Estrela Mountain Dog

FCI 173 - Molossoid . Mountain

Content

The Dog of the Sierra de la Estrela (Cão da Serra da Estrela) It is a breed of dog native of Portugal, in the mountainous region that bears the same name. It has all the qualities required in this wild region, is intelligent, loyal and brave.

There are those who hold the theory that they were introduced to Portugal by the Visigoths and slowly to various parts of Europe.. The Estrela Mountain Dog was used mainly- in mountainous areas to accompany shepherds and flocks on their annual migrations, defending the wolves and thieves.

It is believed that the two varieties of existing hair: short hair and Longhair, they are due to regional variations. Contrary to what might be expected, the warmest region, the region of Manteigas, is where you could find the long-haired dogs, While short hair varieties were most frequent in the North, in Gouveia e Seia. Crosses between these two varieties were frequent.

In 1934 the standard of the breed was drafted, which was established according to its two varieties of layer. From this point, the cross between two varieties became undesirable. The publication of the rule in 1966 and the recognition of the breed by the FCI, have not brought more popularity to the breed. Over the years 60 and 70, the Portuguese emigrated looking for escape from the regime of poverty. The population of dogs Serra da Estrela declined drastically in that period, but the dedication of some breeders allowed the continuity of the breed.

Today, the Estrela Mountain Dog is highly requested, especially the variety of long hair. While the variety of short hair was more numerous at the beginning of the last century, is the variety of long hair that stands out, especially for being more eye-catching, stylish, with a larger. This made the breeders will focus primarily on the variety of long hair. Today the short-haired variety is particularly vulnerable and rare..

The Estrela Mountain Dog is a big dog, rough lines and powerful appearance. The head is huge, rounded and with a stunning skull. It has oval eyes, very expressive, Smart and serene.
The ears they are small and pendants, covered with a soft skin.

mastiff-type molosoid, the Estrela Mountain Dog has a broad chest and a slightly drooping rump. The members are strong and muscular. The tail is long, thick and slightly droopy.

There are two varieties of Estrela Mountain Dog: long hair and short hair. The hair is strong, thick, but not too rough. In some regions it is longer than others, especially in the queue, around the neck and back.

Only allowed the tawny colors, Lupine and yellow, monochrome or marbled.

Observations

Estrela Mountain Dog is a healthy dog, due to the strong natural selection which was exposed. But, There are some diseases of large animals with a higher incidence in this breed. The Dysplasia is one of them, especially that of hip. Due to this trend, owners must use quality diets, not exercise too your dog when he is young, avoid the steep stairs, breaks and slippery floors.

The variety of long hair they require more maintenance: brushed daily to untangle hair.
The variety of short hair only needs weekly brushings. Bathing should only be administered, only, When cannot be avoided,Since the protective greasiness of the skin can be damaged by cleaning products.

The Estrela Mountain Dog has always been kept with the sheep, While pastor was away from his flock the dog developed an independent organization and this led to his character of excellent guard dog.

It is also used for self defense and as a dog shot.

The Estrela Mountain Dog, due to its isolation and difficult access, It has become the home of this breed of dog. His hard hair helps you survive the harsh winters of the region. Each race has its specific character developed throughout its existence, of their own history.

This more or less independent nature makes this breed adapts well to modern times, where instead of caring won, waits for their owners to return from work at the end of the day. They have a lot of patience.

The beauty of this dog, his intelligence and strength, are the characteristics that allow him to be in addition to an excellent guard, a good family dog and very tolerant with children.

The Estrela Mountain Dog it's a big dog with a big boost. So, an apartment in the city is not ideal for him. Fluctuations of time and temperature do not bother him much, so you prefer to spend the day outdoors. So, the ideal is a house with a large patio or garden where you can move freely. It also, does not want to do without his long walks. For many other canine sports, requiring reliable obedience, is however hardly suitable due to its obstinacy.

The Estrela Mountain Dog requires a correspondingly large serving of food, which should also be considered when buying it. Proper dog feeding helps keep it healthy for a long time. Whether one wants to use dry or wet food is a matter of personal preference.. In particular, nutrition during growth, especially in large dogs, sets the course for later life.

While puppies and adult dogs need enough energy, young dogs need an adapted diet, protein rich, to ensure that your muscles and skeleton grow evenly. If the young dog grows too fast on food that is too high in energy, there is a risk of permanent joint problems and malpositions. It also, It should be noted that all large breeds of dogs are at risk of stomach upset if the daily ration is administered at one time.. So, it is better and healthier to divide the food into at least two servings in the morning and at night and then give the animal a break for digestion.

