BREED STANDARDS

OFFICIAL FCP BREED STANDARD

PURPOSE

The purpose of this document is to provide a goal for all Canis Panthers to be bred to. The Breed standard should be rigid, and hard to change, considering that it was initially crafted with the utmost care. The breed standard is intended to fit the Canis Panther as it was meant to be, a medium intensity, large pet protector, primarily to be used for personal protection; he is smart enough to know when to defend, and flexible enough to be pulled off the attack, even with some effort. He is capable of military, law enforcement, scent, rescue work, and medium and large game hunting, known for his intelligence and “On/off switch”. The service life of the dog from every kennel should be over ten years, not to include maturation or elder years. Every aspect of the breed standard must serve a purpose to this end, and each component deserves an explanation for its existence, to help guide future breeders and Canis Panther enthusiasts.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

The appearance is that of a dog with a body that can be square, but should be rendered as a series of triangles when viewed from the side. There is no wasted real estate, everything serves a purpose. Elegant in appearance, the Canis Panther is always alert and watchful. The average viewer should feel inspired but not fearful at the sight of one.

SIZE

The Male should be larger than the Female with greater muscle structure. The Canis Panther should be slightly longer than tall. Males should be between 27 and 31 inches at the withers and females 24-28 inches at the withers. Obesity is a disqualification. Canis Panthers should not be bred for size alone and over sized Canis Panthers with poor structure will not be recognized. Quality is never to be sacrificed in favor of size.

HEAD

The head should remind the viewer of a Dobermann or the other founding breeds, but should not be distinguishable as any founding breeds. The head when viewed from the front should have the appearance of a square within a square, with the front of the mouth forming the front and inner square, and the skull forming the rear. The muzzle is about as long as the skull, longer or shorter are acceptable with slight variation. All things being equal, the muzzle closest to skull length is the superior dog, all things being equal when a skull/muzzle equal ratio dog is not present, the longer muzzle is the superior dog. This is to balance bite leverage power with scent capacity, and to favor a strong nose if balance cannot be favored. This also serves to prevent a spiral trend towards brachycephaly.

The head is a modified mesocephalic structure, that is between the brachycephaly of a Bulldog and the dolichocephaly of the Sighthound. The snout should be equal in measure in height and width but may be slightly taller than it is wide. The stop should be obvious, with an approximately 45-degree angle from the bridge of the nose up. The ears are high set and may be cropped or uncropped with cropped being preferred for working Canis Panthers. The upper lips should not fall below the lower jaw. Teeth should be clean, in good condition and form a scissor or even bite. All things being equal, the longer and sturdier canines is the superior dog. The front of the bite should be square, if no square bite dog is available, the squarer bite is the superior dog.

The jaw should have a concave arch either in the top, the bottom, or both jaws, curving away from the tongue so that the dog can breath to his content while holding an opponent.

The dog should desire not to regrip unless he needs to, his instinct should be to inflict a single, punishing, and lasting bite, not to be released until his opponent is subdued and his handler has given him the release signal. The purpose, in theory, is to prevent many bite wounds to his human target, and to have a single, secure point of control of his opponent. Fewer bites means less chance for infection of the dog’s opponent, and fewer opportunities for him to readjust while under attack.

The Zygomatic arches should have an obvious flare, providing space for well-developed masseter muscles, while the sagittal crest should be pronounced, offering a stronger anchor for these muscles. The Frontalis and Temporalis muscles should be thick and dense, as should the skull, to resist blunt force impacts, as this is a likely counter-attack strategy for challengers.

TEMPERAMENT

Loving with family, tolerant with strangers, and hostile with intruders, The Canis Panther is loyal and protective. He should be intuitive and pick up on his handler’s behaviors and mood. He should seek to be near the owner/handler more often than not. Prey drive is not a fault. Judges should never handle the Canis Panther’s mouth, only the handler should do this. Unprompted aggression toward handlers, trainers, and judges is a disqualification. Acts of bravery and protection in the ring(such as protecting the handler from an aggressive dog or a bizarre judge in the ring) are to be rewarded. Judges are allowed to have an abnormally appearing assistant to gauge the reaction of the dogs being compared. Though protection is favored, patience and bearing should be considered in high regard.

