01/01/2024
OFFICIAL STANDARD OF BHOTE KUKUR
HISTORY: Bhote Kukur, is a large working dog from the Himalayas of Nepal. Tracing the breed’s history back to antiquity, it was bred to act as the guardian and companion of the villagers and nomads, as well as being the traditional guardian of the monasteries of tibetans. Some accounts by travelers to the region, describe large dogs, namely Kalu of Jumla, Kipu of Langtang, tu-bo bred by J.N Singh and some more dogs that have been the foundation dogs used to establish the Tibetan Mastiff as a standardized breed in Europe & USA. But resulting genetic combination has reduced the Bhote Kukur's effectiveness as a working dog. It's deep bark has been described as a unique and highly treasured feature of the breed. As a consequence of the change in the lifestyle of traditional nomads, the breed has reduced in number, although there are certain followers and breeders who fight to preserve and promote the breed. The Bhote Kukur was recognized as a breed by the Kennel Club of Nepal in 2024, January 1.
The goals and purposes of this breed standard include: To furnish guidelines for breeders who wish to maintain the quality of their breed and to improve it; to advance this breed to a state of similarity throughout the world; to act as a guide for judges and exhibitors for the preservation and promotion of this native breed and to regularly organize dog shows and registrations for breeding improvement.
GENERAL APPEARANCE: Large but not unnatural, well-b***d and muscled, and powerfully built, while always remaining agile in order to perform its traditional guardian job. Stands strong giving an alert appearance. The impressive head provides a noble and dignified look, the eyes deep-set and oval shaped, slightly slanted, the muzzle broad and well-padded, giving a square appearance. The tail and britches are well feathered and the tail is carried over the back in a single curl balancing the head. The coat and heavy mane is thick, with coarse guard hair and a wooly undercoat. The body is slightly longer than tall. It is still widely used in its traditional role as a natural guardian of family and livestock, and has an aloof and independent nature. Bhote Kukur with overly-pendulous flews, eyes partially or wholly obscured by loose, excess skin or wrinkles, and disproportionate bone are poor representations of this working breed. Quality is not to be sacrificed in favor of size, coat, or bone.
CHARACTERISTICS: A loyal companion and natural guardian that bonds closely with its family and charges. Highly intelligent, strong-willed, independent, strong willed and rather reserved dog. It is aloof and protective when necessary. Patient and tolerant; may be suspicious of strangers. Although it is an independent guard dog, it requires an interactive relationship with its owner and needs to be introduced to many people, places and situations from puppy-hood. With proper training and socialization, the Bhote Kukur breed can act as a good companion dog.
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT: SIZE: This is for both dogs and bi***es that are 18 months or older. Dogs: 23 to 28 inches at the withers. Dogs range from 30 kg to 50 kg. Bi***es: 22 to 26 inches at the withers. Bi***es range from 25 kg to 40 kg. Weight must be in proportion to height. Slightly longer than tall(measured from sternum to ischium should be slightly greater than the distance from withers to ground). Size and substance are important breed traits; however, quality is not to be sacrificed in favor of size and must be judged equally, with no preference to be given to the taller ones.
HEAD: The head is broad, heavy and strong. The head is wedge shaped when viewed from above and when seen from the front resembles the head of a bear with dropped ears. Proportions from occiput to stop, and stop to the end of the nose, range from equal lengths (1 to 1), to a muzzle that is somewhat shorter than the length of the topskull. With maturity, some wrinkling may be present on the head, extending from above the eyes to the corner of the mouth.
SKULL: The skull is just off square, slightly rounded or flat, with a strongly defined occiput. Width of skull measured from ear set to opposite ear set to be slightly greater than length of skull measured from occiput to stop. The stop is moderate, but well-defined. The stop is defined by a prominent supraorbital brow that slightly protrudes, creating a “rise” at each eyebrow, thereby creating a deeper stop.
EYES: Medium size. Egg shaped. Set well apart, slightly slanted, deeply set with colorations ranging from brown to yellow.
EARS: Medium size, heart shaped, set between the level of the skull and the eye, hanging close to the head when in repose. When at attention, level with the top of skull and brought forward. Thick ear leathers covered with soft short hair, and when measured should reach the inner corner of the eye. Ear set wide apart and flying or lying high won't be acceptable.