Due to the close connection of the Estrela Mountain Dog with humans and their good understanding, good conditions are created for purposeful education. But, the race's own head should not be underestimated. The Hound of the Sierra de la Estrela dog stubbornly reacts to too much hardness in training and the orders he considers meaningless. Therefore, the right key to a successful workout is patience, empathy and a consistent hand. During training special attention should be paid to the tendency to dominate, especially in males.

Although this is rarely directed against humans, but mainly against other big dogs, can disturb harmonious interaction and, above all, The walking. Ideally, great importance should be given to socialization already in the breeder. You should also practice meeting other dogs as soon as possible after your dog has moved in.. You can learn that other dogs are an enrichment and not a danger and that dominant behavior is not tolerated. In a good dog school you will receive many tips when in doubt, which will facilitate the management of your Dog from the Sierra de la Estrela.

The Estrela Mountain Dog has a dense coat with a lot of undercoat, that adapts to weather conditions. The change of coat is therefore strong in this breed. To facilitate this process for the animal and reduce the amount of dog hair at home, should be brushed sufficiently and correctly, especially during the period. Ideal for this purpose are the special brushes, they can comb the bottom layer. Outside the change of coat phase, brush once a week.. The rest of the preparation is limited to a minimum. Especially if the dog is outside and a lot in the meadows and forests, should be checked regularly for parasites. If required, claws must be shortened with claw pliers.

The Estrela Mountain Dog it is a very robust animal that does not have to fight with the typical diseases of the breed. But, being a very large breed, you may suffer from dysplasia of the hip joint. Breeders recognized by the FCI only use parents that are not affected by this disease for breeding purposes., which also greatly reduces the risk to offspring.

As a healthy race, the Estrela Mountain Dog reaches an age of 10 to 12 years without difficulty and generally without many visits to the vet. Proper nutrition and parenting are the prerequisites for a long and healthy life.

• FCI CLASSIFICATION: 173
• Group 2: Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs
• Section 2: Molossoid - 2.2 Molossoid, mountain type. Without working trial..

Federations:

FCI ⓘ, AKC ⓘ, ANKC ⓘ, ​KC ⓘ, NZKC ⓘ, UKC ⓘ – The AKC does not have its own standard and instead is linked to the FCI

Portugal

04.11.2008

Use:

Herd guard dog, surveillance and companion dog also used in shooting work.

General appearance:

The Sierra de la Estrela Dog is a mastiff type. There are two varieties of hair: long and short. Rustic, of much substance with a strong movement and stunning attitudes.

The breed has a cheerful look, calm and expressive. Well proportioned, morphologically perfect, compact and rustic; The harmony of the whole is remarkable and demonstrates an ethnic purity of ancient races of the past.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :

Medium long (long sub) tending to the middle line. Depth of chest is less than half of its height at the withers. The muzzle and the skull should be approximately the same length, If that is not the case, the skull should be slightly longer.

Inseparable companion of the pastor and faithful guardian of the herd protect against predators and thieves. Excellent dog guard farms and households, distrustful of strangers and typically docile towards its master.

Head:

Strong, voluminous. It is elongated and slightly convex profile view. Well positioned and provided to the body, the same as the relationship that keep the skull and facial, accentuate the harmony of the whole. Smooth skin over the skull and cheeks.

• Skull: Well developed, rounded skull facial longitudinal top spindles slightly divergent. Convex profile, superciliary arches slightly developed with a slightly apparent frontal fold. No prominent occipital protrusion.
• Depression links (Stop) : Slightly pronounced, located at a more or less equal distance between the end of the nose and the occipital Protuberance.

facial region:

• Truffle: Straight and aligned with the nasal bridge, well open Windows, big and black.
• Snout: Elongate, slimming progressively towards the tip of the nose, but do not be sharpened. Almost straight nose cane, Although slightly hooked at the end.
• Lips: Well developed but not thick, well bonded without tilting.  The mucous membranes of the mouth and palate, as well as the very pigmented black edge of the lips.
• Jaws / Teeth: Well-defined mouth with well-developed jaws, full dentition with strong teeth, White and well implemented and good occlusion. Preferably bite in scissors, accepting bite on clamp.

Eyes: Horizontal, oval-shaped, at the level of the head; are medium-sized, aimed at small, symmetrical and wide open, with a calm and alert expression; Dark amber in colour preference. The eyelids are well bonded and pigmented black edges. A little marked eyebrows.

Ears: Small relative to the rest of the skull, form triangular, thin, rounded at their lower edge, pendants; inserted at a medium height, is tilted back slightly and hang to the sides of the head near the cheeks, revealing a part of your inner side in the base (called Pink ear).

Neck:

Straight, short and thick, correctly inserted on the shoulders and with a slight dewlap but not exaggerated.

