THE STANDARD OF THE SLOUGHI
Official United Kennel Club Breed
Standard
Revised June 1, 2002
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Sighthounds & Pariah Dogs Group
©Copyright 1995, United Kennel
Club, Inc.
HISTORY
The Sloughi is an ancient breed,
developed in North Africa as the hunting Sighthound of the Berbers, whose
territory included Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Sloughis have been
used to hunt desert hare, desert fox, jackals, and gazelles, as well as
ostrich, wild boars and hyenas.
The first Sloughis arrived
in Europe at the end of the 19th century, often with soldiers who had been
stationed in North Africa and returned home with Sloughis. In 1935, the
breed was officially recognized by the Fédération Cynologique
Internationale. Because of the two World Wars, the breeding of Sloughis
was interrupted and it was not resumed until the late 1960s after the war
in Algeria.
In 1973, Mr. and Mrs. C.
Rodarty imported the first Sloughi to the United States. Most American
Sloughis are descended from Sloughis of French, Dutch and German breeding,
which in turn descend from Sloughis imported from Morocco, Tunisia, Libya
and Algeria. A few are direct imports from North Africa.
The Sloughi was recognized
by the UKC in 1995.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Sloughi is a medium-sized Sighthound,
strong, lean and very racy. Its smooth-coated and long-legged body shows
defined bony structure and lean muscles. Of squarish build, slightly higher
than long, featherlight when moving, the Sloughi has a long wedge-shaped
head, small drop ears, and a nearly straight topline from the base of the
neck to the loin, where it arches very slightly and blends into a bony,
sloping croup. The underline of the Sloughi is important to correct breed
type. The brisket is deep but does not reach the elbow. The long sternum
forms a straight line, parallel to the ground, which rises sharply into
the tuckup. The tail is long and carried low with an upward curve at the
end. The attitude is noble and somewhat aloof, and the expression of the
large brown eyes gentle and melancholy.
Dogs are typically taller
and more substantial than bitches, which should be smaller, more lightly
built and feminine.
The Sloughi was treasured
for its hunting skills, speed, agility and endurance over long distances.
For this reason, it should give the general appearance of a short-coupled,
well-balanced animal with no exaggeration of length of body or limbs, muscle
development, nor curve of loin.
CHARACTERISTICS
The Sloughi is an intelligent and
very driven hunter who chases on sight anything that moves, but also relies
on olfactory and acoustic cues to chase prey. This "chasing on sight" behavior
enables the Sloughi to be a competitive breed in non-commercial oval and
straight racing events, as well as in lure coursing. It can also compete
in open field hunts.
In Africa the Sloughi is
an all-around working dog, used for hunting, but also as a watch dog. For
this reason the Sloughi is typically cautious with strangers, avoiding
physical contact, but totally loyal, playful and affectionate with family.
A Sloughi will however adjust to strangers if properly introduced by its
owner.
The Sloughi does not respond
well to harsh training. It does well, however, under a firm, consistent,
fair and praising hand.
Faults: Sharpness or shyness.
HEAD
In profile the head is long and
refined but rather strong compared to other Sighthounds. Seen from above,
it has the shape of a long wedge, the skull being the widest part, tapering
to the tip of the nose.
SKULL: Seen from the side, the
top part of the skull is flat. The skull is rather broad, measuring approximately
4.7”-5.5” (12-14 cm) between the ears. The skull is distinctly rounded
at the back and curves harmoniously on the sides. The brows are scarcely
projecting, the frontal groove is hardly marked, the stop is barely pronounced,
and the occipital crest is barely visible.
Faults: Skull too heavy and broad,
too narrow, brows and stop too visible or insufficiently pronounced.
MUZZLE: The muzzle has the
shape of an elongated and moderately refined wedge and is roughly as long
as the skull. The bridge of the nose is straight from its root. The nose
leather, not being supported by the skeletal structure, bends slightly
forward. The lips are thin and supple, just covering the lower jaw. The
corner must be the least visible possible.
Faults: Muzzle too short, too long,
too wide, not in alignment with the top line of the skull, lips too strong
and thick, corner of the mouth drooping.
Very serious fault: Unpigmented
areas on lips.
NOSE: Black and strong, not
pinched.
Faults: Any color other than black.
Very serious fault: Unpigmented
areas on nose.
TEETH: Complete scissor bite.
Teeth healthy and strong. Jaws strong and regular. Some Sloughis have additional
pre-molars 1.
Faults: Missing teeth, jaws too
narrow.
Disqualifications: Overshot or
undershot.
EYES: Large, dark, well set
in their sockets, oval to almond-shaped and set somewhat obliquely. The
expression is gentle, slightly sad and melancholy. The eye color is shades
of dark brown to amber. The eye rims are pigmented.
Faults: Eyes light amber, too small.
Very serious fault: Unpigmented
areas on eyelids.
EARS: The ears of the Sloughi
are set high and drooping close to the head when the animal is at rest.
The ears are of medium size, triangular in shape and slightly rounded at
the tips. In movement or when the animal is nervous, the ears often fold
backward.
Very serious faults: Ears too long,
tips hanging clearly below the lower jaw.
