General appearance and aptitude:
A large dog, strong and sober. From profile slightly convex. An excellent watch dog, particularly at night, it is used to watch property and of sheep herds.
Devoted to is master, but mistrusting and aggressive to strangers.


HEAD:

A bear-like head. Wider at the end of the skull, narrower and less domed at the base, well proportioned to the size of the body. Females have in proportion a smaller head.

Nose:
Oval, with the tip slightly blunted, from up down and towards the back; black.

Muzzle:
Arched, straight, shorter then the skull length, medium width.

Lips:
Slightly arched in front, overlapping and well cut. Thin and firm. The inferior profile slightly arched too.

Jaws:
Strong well developed and well set.

Stop:
Not pronounced, the upper longitudinal axes of muzzle and skull should be divergent.

Skull:
Broad, slightly round eye sockets not projecting, slight furrow between and above the eyes. Occipital not too marked, with the space between the ears slightly and regularly arched.

Eyes:
Calm expression, eyes almost levelled with the face, dark, horizontal elliptical and small. Black pigmented lids.

Ears:
Set on medium height, folded and hanging at the sides. Little mobility when the dog is attentive, they still keep folded, but rise and fold in vertical wrinkles at the base. Triangular with a narrow base and the size about the same as the furrow, small.

Neck:
Well set into the shoulders, straight, short, strong, with dewlap.

Forequarters:
Strong, straight, either viewed from the front or profile.

Shoulder and arm:
Strong, medium size, rather apart, slightly sloping, well developed and muscled. Open shoulder angulations.

Forearm:
Vertical and long; thick and well muscled.

Carpus:
Thick.

Pastern:
Medium length, thick, slightly sloping.

Foot:
Thick toes, well closed and long, not too arched, strong nails. The colour varies according to the coat. Pads thick and tough. The foot should not be flat.

Body:
Strong and well muscled, long, bulky, slightly sloping from fore to rear, and moderately hollow. The bottom line raising gently from the brisket to the groin.

BRreast:
Wide, but not very marked.

Chest:
Well down, wide, deep and with the sternum almost horizontal.

Ribs:
Straight, slightly oblique.

Back:
Level, moderately sloping; long.

Loin:
Medium size and straight; wide; slightly hollowed; well muscled.

Belly and flanks:
Proportioned to size; following the brisket line.

Croup:
Medium size, broad and high, slightly drooping.

Hindquarters:
Strong, well apart, upright viewed from the rear, as well as from profile.

Thigh:
Long, broad, well muscled but not to marked.

Hindleg:
Slightly sloping, medium sized, well muscled.

Hock:
Medium height and length; lean, moderately angulated.

Foot:
Similar to the forefoot.

Tail:
Set on at medium height; thick, smoothly curved to the tip; long and not broken. When at rest, should fall between the hocks and reach below them. In action, may curl upwards.

Coat:
Short or medium length hair, heavy, dense, straight and evenly covering the body down to the toes and between them.

Colour:
Black, wolf, tawny or yellow, marked with white, are white marked with those colours; bicoloured, roan or dappled, often streaked or grizzled.

Skin:
Thick and close fitting. Internal and external membranes partially or totally pigmented with black.

Height:
Males 66 to 74 cm, Females 64 to 70 cm.

Weight:
Males 45 to 55 Kg. Females 40 to 50 Kg.


Fotnote, (relating to size and weight)
This standard his based on the original standard that dates from 1953, today due to better living conditions and better food we see that this breed gets taller and heavier then described on the standard. It is allowed for the dog to be bigger and heavier as long has it does not interfere with the job and functionality of the animal, and as long as it is not big to the point of gigantism.

Gait:
Heavy, slow and wavy movements.

Faults/Penalties:
Appearance - obesity, underdevelopment, generally poor appearance.
Nose - too thin or pointed, blunted.
Muzzle - too long.
Neck - with no dewlap.
Croup - too low.
Tail - inserted too high or too low; curled at rest.
Coat - poorly presented, lightness.


Disqualifications:
Head - long and narrow.
Muzzle - excessively long or arched.
Jaws - overshot or undershot.
Skull - flat or narrow.
Eyes - light, of different colour or shape; partially covered by third lid.
Ears - inserted too high or too low; big or round.
Tail - nonexistent or cut off.
Hair - too short. Lack of black pigmentation in the tip of the nose, nostrils, mouth or lips. Albinism.



Fernando Julião,
contact person for the ACRA - Associação de Criadores do Rafeiro do Alentejo in Portugal.