MUZZLE: Fairly broad, well padded, blunt and square. Skull measured from occiput to stop equal to muzzle from stop to end of nose but muzzle may be a little shorter.
NOSE: Broad, with well opened nostrils. Black & the darkest shade of brown and grey. Any other color to be severely faulted.
LIPS: Well-developed, thick, dry moderate flews with rounded borders that cover the line of the underjaw to provide a square appearance and slightly pendulous lower lips in the corners of the mouth. Open and extremely hanging corners are to be severely faulted. Disqualifications: spotted or flesh-colored lips.
TEETH: Strong, large canine teeth that meet in a scissors bite, fitting tightly to maintain a strong chin. Broken teeth are not faulted.
NECK: The neck is well muscled, sufficient in length to be in balance with the body, and may have moderate dewlap around the throat which is more prominent in males. The neck is covered by a thick, upstanding mane, which is not as pronounced in females as in males.
BODY: Slightly longer than tall in proportion, with a strong, straight back with firmly muscled loin. The chest is rather deep and quite wide in mature dogs with reasonable spring of rib. The brisket reaches just below the elbows. The croup is broad and rather flat, but not level. Fault: Very narrow chest when viewed from the front.
TAIL: The tail is medium to long, well feathered, set high on line with the top of the back, and carried high in a curl over the back when the dog is alert or moving. When the dog is relaxed, the tail may drop. When hanging down, the tailbone reaches to the hock joint. In bitter winds the Bhote Kukur curls up and brings his tail over his vulnerable nose to protect it from the harsh weather. Judges must see the tail carried properly at least once while the dog is moving. Faults-Double curl, incomplete curl or straight tail.
FOREQUARTERS & HINDQUARTERS:
Shoulders: Well laid back, muscular, strongly b***d, with moderate angulation to match the rear angulation.
Legs: Straight, with strong bone and muscle, well covered with short, coarse hair, feathering on the back. The hind legs and stifle are parallel when seen from behind. The hocks are strong, approximately one-third the overall length of the leg, and perpendicular. Upper thigh is rather long with hard, but not bulging muscles. A very short-legged or overly long-legged dog and a straight stifle is severely faulted.
Feet: Fairly large, strong, rounded and compact, may have feathering between toes. Nails may be either black or white, regardless of coat color. A single or double dewclaw may be present on the back feet. Dogs and bi***es with extra dewclaws aren't supposed to be best and should be judged equally.
COAT: The quality of the coat is of greater importance than length. Bhote kukur is double coated breed. The outer coat is harsh in texture, thick, stands off the body, and ranges from fairly short to moderately long. The undercoat is dense and woolly in cold climates, and becomes sparse in warm weather. The face is clean and the hair is short up to, and including, the eyebrows. Neck and shoulders heavily coated giving mane-like appearance. The mane blends into a shawl that runs over the shoulders, down the length of the spine, becoming shorter over the hips, and blending into the breeches. Where guard hairs are longer, the undercoat maybe thicker. The hair on the ear leather is soft and short, may have longer hair that extends down from the top of the ear. The hair behind the ears and on the cheeks may be longer. The tail, breeches, rear pasterns, back of the forelegs and along the underline are feathered. Length may vary from dog to dog, but feathering is evident. Seasonal shedding is not to be penalized.
COLOR: Black, black and tan, blue grey with or without tan, as well as various shades of gold, and sable. White markings may occur on chin, chest and feet. Tan markings may appear at any or all of the following areas: above eyes as spots, around eyes, on each side of the muzzle, on neck, on lower part of front forelegs and extending up the inside of the forelegs, on inside of rear legs showing down the front of the stifle and broadening out to the front of the rear legs from hock to toes, on breeches, and underside of tail. Disqualifications - All other coat colors (e.g., white, cream) and markings other than those specifically described.
GAIT: Powerful, light and elastic, with good reach and drive, and capable of considerable speed, yet at the same time. Powerful movement is more important than speed.
FACTS: Usually shed their thick coat in the spring. The bi***es only reproduce once a year in winter. The life span of this breed is 13-16 years. Slow to mature in compared to other breeds.
