WHIPPET

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Balanced combination of muscular power and strength with elegance and grace of outline.  Built for speed and work.  All forms of exaggeration should be avoided.

BEHAVIOUR  / TEMPERAMENT : An ideal companion.  Highly adaptable in domestic and sporting surroundings.  Gentle, affectionate, even disposition.

HEAD : CRANIAL REGION : Skull : Long and lean, flat on top, tapering to muzzle, rather wide between the eyes. Stop : Slight. FACIAL REGION : Nose : Black, in blues a bluish colour permitted, in livers a nose of the same colour, in white or parti-colours a butterfly nose permissible. Jaws/Teeth : Jaws strong, powerful and clean cut with a perfect scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Eyes : Oval, bright, expression very alert. Ears : Rose shaped, small, fine in texture.

NECK : Long, muscular, elegantly arched.

BODY : Back : Broad, firm, somewhat long, showing definite arch over loin but not humped. Loin : Giving impression of strength and power. Chest : Very deep with plenty of heart room, brisket deep, well defined.  Ribs well sprung, muscled on back.

TAIL : No feathering.  Long, tapering, when in action carried in a delicate curve upward but not over back.

LIMBS : FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs straight and upright, front not too wide. Shoulders : Oblique and muscular; blades carried up to top of spine, where they are clearly defined. Elbows : Set well under body. Pasterns : Strong with slight spring. HINDQUARTERS : Strong.  Dog able to stand over a lot of ground and show great driving power. Thighs : Broad across. Stifles : Well bent. Second thighs : Well developed. Hocks : Well let down.

FEET : Very neat, well split up between toes, knuckles well arched, pads thick and strong.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Free, hindlegs coming well under body for propulsion.  Forelegs thrown well forward low over the ground, true coming and going.  General movement not to look stilted, high stepping, short or mincing.

COAT : HAIR : Fine, short, close in texture. COLOUR : Any colour or mixture of colours.

SIZE  :

Height at the withers :    Dogs    47-51 cm (18 1/2 - 20 ins).

                                    Bitches 44-47 cm (17 1/2 - 18 1/2 ins).

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.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.