NECK/BODY/TAIL

The Canis Panther should have a thick muscled neck that flows elegantly into its body. The chest should be wide and muscular. The bottom of the chest should be approximately level with the elbow. All things being equal, the deeper chest is the superior dog. The dog should have a stance that looks regal and imposing at the same time when stacked or alert. The body should show good muscle tone throughout and be slightly taller at the withers than the rear. The tail should be docked at approximately the second joint and appear as a continuation of the body. All things being equal, the docked dog is the superior dog. The tail should wag freely of the hips(butt-shaking is a flaw) The bone is heavy and of a medium to heavy thickness. The ribs are sturdy but flexible, and covered in thick shock absorbing muscle.

FEET

The feet and legs should be straight and face forward in a static pose. The legs are long and constitute a majority of the dog’s height. Claws can be black, white, or mixed. The claws should grow at a medium to fast rate and should be neatly trimmed for work and presentation. Feet can be webbed or unwebbed, all things being equal, the webbed feet is the superior dog. Dewclaws on the front legs can be removed or natural as they can serve a purpose in Protection Work. No Double Dewclaws are seen in the Canis Panther. Feet should be tight and cat-like, strong and agile, resistant both to mass and endurance work.

COAT

The Canis Panther’s coat is a short single coat. Shedding is light and has no special needs. The skin is thick, elastic, and loose, but not obviously so. Working scars are not to be faulted. Balding, brittle fur, mast tumors, excessive shedding, heavily calloused elbows are all to be faulted heavily. Dandruff is not a flaw as it serves a purpose in the reduction of allergies and skin infections, but dandruff also should not be excessive.

COLOR/PATTERNS/MARKINGS

The Panther can come in black, blue, chocolate, sable, seal, red, tanpoint, brindle, and all naturally occurring colors derived from the genetic combination of these. All things being equal, in solid colored dogs the darker tint of any two dogs equal in color is the superior dog. When comparing brindle to solid neither is superior and quality of the coat will determine the superior dog. No base color is to be considered superior to any other. A white patch on the throat is allowed, as well as a second or connected patch on the chest. Small white spots on the feet or face equal to or smaller than the size of a Quarter are allowed. All things being equal, the smaller and or fewer the white patching, the better. White patterning of any other kind should be considered a flaw, but not a disqualification. No color with directly associated health risks shall be allowed in the breed, to include albinism and merle, these are disqualifications.

STUD BOOK

The stud books are currently open and will be closed at an undisclosed date in the future. To be allowed on the books, a dog must be 7/8ths Canis Panther. The point of the Stud Book is to reconcile the various offshoot projects of current Panther Breeders (those breeding Panthers in bad faith are not to be allowed to add their dogs to the Book, this includes false advertisement of dogs and misidentification of non-Panthers as Panthers), the small and gapped pedigrees, and the health issues known in the Panther at the time of the writing of this document. As good faith breeders breed toward better dogs, and breed out the majority of foreign genetic content, more Panthers meeting the 7/8ths rule will come to exist. The final 1/8 of content, spread among the thousands of dogs and from the various included separate breeds, should bring sufficient genetic diversity to make the Canis Panther robust without causing systemic hybrid depression.

Canis Panther here is defined as any dog proven by paperwork to be such breed descended from Rock Of Ages Kennel, Madonna Kennels, or the Scorpio Jones lines, or any dog found by the Fellowship of the Canis Panther to fit the standard of the Canis Panther per the Honorary Panther Program, to be defined and regulated by the Fellowship.

Genetic issues known to the Canis Panther in the year 2024:

VWD

HUU

COPPER TOXICOSIS
LARYNGEAL PARALYSIS

Each founding breed provides a purpose to the breed. The Dobermann provides the platform and intelligence. The Bull and Terriers their pain tolerance, prey drive, stamina, and elastic skin. The Labrador contributes an affinity for water, retrieval, and its intelligence. The Great Dane provides for a larger dog. All four contribute to the unique personality these dogs have, which is most similar to the Dobermann, but has quirks from all founders. Several projects have included small amounts of other breeds such as Rhodesian Ridgeback, Dogo Argentino, Cane Corso, and many others. These admixture events are not intended to dramatically alter the Canis Panther from what was held by Rock Of Ages Kennel in the early 2020s. These dogs, and earlier dogs like Chief Little Dog and Ruby are considered an approximate baseline that the Canis Panthers should not develop far from.

