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flocked or not. Skull - The skull is slightly domed between the ears and rounded at the forehead. The skull is as wide as it is long and features a prominent occiput and a marked median furrow. Muzzle - The depth and width of the muzzle, measured at midpoint, are each half the length of the muzzle. The muzzle is blunt, tapering only slightly toward the nose. The upper longitudinal planes of the skull and the muzzle are parallel. Nose - The nose is large and black, with big, well-opened nostrils. In profile, the nose is on the same line as the top of the muzzle and does not extend beyond the forepart of the muzzle. Disqualification – Dudley nose. Lips - The lips are tight and black pigmented. Bite and Teeth: The jaw is wide with strong, evenly spaced teeth meeting in a scissors bite. The line of the incisors is straight and perpendicular to the outside lines of the jaw. A level bite is acceptable. Serious Faults – Overshot, with a space greater than one eighth of an inch. Undershot bite, such that there is a complete loss of contact by all the incisors. Neck, Topline, Body: Neck - The neck is strong, slightly arched, with well-developed muscles. Measured from the nape to the forward edge of the withers, the neck is 20 percent shorter than the length of the head. The neck circumference is at least twice the length of the neck. There is no dewlap. The hair on the neck forms a thick collar with a varying degree of flocks present. In action, the neck is carried forward with its upper profile almost a continuation of the topline, with only a slight angle at the withers. Topline - The stacked side silhouette presents a level topline to a slight rise over the loin with a slightly sloping croup falling off to a low-set tail. While moving, the topline is level. Body - Chest and Ribs: The chest is heart-shaped when felt from the front. The rib cage is well-sprung and let down to the elbow. (The depth of the rib cage is equal to half the dog's height at the withers.) Tuck-up - Tuck-up is nearly absent. Back - The back is straight. Loin - The loin is slightly convex, firmly joining the back and the croup. Croup - In the Bergamasco, the croup slopes about 35 degrees downward from the horizontal. Pelvis - The pelvis is well-developed. The length is 31 to 32 percent of the height at the withers with a fallaway of 35 to 40 degrees from horizontal. Due to the steeper inclination of the pelvis, the rear extension is lesser than other breeds who work on flat terrain where speed and stride width are more important than power. Therefore, at a trot, the Bergamasco’s drive will not be as high and long as other herding dogs. Tail - The tail is natural and undocked, thick at the base, and tapering to the tip, inserted in the lower third of the croup. When in repose, the tail hangs down to the hock and curves slightly outward. While moving the tail flags back-and-forth at a level higher than the topline, but not curling forward over the back. Forequarters : The legs are straight when viewed from the front and side and well-proportioned in relation to the size of the dog. Shoulders - The shoulders are tightly knit and strong. The shoulder blades are wide and long with a steep angulation, 55 to 60 degrees from the horizontal. The length is at least one-fourth the height at the withers. Upper Arms - The upper arms are strong and well-muscled. They are just slightly longer than the shoulder blades. The angle formed by the upper arm and shoulder blade is about 115 degrees. The ratio between the distance from withers to elbow and from elbow to the ground is 1:1. This is essential for a dog which has to move both up and downhill where extra effort is required. Elbows - Elbows are set on a plane parallel to the body. They are neither close to the body nor jutting out. The humero- radial angle (between upper-arm and forearm) ranges from 150 to 155 degrees. The hair hanging down from the elbows is profuse, long and thick, tending to flock. Forearms - The forearms are strong with lean muscle. They are roughly the same length as the upper arms (1:1) and are
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