The Colorado Mountain Dog Standard:

STANDARD: 2.01.2024. 

The CMDR Colorado Mountain Dog - International Standard

This breed standard will provide guidelines for breeders who wish to maintain and improve the quality of the CMDR Colorado Mountain Dog; to advance the breed to a state of similarity throughout the world; and as a guide for judges. Breeders and judges have the responsibility to avoid breed directions that compromise the essence and soundness of the breed.

Departures from the following should be considered faults, and the seriousness of fault should be taken in proportion to the degree that it prevents the dog from fulfilling its described purpose.

UTILIZATION: Livestock Guardian Dog used mainly for the protection of flocks and guarding of properties specifically from predatory animals, with traits selected for small acreage farming (less wandering, less barking, greater ease with unknown people). Secondarily, the CMD will protect people in agricultural settings, and on the hiking trail from predatory animals.

CLASSIFICATION: Group 1 - Livestock Guardian Dog

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: The CMDR Colorado Mountain Dog was developed in Colorado beginning in 2008 by Wendy Francisco, for small acreage farming, to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, or families on smaller properties in Colorado where agricultural projects abut wilderness areas, and predatory animals are a concern. While many LGD breeds are bred to protect flocks from both human and animal threats, the CMDR Colorado Mountain Dog will openly greet human beings he is not familiar with, only responding negatively if there is a threat. Many of the traits of the traditional LGD breeds, such as wandering, aggression towards humans, or over barking, can make their use for small acreage farming problematic. The CMD was developed specifically for use on smaller properties in more populated areas where over-barking and wandering can be a concern.

GENERAL APPEARANCE: The CMDR Colorado Mountain Dog is a large beautiful dog, strongly built, tall, and leaner than some other LGD breeds. In proportion to his size, he is a medium weight dog, whose body is square, not elongated, standing tall on long well-boned legs and large powerful feet. The appearance is soft, the size impressive, and the demeanor relaxed and affectionate.

COAT:
Hair: Unusually soft and smooth to the touch, silky not cottony or wiry, tends to stay clean.

Long coat: Body hairs of medium to medium long length, laying flat on the body, slight wave is acceptable. Abundant fur around the neck, feathered legs, tail, and bloomers on the hind legs. The hair on the muzzle, skull and front of the limbs is short. The undercoat is only thick during the winter. Overall the coat is non matting and easy to care for.

Fault: coat that is too thick, doesn’t shed dirt easily and stay clean, and too long for easy care.

Short coat: Shorter double coat, tail and neck have slightly longer fur. Coat still thick enough in winter to withstand cold weather.
Fault: a short coat that is not double, is sleek against the body, and does not protect the dog in winter.

Color: The CMDR Colorado Mountain Dog is primarily white, but other colors are permitted, such as badger markings, fading color, brindle, silber, agouti, mink, black, or tan with dark muzzle.

SIZE AND WEIGHT: 
Weight: Males: 120 to 150+, Height: 29-33+ inches.
Females: 80 to 120 lbs +, 27-31+ inches.
Heights above the general standard are accepted.
The heavier weights should be associated with a taller dog rather than a more heavily built dog.
Faults: Too heavy proportionally, height under the standard.

HEAD
SKULL - The skull is in proportion to the body and slightly larger on the male than on the female. The crown is pronounced with a sloped muzzle and rounded forehead.

MUZZLE - The muzzle top line is of the CMD has a graceful , concave slope. It travels up to a rounded forehead and crown. The muzzle may straighten or go down a bit convex near the nose. The muzzle is proportionally long, clean, and graceful rather than blunt, and the jowl is slightly loose. Faults: Too straight, too concave or convex muzzle, heavy jowls, drooling. Disqualifications: A too short muzzle.

TEETH - A full complement of strong, white teeth meet in a perfect scissors bite, with the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaw. Disqualifications: Overshot bite. Undershot bite.

EYES - The eyes are large, wide set, open, and soulful. The skin is not heavy around the eyes, the lids are not droopy, and the eyes do not appear deep set into folds of skin. The expression is soft.
Faults, small eyes, closely set eyes, droopy eyelids, eyes that are deep set in a fleshy forehead.

NOSE - The nose is black

EARS - The ears are not large, they are V shaped with rounded tips. The ears hang down at the sides of the head, but when the dog is alerted the ears rise to a semi-erect position.

NECK - The neck of the CMD is medium length proportionally, graceful, as it connects the head to the tall, lean body.

FOREQUARTERS - The chest of the CMDR Colorado Mountain Dog is of medium narrow to medium width proportionally.
Faults: too narrow or too wide a chest.

BODY
The CMDR Colorado Mountain Dog is a big dog, strongly built, tall, and leaner than some other LGD breeds. His shape proportionally is that of a medium built dog, rather than a heavy set dog. His body is square, not elongated, standing tall on long well-boned legs and large powerful feet. The bottom line of the ribcage is not extreme, but has a medium pronounced curve up to the abdomen.

HINDQUARTERS - The hindquarters are powerful, but not overloaded with muscle. They are proportional, well -boned and well-equipped with lean muscle. There is not a look of weakness in the hindquarters or in the attachment of hind quarters to the body.
HIND LEGS - Long and well-boned legs are trademark of the CMD; not overly muscled.

FEET: - The feet of a CMDR Colorado Mountain Dog should be large and powerful, with toes moderately splayed, finishing out the long well boned legs. Dewclaws are acceptable during development but being bred out of the breed. Removal of dewclaws is discouraged.
Fault: proportionally small refined feet.

GAIT - Movement is well extended with fluidity that is noticeably impressive. As the dog moves the appearance is not tight, but loose, fluid, long reaching, and smooth. The large frame of the CMD may appear floppy or clumsy during short quick moves at a low speed, but at higher speeds it creates powerful forward movement with impressive fluidity. Beautiful and functional movement should be considered a very important aspect of the breed.
Faults: Mincing or tight gait. Hackney action. Stiffness. Choppiness or heaviness of gait.

FOREQUARTERS - The shoulders should be long, sloping, proportionally muscled, and free in movement.

TAIL - The tail is abundantly furred with the longest hair on the dog, short coated dogs carry less hair on the tail than a long coated dog, but still more hair length than on the body. The tail has an average set, is carried hanging down when the dog is at rest, and carried arched loosely up over, and not curled against the back when active. The tail is curled to a medium degree, neither straight nor tightly curled. The tail may be curled more tightly towards the tip of it. The tail is generally carried to the center of the dog, not curled to one side, or carried against the body. The looseness and flow of the tail matches the large loose open frame of the dog.
Faults - A straight tail. Tail that is carried tight against the body, or habitually to one side.

FAULTS: 
Any departure from the standard considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work. Height under the standard limits.

SEVERE FAULTS:
Short stocky build, heavy head, loose jowls and drooling, wide chest.
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS:
Aggressive or suspicious dogs.
Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioral abnormalities

Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation and temperament, should be used for breeding.