Key traits:
| 📏 Size | large |
| 🐕 Temperament | sharp, calm |
| 🏃 Activity | medium |
| ✂️ Coat | long |
| 👶 With children | rather no |
| 🛡️ Guarding | very strong |
| 🎓 Trainability | medium |
Description
Originating from Crimea and the southern Russian steppes, this breed has always been a companion to nomadic tribes, who utilized the ancestors of the South Russian Shepherd for herding and protecting livestock from predators. This history has endowed the breed with exceptional endurance, agility, independence, and intelligence.
With instincts honed for herding and protection, it excels as a vigilant guardian and reliable defender. It is deeply loyal to and protective of its family but tends to be distrustful of strangers. Due to its strong will, sharp instincts, and tendency toward dominant behavior, it is not suitable for a first-time owner. This breed is ill-suited for apartment living or confined spaces; it requires a substantial property and a dedicated, experienced owner for life.
This website is an independent and free project. I would like to gradually replace illustrative photos with real dogs from breeders.
If you send me a photo of your dog, I can include:
- the dog’s name or your kennel name
- a link to your website
What I need:
- a good-quality photo (ideally landscape)
- confirmation that you own the photo
- permission to publish it on this site
- a link on your website pointing to www.choosedog.info (I will also include a link to your website on this breed page)
Please email me at
info@vyberpsa.cz
(the breed name will be added to the subject line)
Or contact me via Facebook Messenger: m.me/choosetherightdog
FCI standard
FCI Standard N° 326 / 16.09.1996/ GB
SOUTH RUSSIAN SHEPHERD DOG (Ioujnorousskaia Ovtcharka)
TRANSLATION : Mrs Peggy Davis.
ORIGIN : Russia.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 30.09.1983.
UTILIZATION : Sheepdog.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs
(except Swiss Cattle Dogs).
Section 1 Sheepdogs.
Without working trial.
The Owtcharka of meridional Russia is a dog of robust constitution, of above average size; he is fierce and distrustful of strangers, not very demanding and adapts easily to diverse climatic conditions and temperatures.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Robust, lean, with massive bone structure and a strongly developed musculature.
Faults : Frail constitution, bones too light, insufficient musculature; constitution of coarse or gross appearance.
Sexual type : Well evident according to sex. The males are courageous, stronger and more massive than the females.
Faults : Females of male type.
Severe faults : Effeminate type male.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
- Index of bone structure : Males 17 - 19
Females 16 - 18
- Length index (Format) : 108 - 110.
Faults : Slight divergences of the given norm.
Severe faults : Accentuated divergences of the given norms (square shape or very elongated).
BEHAVIOUR AND TEMPERAMENT : Type of highly nervous activity, strong, balanced, lively. Dominant reaction : active way of defense.
Faults : Excessive excitability, timidity, laziness.
Severe faults : Uncontrolled excitability, cowardice.
HEAD : Elongated shape with a moderately broad forehead; the occipital crest and the zygomatic arches are strongly pronounced. The stop is barely visible. The nose is big, black.
Faults : Coarse head, accentuated stop, superciliary arches prominent, muzzle too short or too elongated, grey lips; nose grey or brown.
Severe faults : Narrow muzzle, weak, turned up, of truncated shape. Pink nose.
Teeth : White, big, fitting closely. The incisors are set regularly and close in scissor bite.
Faults : Teeth too small and spaced, yellow or prematurely worn. Broken teeth but not impeding a correct closure of the jaws. Lack of premolars.
Severe faults : Everything which does not correspond to a perfect closure of the teeth but not impeding a correct of the teeth in scissor bite. Decayed teeth. Incisors set irregularly.
Ears : Relatively small, of triangular shape, hanging.
Faults : Detached ears.
Eyes : Oval shape, set horizontally, dark; the eyelids lean, tight.
Faults : Light eyes.
Severe faults : Eyes of different colours, pink eyelids.
NECK : Lean, muscular, of moderate length, set high.
Faults : Neck too short, set low.
BODY :
Withers : Apparent but not high.
Back : Straight and strong.
Faults : Weak back or roach-back.
Severe faults : Saddle back or humped.
Loin : Short, broad, rounded.
Faults : Slightly elongated, straight or too rounded.
Severe faults : Saddle back or humped.
Chest : Reasonably broad, slightly flattened, deep.
Faults : Chest insufficiently let down (above the elbow).
Severe faults : Narrow chest, too small, barrel shaped.
Belly : Moderately tucked up.
Faults : Excessively whippety or sagging.
FEET (Front and back) : Oval shaped, strong, well arched, covered with long hair.
Faults : Flat feet, splayed feet.
GAIT/MOVEMENT : The gaits are free and extended. The natural gaits of this dog are the heavy trot and the gallop. At the trot, the legs move in a straight line with a slight convergence to the median line. The articulations of the fore- and hindquarters straightening up freely.
Faults : Slight lateral deviation in the movement of the legs; insufficient straightening up of the articulations.
Severe faults : Restrained gait, lack in action.
COAT
HAIR : Long (10 – 15 cm), coarse, thick, dense, of equal length on head, chest, legs and tail, with a well developed undercoat.
Faults : Straight hair.
Severe faults : Short hair, soft texture.
COLOUR : Most often white, but also white and yellow, straw colour, greyish (ashen grey) and other shades of grey; white lightly marked with grey; grey speckled.
Severe faults : Black, rushy or brown coat; strongly speckled.
SIZE:
Height at the withers : Males : a minimum of 65 cm.
Females : a minimum of 62 cm.
Faults : Size of less than 65 cm for the males, less than 62 cm for the females.
Severe faults : Size of less than 60 cm for the males, less than 58 cm for the females.
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.
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
• Aggressive or overly shy.
• Everything which does not correspond to a correct closure of jaws in scissor bite.
• Hair short or straight.
• All the shades of the coat which have not been taken into consideration in the present standard.
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.