Created: 11/1/2024

Updated: 11/1/2024

Addendum 1

The purpose of this addendum is to provide additional context for the purposes of the decisions made in the breed standard. It is absolutely critical to the maintenance of the breed, and the longevity of the quality of the dogs our community produces, to understand why we have made it the way it is. Additionally, all changes to the standard must be logged here. A chain of custody for alterations is essential for the community to hold the kennel club accountable for changes to our beloved breed. Each change should be catalogued with exact quotes, date of change, an exact purpose for the change, and the name of the altering agent. Digital copies of updated Addendum 1 should be distributed to all kennel club representatives for verification of continuity, and to prevent corruption.

Sexual dimorphism for size is important, this means a male and female can fill different jobs and niches without allowing too much flexibility on size.

The range in size is important, as a larger dog is more powerful, but a smaller dog will have higher stamina and encounter less friction when running through foliage. Allowing such variation in size allows kennels to tailor their breeding for their working environment, but restricting the range prevents dogs who are far too large or small to be worth the tradeoff allowed for.

It must be stated that long flopping ears and tails can be used as handles, and weaponized against the dog.

Any deviation in lip length opens the dog to risk of self-injury during bite work.

Both scissors and even bites have advantages, and both can serve a role in the working Canis Panther.

Strong handler affinity is critical for most protection and military roles.

A deeper chest ostensibly correlates with greater lung capacity, and thus greater stamina.

Thicker bones resist damage better. Flexibility in high risk bones such as ribs also helps prevent fractures in high stress environments.

Long legs are great for endurance running, tracking, jumping, and leverage while pulling. The disadvantage to a high center of gravity is an exposed throat and easier to knock over dog. These risks are necessary to recognize and accept and can be offset by other traits in the breed.

Feet webbing offers a major advantage in water and soft substrates like sand and carries very little cost for being present.

Thick skin is the working dog’s first line of defense, and as such should model some of the Panther’s gladiator ancestors for its obvious advantages, considering the dog’s many roles.

The majority of jobs Canis Panther’s work typically favor nightwork, and thus darker colors. The two exceptions to this are dogs bred for big game hunting and rescue, where high visibility is preferable.

Table of changes; rank number of change, exact quote removed, altered (old and new), or added, date of change, purpose for change, name of altering agent.

Example record: Change 1: “Regal in appearance, the Canis Panther is always alert and watchful.” Changed to “Elegant in appearance, the Canis Panther is always alert and watchful.” 2020AUGUST08. Changed because “elegant” is more forgiving in interpretation. Altered by Taylor Lee, acting council member.

Change 1:

Rock of Ages Breed Standard

“At this time the breed is fully developed, with established bloodlines and multi-generation pedigrees, and we don’t see the need for any changes. They are strong and breed true. The temperament of the Canis Panther is very loving and sensitive to the family, and suspicious to strangers. They bond with their family pack very strongly, therefore making great companions and great pet protectors. They are not animal aggressive and do well in homes with children & other pets when introduced properly.
Our males average 28 inches at the weathers and 130-150 #. Our females average, 27 inches tall and up to 115 #”

EXPIRED

Official CPCA Breed Standard

PURPOSE

The purpose of this document is to provide a goal for all Canis Panthers to be bred to. The Breed standard should be rigid, and hard to change, considering that it was initially crafted with the utmost care. The breed standard is intended to fit the Canis Panther as it was meant to be, a medium intensity, large protection breed, capable of personal protection, military, law enforcement, scent, rescue, and medium and large game hunting, known for its intelligence and its “On/off switch”. Every aspect of the breed standard must serve a purpose to this end, and each component deserves an explanation for its existence, to help guide future breeders and Canis Panther enthusiasts. One may ask why to choose the Canis Panther when there are other, more specialized breeds for each job the Canis Panther can do. The answer is that what makes the Canis Panther unique, is its versatility, the ability to take one Panther and apply it to multiple roles, without a homestead full of many specialty breeds.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

The appearance is that of a dog with a body that is square. Compactly built, muscular and powerful, for great endurance and speed. Elegant in appearance, the Canis Panther is always alert and watchful.

SIZE

The Male should be larger than the Female with greater muscle structure. The Canis Panther should be slightly longer than tall. Males should be between 27 and 31 inches at the withers and females 24-28 inches at the withers. Obesity is a disqualification. Canis Panthers should not be bred for size alone and oversized Canis Panthers with poor structure will not be recognized. Quality is never to be sacrificed in favor of size.

