The Ovcharka of meridional Russia is a dog of robust constitution, of above average size; he is fierce and distrustful of strangers, not very demanding and adept easily to diverse climatic conditions and temperatures.

GENERAL APPEARANCE:
Robust, lean, with massive bone structure and strongly developed musculature.
FAULTS: Frail constitution, bones too light, insufficient musculature; constitution of coarse or gross appearance.

SEXUAL TYPE:
Well evident according to sex. The males are courageous, stronger and more massive than the females.
FAULTS: Females of male type.
MAJOR FAULTS: Effeminate type male.

BONE INDEX:
Males 17 to 19 cm
Bitches 16 to 18 cm

SIZE INDEX:
108-110
FAULTS: Slight divergences of the given norm.
MAJOR FAULTS: Accentuated divergences of the given norms (square shape or very elongated).

HEIGHT AT THE WITHERS:
Dogs 65 cm minimum
Bitches 62 cm minimum.
FAULTS: Size of less than 65 cm for the males, less than 62 cm for the females.
MAJOR FAULTS: Size of less than 60 cm for the males, less than 58 cm. for the females.

(AMPLIFICATION: The total body length from the front point of shoulder to the rearmost projection of the croup should exceed the dog's height at withers by 8% to 10%. The animal gives a definite impression of masculinity or femininity, according to sex. Dogs are generally bigger and heavier. FAULT: Doggy bitches. MAJOR FAULT: Bitchy dogs.)

CHARACTERISTICS OF BEHAVIOUR:
Type of highly nervous activity, strong, balanced, lively. Dominant reaction: active way of defence.
FAULTS: Excessive excitability, timidity, laziness.
MAJOR FAULTS: Uncontrolled excitability. Cowardice.

COAT:
Long 10-15 cm, coarse, thick, dense of equal length on head, chest, legs and tail, with a well developed undercoat.
FAULT: Straight hair.
MAJOR FAULTS: Soft texture, short hair.

COLOUR:
Most often white but also white and yellow, straw colour, greyish (ashen grey) and other shades of grey; white lightly marked with grey, grey speckled.
MAJOR FAULTS: Black, rusty or brown coat; strongly speckled.

HEAD:
Elongated shape with a moderately broad forehead; the occipital crest and the zygomatic arches are strongly pronounced. The stop is barely visible. The nose is big and black.
FAULTS: Coarse head, accentuated stop, superciliary arches prominent, muzzle too short or too elongated, grey lips, nose grey or brown.
MAJOR FAULTS: Narrow muzzle, weak, turned up of truncated shape. Pink nose.

EARS:
Relatively small, of triangular shape, hanging.
FAULTS: Detached ears.

EYES:
Oval shape, set horizontally, dark; the eyelids lean, tight.
FAULTS: Light eyes.
MAJOR FAULTS: Eyes of different colour, pink eyelids.

TEETH:
White, big, fitting closely. The incisors are set regularly and close in scissors bite.
FAULTS: Teeth to small and spaced, yellow or prematurely worn. Broken teeth but not impeding a correct closure of the jaws. Lack of premolars.
MAJOR FAULTS: Everything which does not correspond to a perfect closure of the teeth in scissors bite. Decayed teeth. Incisors set irregularly.

NECK:
Lean, muscular, of moderate length, set high.
FAULTS: Neck too short, set low.

CHEST:
Reasonably broad, slightly flattened, deep.
FAULTS: Chest insufficiently let down (above the elbow).
MAJOR FAULTS: Narrow chest, too small, barrel shaped.

BELLY:
Moderately tucked up.
FAULTS: Excessively whippety or sagging.

LOIN:
Short, broad, rounded.
FAULTS: Slightly elongated, straight or too rounded.
MAJOR FAULTS: Long, narrow, drooping.

WITHERS:
Apparent but not high. Back straight and strong.
FAULTS: Weak back or roach-back.
MAJOR FAULTS: Saddle back or humped.

TAIL:
Falling at rest, reaching the hock, with the end curved upward.
MAJOR FAULTS: ring shaped tail; short or cropped tail

(AMPLIFICATION: FOREQUARTERS: Front legs are straight, parallel, relatively long. The angle formed by the shoulder bone and upper arm bone is about 100 degrees. Pasterns are strong, wide and long, with a slight slant. HINDQUARTERS: Are powerful, wide set, parallel. Well-angulated. The upper thighs are well-muscled. Stifle bones are long, inclined. Hock joint is clean-cut, angular. The hock is strong, long, slightly inclined.
MAJOR FAULTS: no angulation; short stifles)

FEET (FRONT AND BACK):
Oval shaped, strong, well arched, covered with long hair.
FAULTS: Flat feet, splayed feet.

GAIT/MOVEMENT:
The gaits are free and extended. The natural gaits of this dog are the heavy trot and the gallop. At the trot, the legs move in a straight line with a slight convergence to the median line. The articulations of the fore- and hindquarters straightening up freely.
FAULTS: Slight lateral deviation in the movement of the legs; insufficient straightening up of the articulations.
MAJOR FAULTS: Restrained gait, lack in action.

FAULTS:
Any deviation from the standard above should be considered a fault and should be penalised to the extent of deviation.

DISQUALIFICATIONS:
Pronounced overshot or undershot jaw; cryptorchid males, unilateral or bilateral; short, straight hair; colours that are not specified by the standard above.

NOTE:
Males should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.