The MPCA Judges' Education Committee recently reformated and updated the illustrated breed standard in an effort to improve the MPCA's judges' education material. The MPCA is dedicated to educating both judges and breeders alike.

The illustrated standard is divided into sections with a link to each section on the navigation bar on the left.

Forequarters

AKC STANDARD: Forequarters - SHOULDERS clean and sloping with moderate angulation, coordinated to permit the hackney-like action. Elbows close to the body. LEGS - Strong bone development and small clean joints. As viewed from the front, straight and upstanding. PASTERNS strong, perpendicular. DEWCLAWS should be removed. FEET - small, catlike, toes strong, well arched and closely knit with deep pads. NAILS thick, blunt.

DISCUSSION: The forechest should be developed enough to be seen when the dog is viewed from the side. The clean, sloping shoulders have moderate angulation. To permit the hackney-like action, the rear is slightly more angulated than the front. Steep shoulders are a common deviation. Loaded shoulders are undesirable. The forelegs should show good bone development, neither too heavy not spindly and over-refined. The forelegs are straight when viewed from the front, with elbows close to the body. A very SLIGHT east-west front may be seen in immature puppies, but is not desirable in adults. Narrow fronts, and fronts which are too wide and "out at the elbows" are not desirable. The pasterns are strong and , as viewed from the side, perpendicular. An important point not mentioned in the standard is that the pasterns should be flexible enough to allow the wrist to bend while moving. Weak pasterns are undesirable. Small catlike feet with strong, well arched toes and deep pads are called for. Long toes, flat feet and splayed toes are undesirable.

Hindquarters

AKC STANDARD: Hindquarters - Well muscled quarters set wide enough apart fit into a properly balanced body. As viewed from the rear, the LEGS are straight and parallel. the side, well angulated. THIGHS well muscled. STIFLES well defined. HOCKS short, set well apart. DEWCLAWS should be removed. FEET small, catlike, toes strong, well arched and closely knit with deep pads. NAILS thick, blunt.

DISCUSSION: The hindquarters should be well developed, but without bulging or knotted muscles. Viewed from the rear, the legs are straight and parallel. The hocks are well let down. From the side there is a well-defined turn of stifle. Insufficient rear angulation (straight rear) and overangulated rears are common deviations. Cow-hocks, or legs that bow out are undesirable. The rear feet are the same (small, catlike) as the front. Dewclaws should be removed from both front and rear legs.