General Appearance - A strong and substantially built dog, fitted for field work, lithe, muscular, and well-proportioned, alert and active.
Size - Height at shoulders: Dogs, 23 to 27 inches. Bitches, 22 to 25½ inches. Young dogs may be below the minimum.
Head -
Large and rather long.
Stop well marked and placed at equal distance from top of head and
tip of nose.
Forehead very slightly rounded.
Line from stop to tip of nose straight.
Muzzle neither narrow nor pointed.
Nose rather square than rounded, always black.
Hair heavy and long on top of head, the ears, and around the
muzzle, forming eyebrows standing out and not veiling the eyes too
much.
Eyes horizontal, well-opened, dark in color and rather large;
intelligent and gentle in expression.
Ears placed high, not too large and not carried too flat.
In France the tips of the ears are generally cropped, causing the
ear to be semi-erect.
Teeth - strong, white, and meeting exactly even.
Conformation -
Neck muscular and distinct from the shoulders.
Chest broad and deep.
Back straight.
Rump slightly sloped.
Legs muscular with heavy bones.
Hock not too near the ground, making a well-marked angle, the
leg below the hock being not quite vertical.
Tail - Uncut, well-feathered, slightly curled at the end, carried low and twisted neither to the right nor to the left, the feather on the lowest point reaching to the point of hock.
Feet - Strong, round, with toes close together and hard pads; nails black.
Coat - Long, slightly wavy, stiff and strong.
Color - All solid colors are allowed except white. Dark colors are preferable.
Usual colors - Black, and black with some white hairs, dark and light gray, tawny, and combinations of two of these colors, providing there are no marked spots and the transition from one to the other takes place gradually and symetrically.Dewclaws - Two dewclaws on each hindleg are required. A dog with only one cannot be given a prize.
Faults- Muzzle pointed; eyes small, almond-shaped or light in color; rump straight or too sloped; white spot on the breast (a large white spot is very bad); tail too short or carried over the back; white nails.
Disqualifications - Size below the limit; absence of dewclaws; short hair on the head, face or feet; tail lacking or cut; nose light in color or spotted; eyes spotted; hair curled; white hair on feet; spotted colors of the coat.