Standard - Black and white, blue and white, chocolate and white, red and white, blue Merle and the tri-colour black, tan and white. In each case the basic body colour must predominate and be the background colour of the dog.

Black and white Black being the predominant colour with white markings
Slight rustiness should not be penalised.

Blue and white Blue being the predominant colour with white markings
Blue can range from a silvery grey to charcoal.

Chocolate & white Chocolate being the predominant colour with white markings.
Chocolate can range from a light brown to a burnt umber.

Red and white Red being the predominant colour with white markings
Red can range from pale gold through to rich ginger.

 

Blue merle Predominantly clear silvery blue, splashed and marbled with black.
If tan markings are present they should be a rich tan.
Large black markings, slate colour, or a rusty tinge either on the top or under coat are undesirable.

Black, White & Tan Black being the predominant colour with white markings and tan usually over the eyes, on the cheeks and under the tail.
Tan may also occur on the forelegs and stifles (where coat colour and white markings meet) Black, white and tan is the only tri-colour recognised in the standard.

There should be no doubt about what colour the coat is and each specific colour should be distinguishable from the others, i.e. there should be no confusion between the black and the blue colours, nor between the chocolate and the red colours.

White usually occurs in the following places but lesser amounts of white are equally acceptable -
On the muzzle, a blaze extending from the muzzle between the eyes, over the head, and through to a full or part white collar around the neck;
on the forechest and underbelly;
on the front legs to the elbow; rear pasterns to the hock, feet, and approximately the last one quarter of the tail.

Beware - Uneven markings can create optical illusions of structure or movement. For example, a vertical line from withers to elbow can create the impression of a straight shoulder and uneven leg markings can be confusing to the eye when the dog is moving.

Markings are secondary to breed type.

SIZE

Height: Dogs 48 - 53 cm (approx. 19 - 21 ins) at withers
Bitches 46 - 51 cm (approx. 18 - 20 ins) at withers.


FAULTS

Standard - 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.