Head
The head is long, about 9 inches, more or less, proportionate to the size of the dog, with the skull and muzzle of equal length, parallel to one another, and joined at a pronounced stop. The skin on the head is tight with no wrinkles.
SKULL — The skull is slightly domed between the ears and rounded at the forehead. The skull is about 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 about half the length of the muzzle. The muzzle is blunt, tapering only slightly toward the nose. The lips are tight and of black pigment. The inner corner of the mouth reaches back to a vertical line drawn down from the outside corner of the eye.
Disqualifications: Bridge of muzzle decidedly convex or concave.
TEETH — The jaw is wide with a full complement of strong, evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite. The line of the incisors is straight and perpendicular to the outside lines of the jaw.
Disqualifications: Overshot, with a space greater than one eighth of an inch between the outer surface of the lower incisors and the inner surface of the upper incisors, or undershot.
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.
EYES — The eyes are large, oval, and set just slightly obliquely. Eye color is brown, with the darkness of the color varying with the color of the coat. The eye rims are tight-fitting and black. The expression is attentive and calm.
Disqualifications: Total bilateral depigmentation of the eyelids; bilateral cross-eyes; wall eyes.
EARS — The ears are soft and thin and hang down on either side of the face. The ears are set on high. At its widest point, the ear is from 2½ to 3 inches wide. Ear length does not exceed half the length of the head, and shorter is preferred. The top two-thirds of the ear is triangular in shape, with slightly rounded tips. When the dog is alert, the ears prick up at the base, with the top two-thirds semi-drooping. Viewed from the side, the ears appear to be an extension of the curve of the back of the neck. The ears are covered with soft, slightly wavy hair, forming fringes at the tip.
Neck
The neck is strong, slightly arched, and, measured from the nape to the forward edge of the withers, should be about 20 percent shorter than the length of the head. There is no dewlap. The hair on the neck forms a thick collar.
Forequarters
SHOULDERS — The shoulders are massive and strong. The shoulder blade is about 6 to 6¾ inches long and is moderately laid back, about 60 degrees from the horizontal. The shoulder blades should be tightly knit.
UPPER ARM — The upper arm is just slightly longer than the scapula, about 7 inches. The angle formed by the scapula and upper arm is about 115 degrees.
FORELEGS — The vertical forearm is about the same length as the upper arm and is placed so that the point of the elbow is on a vertical line failing from the tops of the scapulae. The elbows are neither close to the body nor out, but are set on a plane parallel to the body. The wrist follows the vertical line of the forearm and is very mobile. The pisiform bone protrudes. The pasterns are straight when viewed from the front, and slightly sloping when viewed from the side.
Body
The Bergamasco is very slightly longer than tall, with the length of body measured from point of shoulder to point of buttocks about 5 to 6 percent longer than the height measured at the withers. The ribs are well-sprung and let down to the elbows. The depth of the rib cage is equal to half the dog's height at the withers. The line of the back inclines very slightly downward from prominent withers to a strong, broad back with a straight upper line. The loin is well-muscled and broad. The croup is slightly sloping, about 30 degrees downward from the horizontal. Tuck-up is nearly absent.
Hindquarters
UPPER THIGH — The upper thigh is long (at least 7¾ inches), wide (nearly 6 inches), and well mus-cled. The upper thigh slopes downward and for-ward at a 90 degree angle from the pelvis.
LOWER THIGH — The lower thigh is as long as the upper, with strong bone and lean muscles. It slopes downward and backward, forming an angle of about 105-110 degrees at the stifle. There is a well-defined furrow between the tendon and the bone above the hock.
REAR PASTERNS — The distance from the point of hock to the ground is no less than 25 percent of the height at the withers. Viewed from behind, the rear pasterns should be vertical and parallel to one another. Viewed from the side, the rear pasterns are vertical and placed so that the hocks just slightly extend past a vertical line dropped from the point of buttock. The angle of the hock joint is about 130-135 degrees.
Feet
The front feet are oval, with toes well knit and arched. Rear feet are the same as forefeet except slightly smaller. The pads of the feet are lean and dark. The toenails are strong and black. The feet are well feathered with hair, including between the toes. Dewclaws may be removed.
Tail
The tail is set on in the last third of the croup. The tail is uncut, thick at the base, and tapering to the tip. When the dog is in repose, the tail just reaches to the hock, with the bottom third of the tail forming a hook. When the dog is in action, the tail is raised in a curve with the crook raised above the level of the back.
