Safari Standard Poodles

Cynthia & Alyssa Huff
R.R. 1, Box 200AAA  Carlock, IL 61725-9638
Voice: 309/376-2102  Fax: 309/376-2029

Acknowledgements: Illustrated Study of the Poodle Breed Standard, PCA, 1992;
The Complete Dog Book, 18th ed., AKC 1992;
The Book of the Poodle, Anna Katherine Nicholas, TFH, 1982.

A

Almond Eye

An almond-shaped or small oval eye, quite desireable; in contrast to a round and large eye.

Angulation

The angles formed by the meeting of the bones at the shoulder (scapula and humerus); stifle (femur and tibia); and the hock joint.

B

Back

The vertebrae between the withers and the loin.

Balance

Overall symmetry and proportion; a square dog, that is, height of dog roughly equal to length of dog, neck proportioned to body, head to body.

Bandy Hocks

The tips of the hocks splay outwards; the opposite of cow-hocks. Also called bandy hocks. Undesirable.

Barrel

Rounded rib section; thorax

Bite

How the upper teeth meet the lower teeth: even, scissors [correct], undershot, overshot.

Bloom

Condition of coat or dog generally; "full bloom" means coat and condition are tip-top.

Breastbone

(also sternum): Bone in the forepart of the chest.

Brisket

The forepart of the body below the chest between the forelegs closets to the ribs.

Brace

Two dogs working in unison with a single lead; a special class usually seen only at specialties.

Buttocks

The muscular area surrounding the rear of the pelvis.

C

Canine Teeth

Four sharp pointed teeth at the front of the jaws, two upper, two lower, on either side of the incisors. Also: fangs.

Carpal Joints

The joint bones of the pastern.

Cat Foot

A foot similar to a cat's: short in toes, rounded, fairly well-arched. Desirable.

Cheeky

Bulging jaw bones or cheeks at the bottom rear of the head. Undesirable.

Chest

(also thorax): The part of the body or trunk enclosed by the ribs.

Chiselling

(also modelling): Clean-cut lines and countours about the head and foreface, particularly if enhanced by fine, close-fitting skin, lending an air of refinement.

Chops

Loose skin hanging penduously from the jaws, creating an impression of jowls. Undesirable.

Close-coupled

Short in the loin, presenting a balance between height and length. Desirable.

Coarse

Too heavy in bone, head lacking refinement or chiselling; lacking in quality. Undesirable.

Cow-hocked

Hocks turning inward as viewed from rear when dog is standing. Undesirable.

Crabbing

A dog moving at an angle as it goes away. Because of length of stifle, the dog cannot properly place its rear feer in relation to its front feet and so has to place back feet to the side of the front paws. Mimics the sideways movement of a crab. Also called sidewinding or sidewheeling. Undesirable.

Croup

The muscular area just in front of and around the set-on of the tail.

Cryptorchid

A male with undescended testicles. A disqualification.

D

Dew Claws

Claws located on the inside front legs, well above the pads. Should be removed 3-6 days after birth. Required in some breeds; in others, a disqualifcation.

Dewlap

Loose skin which hangs down from the jaw. Also called throaty or wet-throated. Undesirable.

Dish-faced

A concave muzzle topline rather than a flat muzzle topline; tip of nose is higher than stop. Undesirable.

Divergent Hocks

The tips of the hocks splay outwards; the opposite of cow-hocks. Also called bandy hocks. Undesirable.

Dock

To shorten the tail, usually at 3-6 days of age.

Domed

A rounded skull. Undesirable.

Double Coat

A coat that has two layers, an outer harsh protective coat (called guard hairs), and a softer, shorter undercoat for warmth.

Downfaced

The topline of the muzzle curves from the stop down to the tip of the nose; a convex muzzle; also called a roman nose. Undesirable.

Down in pasterns

Weakness in the pasterns: the pasterns bend outwards from forelegs instead of squarely supporting weight above. Undesirable.

Drive

The extension of the rear legs in full trot or gait. Should be balanced with the reach, or extension of forequarters.

Dry Throat

A neck without excess hanging skin. Also called dry neck. Undesirable.

Dudley Nose

A flesh-colored nose. Undesirable.

E

Easty-Westy

Easty-westy in the front means the forefeet turn outwards instead of point straight ahead.

