Federation Cynologique Internationale
Translation: Mrs. Moreau-Sipiere and Prof. R. Triquet,
Brought up to date by Dr. Paschoud.

ORIGIN: Morocco.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 01.08.1998.
UTILIZATION: Sighthound.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I.: Group 10 Sighthounds
Section 3 Short-haired Sighthounds
Without working trial, racing license

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: The Sloughi has existed for many centuries in North Africa. Nowadays most Sloughis are to be found in Morocco which is responsible for the standard. The Sloughi exists only in a single short-haired variety.

GENERAL APPEARANCE: By demeanour, by delicacy of tissue and by muscular leanness, his general appearance is that of a very racy and elegant dog.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: For a male with an ideal size of 27.5 inches (70 cm), the length of the body from point of shoulders to point of buttock should be 26-27 inches (67-68 cm). For a female with an ideal size of 26 inches (65 cm), the length of the body from point of shoulders to point of buttock should be 24-25 inches (62-63 cm).

The ratio between length of body (from point of shoulder to point of buttock) and height at withers should be 0.96 (9.6:10).
The ratio between depth of chest and height at withers should be 0.4 (4:10). The ratio between length of foreface and total length of head should be 0.5 (1:2).

BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT: Although noble and haughty, he is very attached to his master and defends him in case of need. With an instinct of hunter, capable of sustained effort, he also appreciates the home comforts.

HEAD: Seen from the side, the head is longish, refined, delicate but rather strong. Seen from above, it has the shape of a very long wedge, the skull being the widest part, tapering to the tip of the nose.

CRANIAL REGION:

Skull: Rather broad, seen from aside flat; from one ear to the other the skull measures 4-6 inches (12 to 14 cm). The skull is distinctly rounded at the back and curving harmoniously on the sides. The superciliary ridges are scarcely projecting, the frontal groove hardly marked and the occipital crest and protuberance barely visible.
Stop: Hardly pronounced.

FACIAL REGION:

Nose: Black. Strong enough to avoid being pinched. Nostrils well opened. The nose leather not being held up by a skeletal structure is very slightly inclined.
Muzzle: It has the shape of a, without exaggeration, elongated wedge and is perceptibly as long as the skull. The bridge of the nose is straight from its root.
Lips: Thin and supple, just covering the lower jaw; the corner of the mouth must be as little visible as possible.
Jaws/Teeth: Teeth normal, jaws strong and regular. Scissor bite.
Eyes: Large, dark, well-set in their sockets, sometimes just covered by a slight obliquity of the eyelids. The expression is gentle, a little sad, the look like nostalgic. With a light coat, the eye can be amber-coloured. The eye rims are pigmented.
Ears: Set high slightly above the eye line, drooping, close to the head, not too large, triangular and slightly rounded at the tips.

NECK: Long, well set off from the shoulders and with the topline (crest) slightly arched. The length is perceptibly equal to the length of the head. The skin is fine, tight, without any dewlap; the hair is very smooth.

BODY:

Topline: Gently and harmoniously curved with prominent haunch bones equal in height or slightly higher than the withers.
Withers: Well projecting.
Back: Short, almost horizontal.
Loin: Short, lean, wide and slightly arched.
Croup: Bony, wide and oblique, but not falling strongly away.
Chest: Not too wide; in depth it hardly reaches the level of the elbow. Well developed in length. The ribs are flat.
Underline and Belly: Sternum long and raised, belly and flanks well tucked up. The underline is evenly curved, neither abruptly cut up nor whippety.

TAIL: Thin, lean, set-on in line with the croup and carried below the line of the back. It should be, at least, long enough to reach the point of hocks. At rest, the tip is forming an accentuated curve.

LIMBS:

FOREQUARTERS:
Generally: Forelegs vertical and parallel.
Shoulder: Long and oblique.
Upper arm: Strong.
Forearm: Bony and Muscular.
Pastern joint and pastern: Supple and strong.

