Alert and energetic, with strong muscular body, having good movement with drive.

Multi-purpose gundog, ideal for the rough shooter. Excellent nose, staying power, and works equally well on land and in water. A keen worker, easily taught.

Loyal, affectionate and trustworthy.

Well proportioned to body, elongated. Skull sufficiently broad, slightly rounded, with no pronounced occiput. Strong jaw muscles, well-formed black nose, wide soft nostrils, slight rise from the nasal bone to the forehead but no pronounced stop. Lips slightly rounded, and well fitting.

Intelligent, medium size, dark brown, not deep-set or protruding. No haw showing.

Broad and set high, lying flat and close to the head, with a rounded tip. Hair on the ears should be long, extending beyond the tip.

Strong and sound, with well-developed teeth, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Strong, muscular, slightly arched, joining the shoulder and chest smoothly.

Chest, wide and with good depth of brisket. Shoulders laid well back, forelegs straight, pasterns strong.

Firm, strong back, short coupled, slightly higher at the withers, sloping smoothly towards the croup and tail. Wide, well-muscled loin, wide croup, ribs well sprung, deep and reaching well up to the loin. Taut abdomen, slightly tucked up. Length of body, measured from point of shoulder to point of buttock should, ideally, be equal to height at withers, but may exceed height at withers by 2 cm.

Hips broad. Well-muscled thighs, well-turned stifles, hocks well let down.

Tight, moderately rounded and well knuckled with dense hair between the toes, well padded. Strong nails.

Docked: Previously, docking of tip of tail was optional

Undocked: Well set on, in line with the back. Base thick, tapering evenly towards the tip, well feathered. It should be carried horizontally or curved slightly upwards.

Free, long-striding, springy gait.

Hair long and dense, but not curly or coarse. Well feathered on front and hindlegs and on tail, more so in dogs than in bitches. Hair must lie short and smooth on the head.

Head solid black, white blaze, snip or star allowed. Body white or blue roan with black patches, flecked, ticked, or combination of these.

Height: dogs: 60-65 cms (23½-25½ ins); bitches 58-63 cms (23-25 ins).

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 on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

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