HEAD

The head when viewed from the front should have the appearance of a square within a square. The muzzle is about as long as the skull, longer or shorter are acceptable with slight variation. All things being equal, the muzzle closest to skull length is the superior dog, all things being equal when a skull/muzzle equal ratio dog is not present, the longer muzzle is the superior dog. The snout should be equal in measure in height and width but may be slightly taller than it is wide. The stop should be obvious, with an approximately 45-degree angle from the bridge of the nose. The ears are high set and may be cropped or uncropped with cropped being preferred for working Canis Panthers. The upper lips should not fall below the lower jaw. Teeth should be clean, in good condition and form a scissor or even bite. All things being equal, the longer and sturdier canines is the superior dog.

TEMPERAMENT

The Canis Panther is confident, and always vigilant. It is intelligent, curious, aloof with strangers, but nonconfrontational when not threatened. The Canis Panther is loyal and protective. He should be intuitive and pick up on his handler’s behaviors and mood. He should seek to be near the owner/handler more often than not. Prey drive is not a fault. Unwarranted aggression toward handlers or trainers is a disqualification. Judges should never handle the Canis Panther’s mouth, only the handler should do this.

NECK/BODY/TAIL

The Canis Panther should have a thick muscled neck that flows elegantly into its body. The chest should be wide and muscular. The bottom of the chest should be approximately level with the elbow. All things being equal, the deeper chest is the superior dog. The dog should have a stance that looks regal and imposing at the same time when stacked or alert. The body should show good muscle tone throughout and be slightly taller at the withers than the rear. The tail should be docked at approximately the second joint and appear as a continuation of the body. The bone is heavy and of a medium to heavy thickness. The ribs are sturdy but flexible.

FEET

The feet and legs should be straight and face forward in a static pose. The legs are long and constitute a majority of the dog’s height. Claws can be black, white, or mixed. The claws should grow at a medium to fast rate and should be neatly trimmed for work and presentation. Feet can be webbed or unwebbed, all things being equal, the webbed feet is the superior dog. Dewclaws on the front legs can be removed or natural as they can serve a purpose in Protection Work. Dewclaws on the rear legs are always removed and no Double Dewclaws are seen in the Canis Panther.

COAT

The Canis Panther’s Coat is a short double coat. Shedding is light and has no special needs. The skin is thick, elastic, and loose, but not obviously so. Working scars are not to be faulted.

COLOR/PATTERNS/MARKINGS

The Panther can come in black, blue, chocolate, sable, red and brindle. All things being equal, in solid colored dogs the darker tint of any two dogs equal in color is the superior dog. When comparing brindle to solid neither is superior and quality of the coat will determine the superior dog. No base color is to be considered superior to any other. A white patch on the throat is allowed, as well as a second patch on the chest. White patterning of any other kind should be considered a flaw save for dogs conducting high visibility work. No color with associated health risks shall be allowed in the breed, to include albinism and merle, these are disqualifications.

STUD BOOK

The stud books are currently open and will be closed at an undisclosed date in the future. To be allowed on the books, a dog must be 7/8ths Canis Panther. The point of the Stud Book is to reconcile the various offshoot projects of current Panther Breeders (those breeding Panthers in bad faith are not to be allowed to add their dogs to the Book, this includes false advertisement of dogs and misidentification of non-Panthers as Panthers), the low genetic diversity in the breed, the small and gapped pedigrees, and the health issues known in the Panther at the time of the writing of this document. As good faith breeders breed toward better dogs, and breed out the majority of foreign genetic pollution, more Panthers meeting the 7/8ths rule will come to exist. The final 1/8 of content, spread among the thousands of dogs and from the various separate breeds, should bring sufficient genetic diversity to protect the Canis Panther from the fate of many purebred dogs.

Canis Panther here is defined as any dog proven by paperwork to be such breed descended from Rock Of Ages Kennel, Madonna Kennels or the Scorpio Jones lines, or any mixed breed dog that consists of the original founding breeds; Doberman Pinscher, Great Dane, Labrador Retriever, American Pit Bull Terrier, and American Staffordshire Terrier. If the latter is proven by genetics, to be added to the stud books said dog must be at least 33% Doberman by content. The other breeds may appear in any combination of the remaining content and of the terriers, one may be missing.

Each founding breed provides a purpose to the breed. The Doberman provides the platform and intelligence. The terriers their pain tolerance, prey drive, stamina, and elastic skin. The Labrador contributes an affinity for water, retrieval, and its intelligence. The Great Dane provides for a larger dog.

Created: 8/1/2020

Updated: 8/1/2020