HINDQUARTERS:
Generally: Viewed from behind, hindlegs vertical and parallel; muscles flat, tendons well chiselled.
Upper thigh: Flat and muscular.
Second thigh: Long and well muscled.
Hock: Strong, well bent.
Rear pastern: Strong, without dewclaws.

FEET: Lean, in the shape of an elongated oval. In many lightly built Sloughis the foot assumes the shape of a harefoot. The two middle toes are distinctly longer than the others. The nails are black or coloured.

GAIT/MOVEMENT: Walk, trot, gallop. Gait supple, smooth and with long strides, covering plenty of ground.

SKIN: Very fine, close fitting to the body, without folds or dewlap.

COAT:

Hair: Very short, dense, fine.
Colour: The colour reaches from light sand through all possible different shades to red sand (fawn), with or without black mask, with or without black mantle, with or without black brindling, with or without black overlay.

SIZE:

Height at the withers: For males
For females		 26-29 inches (66-72 cm),
24-27 inches (61-68 cm).

FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

  • Bad ratio between length of body and height at withers.
  • Head and body slightly too heavy.
  • Stop too much or insufficiently pronounced.
  • Too light coloured eyes.
  • Top line not horizontal.
  • Croup narrow, too or insufficiently oblique.
  • Belly not enough tucked up.
  • Rounded ribs.
  • Chest not long enough, seen from the side cut up or very arched.
  • Tail too short, with too much hair, badly carried.
  • Muscles round and protruding.
  • Hair hard and coarse.
  • Small white mark on the chest.

ELIMINATING FAULTS:

  • Body clearly longer than high, haunch bones lower than withers.
  • Depigmented areas on the mucous membranes.
  • Over- or undershot mouth.
  • Ears erect, or raised with tips drooping, too long, folding backwards (rose ear).
  • Hair semi-long.
  • Fringes on legs or tail.
  • White stockings, larger white markings.
  • Coulor not in accordance with the standard.

N.B.: male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

 

REMARKS ON THE FCI STANDARD 188: THE SLOUGHI
These Remarks Should Always Accompany FCI Standard 188
(Updated March 1998 by E. Moreau-Sipiere and T. A. Anderson
for the American Sloughi Association)

 

This update to the Remarks on FCI Standard 188 is based on prior recommendations of the American Sloughi Association and other sources (SLAG [1980], Moreau-Sipiere and Crapon de Caprona [1992] and El Baroudi [personal communication, 1997]). It is offered as a service of the American Sloughi Association and may be reproduced in part or its entirety. The intent of these Remarks is to assist breeders and judges to understand better the Standard's description of the Sloughi and to understand when some aspects of the Standard should be applied with caution.

The head of the Sloughi is very important; the coat is very fine, tight and short; the muscles flat but very well outlined; the croup is bony with the hip bones apparent. It is a Sighthound which, in its countries of origin, hunts rabbits, gazelles, foxes, jackals and wild pigs. It is a robust pursuit dog with an impression of rusticity. The skeletal structure is sturdy; the Sloughi is not a fragile dog, but he is also a dog with class and grace. "A Sloughi must be beautiful, but has also to work - A Sloughi who is working must be beautiful" (El Baroudi, personal communication, 1997)

1. Size: The allowed sizes at the withers should have a total range greater than 66-72 cm for males and 61-68 cm for females. Dietary factors have led to larger Sloughis in Europe and America. "Mountain-type Sloughis" tend to be larger than "desert-type". An excellent female raised in a tribal or nomadic setting should not be penalized for being smaller than 61 cm. The height-to-length relationship need not be the same in male and female. The female's body can be relatively longer because of the expectation that she will whelp.

