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AKC Breed Standard
Click here to view the ACD Working Standard
General Appearance- The general appearance is that of a strong compact,
symmetrically built working dog, with the ability and willingness to carry
out his allotted task however arduous. Its combination of substance,
power, balance and hard muscular condition must convey the impression of
great agility, strength and endurance. Any tendency to grossness or
weediness is a serious fault.
Characteristics - As the name implies the dog's prime function,
and one in which he has no peer, is the control and movement of cattle in
both wide open and confined areas. Always alert, extremely intelligent,
watchful, courageous and trustworthy, with an implicit devotion to duty
making it an ideal dog.
Temperament - The Cattle Dog's loyalty and protective instincts
make it a self-appointed guardian to the Stockman, his herd and his
property. Whilst naturally suspicious of strangers, must be amenable to
handling, particularly in the Show ring. Any feature of temperament or
structure foreign to a working dog must be regarded as a serious fault.
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Head and Skull - The head is strong and must be in balance with
other proportions of the dog and in keeping with its general conformation.
The broad skull is slightly curved between the ears, flattening to a
slight but definite stop. The cheeks muscular, neither coarse nor
prominent with the underjaw strong, deep and well developed. The foreface
is broad and well filled in under the eyes, tapering gradually to form a
medium length, deep, powerful muzzle with the skull and muzzle on parallel
planes. The lips are tight and clean. Nose black.
Eyes - The eyes should be of oval shape and medium size,
neither prominent nor sunken and must express alertness and intelligence.
A warning or suspicious glint is characteristic when approached by
strangers. Eye color, dark brown.
Ears - The ears should be of moderate size, preferably small
rather than large, broad at the base, muscular, pricked and moderately
pointed neither spoon nor bat eared. The ears are set wide apart on the
skull, inclining outwards, sensitive in their use and pricked when alert,
the leather should be thick in texture and the inside of the ear fairly
well furnished with hair.
Mouth - The teeth, sound, strong and evenly spaced, gripping
with a scissor-bite, the lower incisors close behind and just touching the
upper. As the dog is required to move difficult cattle by heeling or
biting, teeth which are sound and strong are very important.
Neck - The neck is extremely strong, muscular, and of medium
length broadening to blend into the body and free from throatiness.
Forequarters - The shoulders are strong, sloping, muscular and
well angulated to the upper arm and should not be too closely set at the
point of the withers. The forelegs have strong, round bone, extending to
the feet and should be straight and parallel when viewed from the front,
but the pasterns should show flexibility with a slight angle to the
forearm when viewed from the side. Although the shoulders are muscular and
the bone is strong, loaded shoulders and heavy fronts will hamper correct
movement and limit working ability.
Body - The length of the body from the point of the breast bone,
in a straight line to the buttocks, is greater than the height at the
withers, as 10 is to 9. The topline is level, back strong with ribs well
sprung and carried well back not barrel ribbed. The chest is deep,
muscular and moderately broad with the loins broad, strong and muscular
and the flanks deep. The dog is strongly coupled.
Hindquarters - The hindquarters are broad, strong and muscular.
The croup is rather long and sloping, thighs long, broad and well
developed, the stifles well turned and the hocks strong and well let down.
When viewed from behind, the hind legs, from the hocks to the feet, are
straight and placed parallel, neither close nor too wide apart.
Feet - The feet should be round and the toes short, strong, well
arched and held close together. The pads are hard and deep, and the nails
must be short and strong.
Tail - The set on of tail is moderately low, following the
contours of the sloping croup and of length to reach approximately to the
hock. At rest it should hang in a very slight curve. During movement or
excitement the tail may be raised, but under no circumstances should any
part of the tail be carried past a vertical line drawn through the root.
The tail should carry a good brush.
Gait/Movement - The action is true, free, supple and tireless
and the movement of the shoulders and forelegs is in unison with the
powerful thrust of the hindquarters. The capability of quick and sudden
movement is essential. Soundness is of paramount importance and
stiltiness, loaded or slack shoulders, straight shoulder placement,
weakness at elbows, pasterns or feet, straight stifles, cow or bow hocks,
must be regarded as serious faults. When trotting the feet tend to come
closer together at ground level as speed increases, but when the dog comes
to rest he should stand four square.
Coat - The coat is smooth, a double coat with a short dense
undercoat. The outer-coat is close, each hair straight, hard, and lying
flat, so that it is rain-resisting. Under the body, to behind the legs,
the coat is longer and forms near the thigh a mild form of breeching. On
the head (including the inside of the ears), to the front of the legs and
feet, the hair is short. Along the neck it is longer and thicker. A coat
either too long or too short is a fault. As an average, the hairs on the
body should be from 2.5 to 4 cms (approx. 1-1.5 ins) in length.
Color (Blue) - The color should be blue, blue-mottled or blue
speckled with or without other markings. The permissible markings are
black, blue or tan markings on the head, evenly distributed for
preference. The forelegs tan midway up the legs and extending up the front
to breast and throat, with tan on jaws; the hindquarters tan on inside of
hindlegs, and inside of thighs, showing down the front of the stifles and
broadening out to the outside of the hindlegs from hock to toes. Tan
undercoat is permissible on the body providing it does not show through
the blue outer coat. Black markings on the body are not desirable.
Color (Red Speckle) The color should be of good even red speckle
all over, including the undercoat, (neither white nor cream), with or
without darker red markings on the head. Even head markings are desirable.
Red markings on the body are permissible but not desirable.
Size - Height:
Dogs 46-51 cms (approx. 18-20 ins) at Withers
Bitches 43-48 cms (approx. 17-19 ins) at withers.
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.
AKC Approved January 11, 1999
Effective: February 24, 1999
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