Body:

• top line: Straight. Level.
• Back: Short preferably, well muscled.
• Pork loin: Lumbar region wide, short, muscular and properly inserted to the rump.
• Rump: Slightly inclined, short, broad and muscled. The height at the Croup should be equal to or slightly greater than the height at the withers.
• Breast : Rounded, without being cylindrical, broad, long and well descended.
• bottom line: The bottom line should gradually and gently rise from the sternum to the groin, not too wide belly, in proportion to the substance of the animal and harmoniously connected with the body.

Tail:

Robust, long, whose tip reaches the tibio-tarsal joint when the dog is standing or at rest. It is thick in the shape of a « scimitar », inserted at a medium height, well covered with stripes on the variety of long hair and hair ; is a hook at the end. The tail is carried below the horizontal line and falls naturally between the thighs when the dog is at rest. ; When stimulated or in action, it is carried higher than the horizontal line, forming an upward curvature., Go ahead, to the sides or down.

Tips

PREVIOUS MEMBERS: Plumb, with bones and joints strong, fairly open with unrestricted movement angles.

• Forearm:  Straight, parallel, long, with strong bone and always cylindrical in shape.
• Previous foot: Provided, never too round or too long, I in between a Jack's foot and a foot of Hare (not open), thick, fingers tightened with abundant hair between fingers, dark nails, preferably black, well developed, pads thick and hard.

LATER MEMBERS : Plumb, with bones and joints strong, fairly open with unrestricted movement angles.

• Hock: Somewhat low, average opening, never leaning in or out.
• Metatarsus: Vertical, always cylindrical in shape. Possible presence of single or double spur.
• Rear foot: Identical to the previous foot.

Movement:

Normal and light.

Mantle

HAIR: Fur: Strong, very abundant, slightly thick, without excessive hardness with texture similar to the goat hair. The subhair is composed of a thin hair, short, abundant and matted. Usually lighter than outer hair color.

• Long hair variety: Exterior smooth or slightly wavy hair, I uneven and some areas. In the Member, Below the elbows and legs it is shorter and thicker, as well as above the head., ears is gradually shorter from base to tip, being more thin and more soft. It is longest on the queue, where is well thick, thick and long hair. Around the neck and throat and on the thighs abundant long hair as well as on the sides of the forearm.
• Variety short hair: Short hair, evenly distributed over the body, somewhat shorter on the head and members without having hair longer.

COLOR

The following colors are accepted and considered typical:

•  Solid: yellow, Fawn and grey in all ranges of intensity of color;
•  Wolf Gray: leonado, yellow and grey tones, usually with shaders more light and dark.
• Striped: leonado, yellow or gray as a base with a black Brindle color.

In the craniofacial area a dark mask is typical.

White spots are allowed only on the limbs or feet before and after and a very small extension on the lower region of the neck and chest.

Size and weight:

• Males : 65 to 73 cm..
• females : 62 to 69 cm..

Tolerance + 2 cm..

WEIGHT :

• Males: 45 – 60 Kg.
• females: 35 – 45 Kg.

Fouls:

Any deviation from the aforementioned criteria is considered as a fault and the severity of this is considered to the degree of the deviation to the standard and its consequences on the health and well-being of the dog..

• Appearance: Poor overall appearance, thinness or obesity.
• Height: Outside the limits of the standard but with a tolerance of 2 cm.. of the upper limit.
• Very narrow head, long and pointed.
• Eyes: color clear.
• Ears: incorrectly inserted, very long fleshy or round. Hanging completely flat.
• Tail: Port on the back. Absence of hook.
• Color: Absence of dark mask.

 SEVERE FAULTS

• Behavior: Animals that show signs of shyness or nervousness.
• Tail: Amputated or rudimentary.
• Truffle: Pale nostrils, Truffle partially nonpigmented.
• Ears: Amputee.
• Fur: Other than described above.
• Height:
• Males :  Below the 65 cm.. or above 75 cm..
• females: Below the 62 cm.. or above 71 cm..

MISS PLAYOFFS

• Behavior:  Aggressive or too shy.
• Typicity: Atypical.
• Head: Too narrow, very long and very sharp, total absence of molosser type.
• Jaws: Prognathism or enognatismo.
• Eyes: Eyes of different colour or different size.
• Tail: Anurismo.
• Fur: Completely different hair than typical.
• Color:  Any other color not mentioned in the standard. albinism.

Any dog ​​showing clear signs of physical or behavioral abnormalities must be disqualified.

• Males must have two normal-appearing testicles fully descended into the scrotum..
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with the typical conformation of the breed, should be used for parenting.

Source: F.C.I - International Cynological Federation

1. Portuguese Shepherd (English).
2. Chien de montagne portugais (French).
3. Serra da Estrela Berghund (German).
4. Perro de la sierra de la Estrela (Portuguese).
5. Perro de la Sierra de la Estrela (español).