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The Mi-Ki should give the appearance of a small
well-balanced dog, light in bone, non-coarse, with winged or down ears and a
long flowing coat topped by a full plumed tail. A good specimen of the breed has dignity and a proud head
carriage. The
following description is that of the ideal Mi-Ki. Any deviation from this ideal
dog is to be penalized to the extent of the deviation. Health, structural and
movement faults can be common to all toy dogs are as undesirable in the Mi-Ki
as in any other breed, even though they are not specifically mentioned herein. Height: Adult dogs are not to exceed
10 inches at the withers. Fault: over 10 inches Weight: Adult dogs are not to exceed
10 pounds. Smaller sized Mi-Kis are the most desirable, but never at the
expense of balance, structure, and correct gait. Fault: over 10 pounds Proportion: Adult dogs are slightly
longer than tall when measured from the point of shoulder to point of buttocks
and from withers to ground. Substance: Adult dogs are of good
substance which is determined by spring of rib, level back or topline, firm shoulders and strong muscles. HEAD Skull: The skull should be small with a medium width, rounded in front and
between the ears. Fault: Large and disproportionate to the rest of the body. Stop: The stop (the region where the muzzle joins the skull) should be well
defined at a 90 degree angle. Fault: if the stop is not well defined Forehead: The forehead and face are
smooth and free of wrinkles. Fault: Flat or domed forehead. Muzzle: The muzzle should be no longer than 1/4 of the length of the head from the
base of the skull to the stop. The shape of the muzzle should be square with no
wrinkles. The top of the muzzle is flat, and the bridge, in
profile, is straight or only slightly arched. Fault: A muzzle longer than the
formula. A fine muzzle, abruptly thinner than the head, tapering to the nose.
Wrinkled muzzle. Pinched nostrils. Color of nose other than black on a white
coated dog. Nose: The nose leather should be of medium size, flat on top, and black in
color. Black is preferred, but can be self-colored on brown on lighter coated
dogs. Must be black on white coated dogs. Fault: White coated dogs that don’t have black nose leather. Bite: The bite is to be even or level,
slightly undershot bite is most desirable, but most definitely not overshot.. Fault: Overshot bite or an
extremely undershot bite with teeth showing when mouth is closed. Fault: Missing teeth or retained
baby teeth at maturity. Eyes: The eyes are large and round, set well apart. Dark brown is most desirable, blue eye
color with a blue colored coat, brown or ruby eye color with a brown colored
coat. Self colored eye ring is acceptable in brown and light colored dogs. Fault: Eyes and eye rings colored
other than dark color on a dark or white coated dog. Ears: The most preferred ears should be set slightly below the crown of the skull
and carried at such an angle that they wing out, slightly from the head. The
hair on the ears should be feathered. A heavily coated ear that measurably
wings out when excited or alert is also acceptable. Fault: Ears placed on top of head
pointing up. Scant amount of hair on ears. Expression: The expression should be soft and it should reflect the
characteristics of the breed: devotion, intelligence, and gentleness. Neck: The neck should set well on the shoulders, be of medium length and is long enough for proud head carriage, and thickness is to be proportionate to both the shoulders and
head. Fault: Extremely long or too thick
neck. Back: The back is strong, muscular and is level from just behind
the withers to the hindquarters and should be square to slightly
longer than the height.. Fault: Exceedingly long, roached
or sagging back. Chest: The chest is full with the lower forequarter reaching at least down to the elbows. Fault: Chest is not to be wide or barreled or disproportionate to the rest of
the forequarters Ribs: The ribs are well sprung, not barreled, with ample tapering to allow for
proper elbow movement. Fault: Ribs that have a barreled
appearance Tail: The tail is broader at the base and strong reaching to the hock. When the
dog is in motion or excited, the tail is carried high and curved over the back. The tail is to be heavily plumed. Fault: Low set, straight tail, or
a plumage that lacks in hair Forelegs: The forelegs are muscular, straight, fine boned, and parallel to each other. Shoulders: The shoulders are slightly laid back. Elbows: The elbows set close to the body pointing directly to the rear. The distance from elbow
to ground equals about half the dog's height. Pasterns: The pasterns are strong and slightly sloping. Feet: The feet are proportionate to the body in size and are straight to minutely set outward. Toes: The toes are straight and somewhat webbed. Dewclaws may be removed. Hind Legs: The hind legs are fine boned and parallel to slightly angled outward when viewed from
behind, but not excessively angled. Stifles and Hocks: The stifles are well bent and the line from hock to ground
is perpendicular. Hocks are well let down. Feet: The hind feet are proportionate to the body in size and are straight. Toes: The toes same as on forefeet. Dew claws must be removed. Fault: Bowlegged forelimbs, feet,
sharply angled outward. Hind legs excessively turned in or out. Dewclaws
present on hind legs. Coat: The coat is long, flowing, and either cottony or silky, both are acceptable. The
silky/straighter coat is the preferred coat type. The less preferred cottony
coat may be
slightly wavy. The coat covers entire body including the face and legs. Hair on the face and muzzle can be long if left to grow. Most Mi-Kis are trimmed to keep the hair
short on the head, neck, muzzle and feet. The Mi-Ki has hair not fur, with no undercoat making it
hypoallergenic and non-shedding. The long coat hangs gracefully over the sides
of the body and flows with movement. Fault: Short coat, undercoat of any
type and not
curly, wiry or
wooly Color: The color is always secondary
to type, structure, and soundness. All colors and variations of color are permissible. The
rarest of combinations is a tri-color, being characterized by a primarily black
and white body color with tan or red spots above the eyes, and on both cheeks. Temperament: The Mi-Ki is trusting, affectionate,
playful, alert, friendly, sensitive, and intelligent. They are wonderful with
children and other animals. Being neither shy nor aggressive they are among the
gentlest mannered of all the toy breeds.
The Mi-Ki is not a ‘yappy’ dog and is responsive to those it knows and
loves. They are not known to be reserved with strangers, or in new situations,
however they will alert the household when something is amiss. They continue to
be excellent therapy dogs. These characteristics are the most important characteristics
of the breed. Faults: Aggression, excessive
shyness or nervousness. Gait: The Mi-Ki in motion has good
reach and drive with free flowing action, and when viewed from the front and rear, is
straight and true. Gait is light, smooth and rhythmic, covering the maximum amount of
ground with the minimum number of steps. Forelegs and hind legs travel in a
straight line. As the dog's speed increases, the legs tend toward single
tracking. When moving, a beautiful flowing coat is characteristic of the breed.
Essential to good movement is the balance of correct front and rear assemblies. Faults: Heavy in movement, incorrect
tracking, and incorrect balance Any
departure from the Standard is considered a fault. The seriousness with which the fault should be regarded,
should be in exact proportion to the degree of he fault under consideration. 1. Male dogs that do not have two apparently
normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. 2.
Neutered/Spayed dogs 3. Head and feet unshaven for showing. Top knot
or any other cut. 4. Bad temper and meanness are not to be
tolerated and are to be severely penalized as to remove the dog from
competition. 5. More than 10 inches in height at the
shoulder/wither. 6. Any dog, lame, limping, deaf or blind. 7. Docked tails.
2006 All rights reserved by the ARBMR
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