General Appearance
Strongly built, short coupled, very active; broad in skull; broad and deep through chest and ribs; broad and strong over loins and hindquarters.
Characteristics
Good tempered, very agile (which precludes excessive body weight or excessive substance). Excellent nose, soft mouth; keen love of water. Adaptable, devoted companion.
Temperament
Intelligent, keen and biddable, with a strong will to please. Kindly nature, with no trace of aggression or undue shyness.
Head and skull
Skull broad with defined stop; clean-cut without fleshy cheeks. Jaws of medium length, powerful, not snipy. Nose wide, nostrils well developed.
Eyes
Medium size, expressing intelligence and good temper; brown or hazel.
Ears
Not large or heavy, hanging close to the head and set rather far back.
Mouth
Jaws and teeth strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Neck
Clean, strong, powerful, set into well-placed shoulders.
Forequarters
Shoulders long and well laid back, with upper arm of near equal length, placing legs well under the body. Forelegs well boned and straight from elbow to the ground when viewed from either front or side.
Body
Chest of good width and depth, with well-sprung barrel ribs – this effect not to be produced by carrying excessive weight. Level topline. Loins wide, short-coupled and strong.
Hindquarters
Well developed, not sloping to tail; well-turned stifle. Hocks well let down, cow hocks are highly undesirable.
Feet
Round, compact, well-arched toes and well-developed pads.
Tail
Distinctive feature, very thick towards base, gradually tapering towards tip, medium length, free from feathering, but clothed thickly all round with short, thick, dense coat, thus giving ‘rounded’ appearance described as ‘Otter’ tail.
May be carried gaily but should not curl over back
Gait/movement
Free, covering adequate ground; straight and true in front and rear.
Coat
Distinctive feature, short dense without wave or feathering, giving fairly hard feel to the touch; weather-resistant undercoat.
Colour
The only correct colours are wholly black, yellow and liver/chocolate. Yellows range from light cream to fox red, livers/chocolates range from light to dark. Small white spot on chest and the rear of front pasterns permissible.
Any other colour or combination of colours is unacceptable.
Size
Ideal height at withers: dogs: 56-57 cms (22-22½ ins); bitches: 55-56 cms (21½-22 ins).
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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.
Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
*Note for prospective puppy buyers
Size – The Kennel Club breed standard is a guide and description of the ideal for the breed; the size as described does not imply that a dog will match the measurements given (height or weight). A dog might be larger or smaller than the size measurements stated in the breed standard.