The Breed Standard

This revised standard was approved by the AKC April 8, 2003 to be effective May 29, 2003.
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General Appearance
The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a Draft and Drover breed and should  structurally appear as such. It is a striking, tri-colored, large,  powerful, confident dog of sturdy appearance. It is a heavy boned and  well muscled dog which, in spite of its size and weight, is agile enough  to perform the all-purpose farm duties of the mountainous regions of  its origin.

Size, Proportion, and Substance
Height at the highest point on the shoulder is ideally:
Dogs: 25.5 to 28.5 inches
Bitches: 23.5 to 27 inches
Body length to height is approximately a 10 to 9 proportion, thus  appearing slightly longer than tall. It is a heavy boned and well  muscled dog of sturdy appearance.

Head
Expression is animated and gentle. The eyes are almond shaped and brown,  dark brown preferred, medium sized, neither deep set nor protruding.  Blue eye or eyes is a disqualification. Eyelids are close fitting and  eyerims are black. The ears are medium sized, set high, triangular in  shape, gently rounded at the tip, and hang close to the head when in  repose. When alert, the ears are brought forward and raised at the base.  The top of the ear is level with the top of the skull. The skull is  flat and broad with a slight stop. The backskull and muzzle are of  approximately equal length. The backskull is approximately twice the  width of the muzzle. The muzzle is large, blunt and straight, not  pointed and most often with a slight rise before the end. In adult dogs  the nose leather is always black. The lips are clean and as a  dry-mouthed breed, flews are only slightly developed. The teeth meet in a  scissors bite.

Neck, Topline, and Body
The neck is of moderate length, strong, muscular and clean. The topline  is level from the withers to the croup. The chest is deep and broad with  a slight protruding breastbone. The ribs are wellsprung. Depth of chest  is approximately one half the total height of the dog at the withers.  Body is full with slight tuck up. The loins are broad and strong. The  croup is long, broad and smoothly rounded to the tail insertion. The  tail is thick from root to tip, tapering slightly at the tip, reaching  to the hocks, and carried down in repose. When alert and in movement,  the tail may be carried higher and slightly curved upwards, but should  not curl, or tilt over the back. The bones of the tail should feel  straight.

Forequarters
The shoulders are long, sloping, strong and moderately laid back. They are flat and well-muscled.
Forelegs are straight and strong. The pasterns slope very slightly, but  are not weak. Feet are round and compact with well arched toes, and turn  neither in nor out. The dewclaws may or may not be present.

Hindquarters
The thighs are broad, strong and muscular. The stifles are moderately  bent and taper smoothly into the hocks. The hocks are well let down and  straight when viewed from the rear. Feet are round and compact with well  arched toes, and turn neither in nor out. Dewclaws should be removed.

Coat
Topcoat is dense, approximately 1-1/4 to 2 inches in length. Undercoat  must be present and may be thick and sometimes showing, almost always  present at neck but may be present throughout. Color of undercoat ranges  from the preferred dark gray to light gray to tawny. Total absence of  undercoat is undesirable and should be penalized.

Color
The topcoat is black. The markings are rich rust and white. Symmetry of  markings is desired. On the head, rust typically appears over each eye,  on each cheek and on the underside of the ears. On the body, rust  appears on both sides of the forechest, on all four legs and underneath  the tail. White markings appear typically on the head (blaze) and  muzzle. The blaze may vary in length and width. It may be a very thin  stripe or wider band. The blaze may extend just barely to the stop or  may extend over the top of the skull and may meet with white patch or  collar on the neck. Typically, white appears on the chest, running  unbroken from the throat to the chest, as well as on all four feet and  on the tip of the tail. White patches or collar on the neck is  acceptable. Any color other than the “Black, Red and White” tri-colored  dog described above, such as “Blue/Charcoal, Red and White” or “Red and  White” is considered a disqualification. When evaluating the Greater  Swiss Mountain Dog, markings and other cosmetic factors should be  considered of lesser importance than other aspects of type which  directly affect working ability.

Gait
Good reach in front, powerful drive in rear. Movement with a level back.

Temperament
Bold, faithful, willing worker. Alert and vigilant. Shyness or aggressiveness shall be severely penalized.

Summary
The foregoing is the description of the ideal Greater Swiss Mountain  Dog. Defects of both structure and temperament are to be judged more  severely than mere lack of elegance because they reduce the animal’s  capacity to work. Any fault that detracts from the above described  working dog should be penalized to the extent of the deviation.

Disqualifications
Any color other than the “Black, Red and White” tri-colored dog  described above, such as “Blue/Charcoal, Red and White” or “Red and  White”. Blue eye or eyes.