It is even better when they exceed these sizes, males higher than 80 cm and females higher than 75 cm. Structure conformation: sub-long limbed. Longer than higher. Balance and functional harmony must be looked for, either when standing still or when moving.

Use: guard and defence. Subjects that are too shy, fearful and with a not well balanced character must be excluded from breeding. This breed is deeply linked to transhumance, particularly of cattle that he was used to follow already at the time of the "MESTA" (Medieval Association, of breeders of transhumant herds), during all the time of their moving at the pasture site, in every season and in every place in order to defend it from wolves and other predators. At present it follows numerous herds, both sedentary and transhumant. It exercises in the same way the function of guard and defence of house, people and properties in general.

Head: voluminous, solid truncated pyramid shaped with large basis. The relation between length of skull and length of muzzle must be squared and well linked, and without too pronounced reduction (of width) between the base of the muzzle and the temporal bones. The skull-facial lines are moderately divergent.

Skull: large, solid, with sub-convex profile. The width of the skull is the same or slightly superior than the length. Pronounced frontal sinus. Pronounced occipital crest.
Stop: not accentuated on slight slope.
Muzzle: straight profile. From the top it looks slightly rectangular, reducing progressively (of width) towards the truffle, keeping a good width. It is never pointed.
Truffle: black, humid and voluminous. Lips: the upper lip covers the lower one very much; the lower lip, with its ostentatious mucous at sight, forms quite a low labial commisure. Mucous should be black.
Teeth: white, solid and healthy. Big sharp canine teeth which guarantee a good catch. Molar teeth are solid and powerful. Incisors rather small and scissors constructed. All premolars are present.
Eyes: small in relation to the skull, almond shaped, hazelnut coloured, generally dark. The look is alert, noble, sweet and intelligent, very severe in front of a stranger.
Eyelids: of thick tissue, black coloured. The lower eyelid let see part of the conjunctiva.
Ears: of medium size and hanging down; they are triangular shaped and flat. Attached above the eye line. When the dog is resting they hang down against the cheeks, without being too close to the skull. When the dog is alert, they come off from the muzzle and partially stand up in their third back-excess. They should never be cut. Palate: black and with some very pronounced crests.
Neck: conical trunk shape, large, solid, brawny, flexuous. Thick and lax skin. Double dewlap, fully developed.
Trunk: rectangular. Strong and robust, showing a huge power; even though flexuous and quick. Withers: well marked.
Back: powerful and brawny. Ribs with large intercostal spaces, round shaped, flat. The minimum thoracic perimeter will exceed of about one third the height to withers. Long large and powerful kidneys; their dimensions reduce towards the hips.
Rump: large and solid. Its inclination on the back-lumbar line and compared to the horizontal plane of the ground is about 45°. The height to the rump is like the height to the withers. Back-lumbar line: straight, horizontal, even during movement.
Chest: large, deep, brawny and powerful. The tip of the breastbone is pronounced. Stomach and hips: stomach is moderately prominent; hip cords sloped down and hips are very large.
Tail: it is very thick at the root and attached at a medium height. Strong, flexuous and covered with longer hair than the rest of the body. When the dog is resting the tail position is low, definitely reaching the hough, sometimes it forms a hook in its final quarter. When the dog is moving or is excited he brings the tail up like a sabre, with a curve limited to the tip, never to all its width. The tail never lays on the rump.
Fore limbs: perfectly perpendicular. Seen from the front they are straight and parallel. The length of the forearm is three times the length of the metacarpus. The bone structure is solid and with a powerful metacarpus.
Shoulders: oblique, very brawny and longer than the forearm. Scapula-humeral angle: close to 100°.
Arms: strong, the length is comparable to the length of the scapula. humerus-radial angle: close to 125°.
Forearms: solid and with vertical bony rays. Elbows well tight to the thorax. Carpus-metacarpus (metacarpal rays): in profile, slightly oblique. It is practically in the extension of the forearm. Solid bone structure.
Feet: cat feet with close toes. Phalanxes are solid, high and well curved. Nails and plantar pads are strong and tough. The inter-digital membrane is moderately developed and provided with hair.
Rear limbs: powerful and brawny.
In profile: regular angles and big articular angles. They are perpendicularly correct both in front and in profile; hough not deviated. They should be able to transmit the impulse to the dog easily, with power and elegance.
Haunch: strong and brawny. Coxo-femoral angle: close to 100°.
Legs: long, brawny and with a strong bone structure. Femur-tibia angle: close to 120°.
Houghs: well marked and usually the tendon is visible.
Hough angle: open and close to 130°.
Feet: cat feet, slightly oval shaped. Single or double spurs may or may not be present. Their amputation is permitted.
Pace: the preferred pace is the trot, that must be harmonious and powerful without thetendency to go to one side. Amble is not present.
Skin: elastic, thick, abundant and pink, with some darker pigmentation. All the mucous membranes are black.
Hair: tough, thick, semi-long, straight and distributed all over the body up to the inter-digital spaces. We must distinguish between two types of hair, the covering hair on the back and the protective hair on the chest and the hips. Hair is shorter on the limbs and longer and bristly on the tail.
Colour: any colour. The most appreciated colours are the one colour coat, yellow, tawny, red, black, lupine and striped Country of Origin:

Spain Use: watchdog and guard dog F.C.I. Classification: group 2 dogs like Molossian schnauzer and Swiss Cattledrover dogs section 2a Molossian like mountain dogs. Without work evidences Morfoligaca Classification: Mesomorfo Brachicefalo Molossian