.
· Naturally absent or naturally short tail.
· Docked tail.
· Height at the withers less than 68 cm for males.
· Height at the withers less than 63 cm for females.

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.