Disqualifications: Ears erect or
with tips drooping forward, or small and folding backwards in a "rose ear".
NECK
The neck is long and springs well
up from the shoulders. Its top line is slightly arched. The skin is fine,
tight, with no dewlap and the hair is very smooth.
Faults: Neck too short and thick,
or too long and thin, dewlap.
BODY
A properly proportioned Sloughi
is squarish to slightly higher than long. The following four lines drawn
on the profile of a Sloughi form a square: From the withers down the back
side of the front leg to the ground; from there to the front of the rear
stifle; from there upward past the point of buttocks to the height at the
withers; and from there, parallel to the ground, back to the withers.
The back is short, almost horizontal.
In well-exercised animals, the withers are barely apparent. The top line
is almost straight from the base of the neck, over the withers to the hips
with a slight arch over the loin. The loin is short, lean, wide and slightly
arched. The croup is bony and oblique with apparent hip bones.
The chest is not too wide.
In depth, it hardly reaches the level of the elbow. In many Sloughis, it
is about half an inch to an inch above the elbow. The body is well ribbed
up. The ribs are flat, close fitting to a long, straight sternum. The floating
ribs are more rounded. The under line first starts as a straight line (sternum)
then rises up smoothly to a well tucked up belly.
Faults: Croup too long, not bony
enough, too round; top line not horizontal, saddle-back, rounded back,
back too long, withers too apparent, chest not deep enough, too narrow
or too wide, chest reaching below the elbow, round ribs (barrel chest),
not enough tuck, abrupt underline.
Very serious faults: A dog whose
body is clearly longer than high or whose hip bones are clearly lower than
the withers lacks breed type and should not be considered for champion
points.
FOREQUARTERS
The shoulders are long and oblique,
the arms are strong with good return of the upper arm. When properly angulated,
the elbow will be in a direct vertical line below the uppermost tip of
the shoulder blade. The shoulder blade and upper arm are of similar length.
The forelegs are straight, bony and muscular. The pasterns are slightly
sloping, supple and strong. The elbows are close to the body.
Faults: Shoulders and upper arm
too straight, pasterns too bent or too straight, legs not parallel to each
other, toes turned in or out.
HINDQUARTERS
The thigh is lean, flat and muscular.
The second thigh is long and well muscled. Hocks are strong and well bent.
The rear pasterns are strong and have no dewclaws. The hind-legs are moderately
angulated. The tendons are well chiseled.
Faults: Bulging round muscles,
not enough or too much angulation, legs not parallel to each other, toes
turned in or out.
FEET
The feet are lean and have the
shape of an elongated oval. In many lightly-built Sloughis, the foot is
shaped like a hare-foot. The nails are black or just pigmented.
Faults: Feet flat, toes not tight,
toes turned in or out.
TAIL
The tail is long, thin and set
in line with the croup, carried low with a typical upward curve in the
resting position. The tail should be long enough to reach the point of
the hocks. When the Sloughi trots, the tail should be carried below the
horizontal line of the back.
Faults: Tail too short, coarse,
with too much hair and too thick, badly carried.
COAT
The coat of the Sloughi is always
smooth. It is short, tight and fine all over the body. The Sloughi is presented
in natural condition and any tampering with its looks should be strongly
discouraged.
Faults: Coat hard and coarse.
Disqualifications: Coat too long
and feathering on the tail and/or legs.
COLOR
The coat colors of the Sloughi
are all shades of light sand (cream) to mahogany red fawn, with or without
black markings such as brindling, black mask, black ears, dark overlay
and black mantle, with no invasive white markings. The darkest coats are
red black brindle and red brindle with black mask and black mantle. A white
patch on the chest and a few white hairs at the tip of the toes, difficult
to detect on light coats, should be tolerated in otherwise outstanding
specimens with darker coats.
Faults: Large white patch on the
chest.
Disqualifications: Color not in
accordance with the standard. Extensive white markings such as parti-color,
white socks and white blaze. Albinism.
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT
For mature males, height at the
withers ranges between 26.4"-28.3" (66-72 cm), with the ideal size being
27.6" (70 cm). Weight ranges between 55 and 65 pounds. For mature females,
height at the withers ranges between 24"-26.7 " (61-68 cm), with the ideal
size being 25.6" (65 cm). Weight ranges between 45 and 50 pounds.
GAIT
The Sloughi has a smooth, featherlight,
floating and effortless gait, tail held low, head at a moderate angle to
the body. As a result of the squarish built and moderate angulations,
there is no exaggeration in extension. The front paw does not reach beyond
the tip of the nose. The racing style resembles that of the Greyhound
but, because of its straighter topline, the Sloughi cannot flex its back
as much as the Greyhound.
Faults: Hackney gait, gait restricted,
uneven and loose, not covering enough ground.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid.
Viciousness or extreme shyness. Overshot or undershot. Ears erect or with
tips drooping forward, or small and folding backwards in a "rose ear".
Coat too long and feathering on the tail and/or legs. Color not in accordance
with the standard. Extensive white markings such as parti-color, white
socks and white blaze. Albinism.
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