Elbow

The joint between the upper foreleg and the forearm.

Ewe neck

The topline of the neck is concave rather than convex and the circumference at the base is usually not much greater than at the head junction.

Expression

The general impression of the face. Usually determined by eye, length of muzzle, skin and chiselling. In the Poodle, expression should be alert and dignified, perhaps mischievious.

Eye Teeth

The upper canine teeth

F

Fangs

Four sharp pointed teeth at the front of the jaws, two upper, two lower, on either side of the incisors. Also: fangs.

Femur

(upper thigh bone): Extends from the hip joint of the pelvis to the stifle joint.

Fibula

The upper and smaller of the two bones in the lower thigh.

Fiddle Front

Viewed from the front as the dog gaits towards you, the pasterns come too close and the feet turn outwards, caused by elbows which protrude from the rib cage. Undesirable.

Finishing a dog

To complete the championship on a dog, requiring 15 total points and two major(3-5 points) wins under different judges.

Flank

The side of the body in the loin.

Flews

The inner corners of the upper lips, which hang down somewhat. Excessive or pendulous flews are undesirable.

Flying Trot

A very fast gait where all four feet actually leave the ground. Undesirable in the ring.

Forearm

(lower arm, radius and ulna): The bone of the foreleg between elbow and pastern.

Foreface

(also muzzle): That portion of the head from the stop forward.

Front

Used to refer both to the front part of the dog viewed straight on, including the head, neck, forequarters, and feet, and to the construction of the forequarters.

G

Gait

The way in which a dog walks or trots. Usually referred to a trot used in the showring.

Gallop

The very fastest gait, a loping motion, and never to be used in the ring.

Gay Tail

A tail which is carried high, above the horizontal. Specified in some breed standards, but not the Poodle Standard. This term is incorrectly used to refer to squirrel tails. Gay tails are desirable in Poodles, but not squirrel tails.

Goose Rump

A croup which falls off too steeply, that is, at an angle of more than 30 degrees.

H

Hackney

High action in gait with front legs; lifting the pads and pasterns high in wasted motion.

Hare Foot

Long toes on the foot, like those of a hare. Undesirable.

Haw

The third eyelid on a dog's eye; an extra membrane.

Hock

The joint of the hind leg between the lower thigh and the rear pastern.

I

Incisors

Front teeth between the canines or fangs; six upper and six lower.

J

Jowls

Lips and skin on jaws. "Jowly" means pendulous skin at these points, and can be undesirable in breeds like Poodles.

K

Knitting and purling

As viewed coming, throwing and crossing over of front feet.

L

Layback

Denotes a shoulder blade (scapula) sloping well back, ideally at 45 degrees from perpendicular; opposite of steep or straight shoulder.

Loin

The lumbar area, extending from the end of the rib cage to the start of the pelvis.

M

Muzzle

(also foreface): The head in front of the eyes.

N

O

Occiput

(occipital bone): The highest and rearmost part of the skull; bone which peaks at end of skull.

P

Paddling

Incorrect and energy-wasting forequarters movement in which pasterns and feet perform circular, exaggerated motion, turning or flicking outward at the end of each step.

Pasterns

The leg bone directly above the foot in the front legs

Pelvis

(pelvic girdle, hip bone): composed of three bones: the ilium (front), pubis and the ischium (rear).

Q

R

Refinement

Having bone and muscle in perfect proportion to size of dog; showing quality throughout; the opposite of coarse or overdone.

Roach back

A back arched or convex to some degree along the topline.

S

Sharpness

Showing aggressive tendencies in temperament.

Side-winding

Movement where the hind feet do not follow the paths of the front feet but rather move to one side in a sideways motion.

Stifle

(stifle joint, knee joint): The joint of the hind leg where the upper and lower thighs meet; the dog's knee.

Stop

A depression or step down in the outline of the head between the eyes, where the muzzle joins the skull.

Sway back

A back that sags or is concave to some degree along its entire length or topline.

T

Thigh

Upper thigh (femur): the upper part of the hind leg between the pelvis and the stifle. Lower thigh (tibia and fibula): The hind leg between the stifle joint and the hock.

Tibia

The larger and lower of the two bones in the lower thigh.

U

V

W

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