Head: a strong, broad head, well-proportioned in relation to the whole body, its general shape is conical; the head is free from wrinkles and has no prominent muscles; the cheek-bones are not chiselled and link the skull to the muzzle on the same plane without a break. Skull: flat and broad; a slight frontal groove appears and the occipital protuberance, although present, is scarcely perceptible. Stop: only slightly pronounced. Nose: black or brown in harmony with coat colour, it is reasonably broad with open nostrils. Muzzle: conical like the rest of the head; it is appreciably less long than the skull; the stop is sloping and not very defined. Lips: thin, tight, black or brown according to coat colour. Jaws: strong, armed with well-set, powerful, white, regular teeth. Teeth: the bite is pincer (edge to edge incisors). Scissor-bite or reverse scissor-bite without loss of contact between the incisors is tolerated. Eyes: мoderate size, dark shade, varying with the coat colour, from dark amber to golden brown. Slightly oblique and well-pigmented, the eye-lids appear painted on light-coloured coats. The gaze is very alert, attentive and scrutinising. Ears: medium length with slightly rounded tips, the ears are set obliquely so as to leave the skull clear; they are carried half-dropped, raised forward when alert and sometimes carried back when in repose.
Neck: powerful, well-muscled, without dewlap. Topline: must show a slightly dipping profile, without being sway-backed. Back: broad, well-muscled back of reasonable length, followed by powerful, very muscled and slightly arching loin. Croup: harmoniously sloping. Chest: adequate width, long and well let-down, reaching at least as far as the elbows, slightly rounded rib-cage. Underline: rising behind the false ribs without being whippety.
Shoulder: Oblique, withers distinctly defined, scapulo-humeral angle of about 100 degrees. Upper arm: strong upper arm, muscled, oblique and close to chest. Forearm: straight forearm, solidly constructed and moderately wellmuscled. Metacarpus (pasterns): short and almost vertical. Feet: practically round, with solid pads and strong nails whose colour depends upon coat colour. Hips and thighs: the iliac wing is very pronounced, the thighs are well-muscled without being overloaded and quite well let-down. Lower thighs: the angles at stifle and hock are obtuse, which raises the croup and gives this dipping appearance towards the withers. Feet: practically round with solid pads and strong nails whose colour depends upon the coat colour.
Long, reaching at least to the hocks, it is set on the extension of the line of croup, carried low, scimitar fashion in repose. The tail is very bushy and the richness of the plume denotes pure breeding. On the move, the dog carries its tail much more gaily. The tail should never be permanently carried curled over the back.
Skin: supple and resistant. Hair: thick, rather harsh, half-long, about 6 cm long apart from on the face and ears where it is short and finer. On the neck and under the throat, it forms a mane, especially in males. The breeches and tail are covered with well-furnished and very long hairs. Colour: Fawn: from washed sand to deep red. These coats can be brindled, with black overlay or carrying a mantle of any hue. This mantle can be widely spread. Brown: from beige to burned bread shade. The lightest tones can have a deeper brown mantle. Black.
Walk, trot, gallop: no hackney action and with sufficient reach. Natural gait: short, fast trot, single-tracking. At this pace the Atlas Dog seems tireless.
Height — 52 - 62 cm.
