Perro Leonés de Pastor

		Perro Leonés de Pastor
		He is not recognized by the F.C.I.


Origin			Spain
Translation			Francis Vandersteen

Usage

Sheepdog.

Brief historical summary

The pastoral culture of northern Spain, and in particular livestock or subsistence farming in the province of León, required the use of grazing dogs to handle flocks, mainly sheep, on pasture and fallow land. For this purpose, medium-sized dogs were developed, perfectly adapted to these peculiarities and presenting morphological and functional characteristics geared to their aptitudes.

General appearance

Hardy, harmonious, active and agile, with a lively, intelligent expression. Always alert, medium-sized, eumetrical and sub-longlined. Characterized by austerity and strength. Unalterable in its work under the most adverse and variable weather conditions.

Important proportions

The ratio between height (at withers) and length (longitudinal diameter) is 1:1.13 in males and 1:1.14 in females. Slightly longer than tall.
The ratio between the length of the skull and the length of the muzzle is 1 / 0.86 in males and 1 / 0.89 in females.
The ratio between thoracic circumference and height at withers is 5/4 in both sexes.
The ratio between height at withers and sub-static height is 1/0.58 in both sexes.

Behaviour / temperament

Inborn disposition to the demands of grazing. Highly attentive and able to learn. Relentless at work and always waiting for its owner, sometimes a little sullen with strangers.

Head
Cranial region
Head		The length of the head is approximately twice its width.
Skull		Subconvex, slightly domed cranial profile, with well-defined but not accentuated frontonasal depression. Clearly divergent craniofacial lines. Skull slightly longer than it is wide.

Facial region
Nose		Well pigmented nose and mucous membranes.
Muzzle		Cone-shaped muzzle, truncated but not pointed. Slightly shorter than the skull, so that the length of the muzzle is slightly less than that between the lower limit of the fronto-nasal depression and the most protruding edge of the occiput.
Lips		Attached, but not pendulous.
Jaws and teeth		Complete, healthy dentition with scissor bite.
Eyes		Rounded eyes with a lively, intelligent gaze. Dark with black or fawn-black eyelids. In harlequins, they are sharper, depending on skin pigmentation, and sometimes have a bluish-white patch over the iris on one or both eyes.
Ears		The ears are of medium or superior insertion at the corner of the eye and appear folded on themselves and drooping, or folded and carried backwards. In attention may be semi-rigid.

Neck

Muscular, proportionate to the body without being long.

Body
Body		Tapered trunk.
Topline		Straight.
Withers		Slightly larger than the croup.
Back		Strong, muscular, well proportioned.
Loin		Strong, slightly sloping.
Croup		Strong and muscular.
Chest		Broad, deep, well let down to elbow level.
Ribs		Slightly arched.
Underline and belly		Abdomen moderately tucked up, never tucked up.

Tail

Medium insertion. Raised at rest, slightly above the hock. In action, saber-shaped, never curled over the back. Hair always more abundant than on the back.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Strong, straight, vertical, plumb.
Shoulders		Well defined.
Upper arm		Muscular and strong.
Elbows		Attached to the body.
Forearm		Strong.
Carpal		Well furnished.
Pastern		Well furnished.
Forefeet		Slightly oval feet, tight toes. Black nails and hard pads, resistant to all types of terrain.

Hindquarters
Generality		Plumb, strong.
Upper thigh		Thighs and muscles broad, large and well developed, but not excessively bulky.
Metatarsus		Perpendicular to the ground.
Hock		Strong and not too low.
Hind feet		Like front feet, sometimes with a simple dewclaw.

Gait and movement

Easy, fluid, energetic, typical of a sheepdog. Able to change speed and direction without losing balance or harmony. Its natural stride is the trot, covering great distances without apparent effort.

Skin

Thick, close to the body.

Coat
Hair		There are two types of hair: Short, bushy, close to the skin. In some specimens, it is a little longer on the back and spine, where it can show slight waves. Medium-length, softer. Straight or with slight waves. Always shorter on face and front of limbs. Bangs on back, chest, belly and tail.
Colour		There are harlequin and black specimens with or without tan patches. Four basic types are defined: Black coat: shiny black. Exceptionally, it may have small white patches on the chest and lower limbs. Fawn black coat: black with two well-defined supra-orbital spots, ranging from fawn to tan. There are also gradations of the same color and intensity on the muzzle, part of the face, chest and lower extremities. Harlequin coat: a mixture of black, gray and white hairs in varying proportions, forming irregular patches that are capriciously distributed throughout the coat. Harlequin coat with fawn gradations: has the same marbled appearance as the previous coat, also showing the fawn gradations defined in the black fawn layer. Exceptionally, specimens with layers other than those mentioned may be accepted if they conform to the defined standard and present remarkable morphological and functional characteristics.

Size and weight
Height at withers		Between 48 and 55 cm. for males and 45 and 52 cm. for females.
Weight		16 to 27 kg for males and 15 to 25 kg for 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 and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

General faults

Lack of premolars.

Pincer bite.

Slightly saddled or ingrown dorsolumbar line.

Slight depigmentation of nose and mucous membranes.

Tail curled over croup.

Serious faults

Pronognathism or moderate enognathism.

Absence of more than one premolar or tooth not due to trauma.

Generalized depigmentation of nose and mucous membranes.

Rabbit-tailed or anoure specimens.

Incorrect or deviated legs.

Croup significantly higher than withers.

Unbalanced character.

Excessive white color on coat.

Disqualifying faults

Aggressive or timid dog.

Impaired vision.

Deafness.

Monorchidism or cryptorchidism.

Prognathism or excessive enognatism.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

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Perro Leonés de Pastor