2. The Head: The dimensions given in the Standard (width 12-13 cm or 14 cm [4 3/4"-5 1/2"] are unfortunate. They suggest heavily built heads which do not correspond to the description "long, refined, delicate but rather strong compared to other Sighthounds". The width of the cranium is more appropriately between 11 and 12cm (41/2" to 4 3/4") from ear to ear. These are the dimensions most commonly seen in Morocco and Europe. The Sloughi skull should not seem heavy. The cranium is large and the jaws are very strong. Also, the profile is straight, with the lines of the nose and the muzzle almost the same. That is, the line of the nose shall be straight, sometimes very slightly sloping towards the tip of the nose, but not convex. The lips should be black or dark brown. There is no overbite as long as the incisors stay in contact.

The ears are not set excessively high. They should be at the level of the eye or a little under the eye. When relaxed, the ears should hang close to the head. The ears are very light and mobile and attentive Sloughis have the tendency to hold them away from the cranium. Ears slightly pulled backwards are acceptable, but not desirable.

The eyes should be always as dark as possible. Light colored eyes are a fault. However, amber colored eyes are not. The eye color should not be in relation to the coat color. The expression is somewhat melancholic.

The head is what distinguishes a Sloughi from other Sighthounds. The countries of origin and Europe are giving more and more importance to the head and expression of the Sloughi (see the distribution of points below).

3. The neck: The neck is eminently dry, with no apparent musculature, springing well up from the shoulders and slightly arched in its upper profile. Its length is similar to that of the head. It should be elegant and powerful with a great neatness of the throat.

4. The ribs: The expression "flat ribs" should not mean that the chest should be flat. In particular, the ribs should be long and slightly rounded in the posterior third of the chest. The standard describes poorly the depth of the chest which is crucial in a Sighthound specialized in long-distance running. It should be deep but not reaching the elbow.

5. The tail: Low, dry, curved at its tip, but not too thin at its end. Can be held as high as the horizontal line of the back.

6. Hindquarters: The hock shall be well open. There should not be closed angles.

7. Shoulders: The scapular angle is slightly oblique. A straight angle is not desirable, nor should the shoulders be straight.

8. The color: Since there are few Sloughis, it is not appropriate to be too restrictive. The predominance of or preference for one particular color is regional or tribal. White marks on chest and toes are more visible on dark coats. These marks should be as "discrete" as possible. White marks on the neck, the head, and at the tip of the tail are disqualifications. A small white patch on the chest and/or on the tip of the toes is very common in the breed and is overlooked in Europe. Of course, since there are not many Sloughis, and since no dog is perfect, breeding should concentrate first on selective mating for overall quality instead of on the elimination of minor faults. Many years of selective breeding in Europe have not managed to get red of the small white marks on the chest and/or toes, suggesting that they are a part of the Sloughi genetic make-up.

 

Distribution of points when judging Sloughis for conformation, as recommended by the SLAG (Club du Sloughi et des levriers d'Afrique) Breed Commission (France) and the American Sloughi Association (USA).

Head

25
Neck

5
Back

10
Shoulders & Chest

10
Forequarters

10
Hindquarters

10
Tail

5
Coat, color, pigmentation

5
General Aspect *

20
Total

100

 

* The maximum size at the withers should not exceed 75 cm (30"), common in "mountain type" dogs.

Some judges in Europe, while keeping the point distribution in mind, judge by ranking each part of the dog, for examples, excellent head, excellent neck, very good shoulders and chest... But these judges are used to seeing many more Sloughis than presently seen in the USA. For our situation, this way of judging seems more difficult, and may be confusing and less precise. When judging, it is important to remember that a Sloughi matures slowly and reaches full maturity between 30 and 36 months.

References Cited:

    A. El Baroudi, 1997 (personal communication), An interview (by E. Moreau-Sipiere) of the "Moroccan Sloughi Club" President, Dr. El Baroudi.

    E. Moreau-Sipiere and D. Crapon de Caprona, 1992, Remarks on the FCI standard 188d, compiled & translated for the American Sloughi Association, Inc.

    SLAG (Club du Sloughi et des levriers d'Afrique) Breed Commission (France) 1980, Remarks on the FCI Standard 188d.