The Muzzle is long, straight, moderately pointed with a flat upper surface. The end of the muzzle should be blunt, but not pinched or square. The Chukchi Sled Dog breed should have strong jaw muscles with tight fitting lips. The muzzle, though strong, should never appear deep and heavy, nor long and thin. The muzzle is about equal in length to the distance from stop to occipit.

The Teeth should be strong, evenly set and meet with an even or scissors bite, should be neither under or overshot. Slight degrees of overshot or undershot bite can be tolerated but extremes ought not to be used for breeding.

The Ears are fully erect and of medium size in comparison to the skull. The ears join the skull on a line with the upper corner of the eyes. The ears are well furred.  There is some variation in ear shape and length. An occasional animal may have an ear or ears that are not completely erect; this is permitted but not desirable, as the normal ear is strongly erect.

The Eyes vary from very dark brown to amber, or blue, with golden or amber preferred. The eyes are set slightly obliquely in the head and tend to be almond-shaped in outline, preferably with black-rimmed eyelids. Eyes should neither bulge outward nor seem small and "piggy." The spacing between the eyes should be moderate, never close-set. The dog's expression is keen, alert and interested; the eyes should have a friendly look.

The Nose preferably should be black (it may be flesh-colored in white animals). The nose should be large, textured and moist.
 

BREED STANDARD – BODY

The Physical Proportions convey balance and proportion of parts, which should be considered of great importance as affecting the efficiency, coordination and agility of the dog. Viewed from the side, his body should appear longer than it is high; a "square" profile, although allowable in individuals is not
desired. There is a natural range of proportion from moderately compact to somewhat rangy. A dog that is too short-coupled for his height will be unable to move forward without "crabbing" to prevent his limbs interfering with one another; this is highly undesirable.

The Body should be quite solid in appearance with chest deep (but not to extremes -- it should never extend below the elbow) and ribs well sprung but flattened at the sides. Loins should be well muscled though markedly narrower than the thorax, and should show a slight arch. Although the dog may be compact, he must never be cobby or very short-coupled. A rather long back is characteristic and allows for an effortless working lope. The croup slopes downward somewhat from hipbones to tail set.

The Hindquarters should convey an impression of substance and muscle mass equal to the front, which should not be overly broad of brisket nor coarse in bone structure, nor yet too narrow. Front and rear angulations must be balanced and strongly defined, with stifles well-bent, shoulders and upper arms well laid back.

The Neck is graceful, strong and well-muscled, well-furred beginning with the cheek ruff and extending into the shoulders and chest. The neck should not be too short or thick; it should be arched and medium in length.

The Chest should be deep with a prominent angled breastbone. The ribcage should have visible length with no suggestion of barrel shape. The fore chest must not appear hollow.

The Back is long and well muscled with a near level top line, sloping downward from the shoulders to the hindquarters. Many good dogs look "high in the rear" when standing; this is acceptable provided the dog shows no evidence of having a weak back.

The Shoulders are set close together at the withers and long, with a slightly narrow view from the top, forming a near ninety-degree angle from the forearm.

The Legs should be straight and well muscled with strong but not heavy bone. Forelegs should be set well under the dog with good layback both of scapula and humorous; the pasterns should show some slope but without weakness. Hind limbs should be well angulated but always in proportion to the fore end. Unbalanced extremes of rear angulations are undesirable. Most good dogs stand with a slight "toe-out" in front. Some good dogs may turn their hocks slightly inward, but definite cow-hocks are undesirable.

The Pasterns should be long, slightly sloped and flexible, capable of moving from front to back and side to side.

The Feet are slightly pigeon-toed, should be oval in shape, on the large side, well knuckled-up, with tough well-cushioned pads, protected with hair between the toes. Small, round cat-feet are highly undesirable. As the foot serves the dog as a snowshoe, some spread is tolerated, but splayfeet are undesirable

The Thighs and hindquarters are powerful and muscular.

The Hocks are long, strong, and well let down.

The Tail is a well-furred brush, preferably carried straight over the back when the dog is at attention. While at rest it is usually held stiff and low. It should not be tightly curled and never "snapped" flat to the back or down the side. It should be fairly long, typically reaching down to the hocks. It must not be set too high and should appear as a natural extension of the back and croup line.

The Coat should be thick and double coated. Undercoat should be very dense. The guard hairs stand out and there is a prominent cheek ruff with thick fur around the neck. The coat is moderately long around the neck and over the croup. The hair is shorter on the face and the leg fronts. The length of coat varies naturally from medium to moderately long. Very short "houndy" coats are sometimes seen; they should properly be discouraged as they render the dog vulnerable in extremely cold conditions. Long coats have always existed
in the breed; many dogs in Siberia show extremely long coats. Hence the longer coat is tolerated though not desirable. A shaggy appearance must be discouraged. The coat must never be harsh or wiry in texture. Depending on the season, guard hairs and undercoat vary.

The Color varies from nearly all black to pure white with many distinctive shades of gray, fawn, sable, reddish-brown and banded wolf colorings. Grays or sables should have blended coloration with lighter undercoat. Reds, called sables, typically show black tipping to the guard hairs with black lips, noses and eye rims. Multi-blended guard hairs are exemplified by grizzled coloration. Well-blended facial masks are desirable on all but black or white. A wide variety of distinctive markings exist such as Stark or Highly contrasting shading, Piebald spotting and white body markings ("splash coat") and the "saddleback" pattern, in which black pigment on the head and limbs fades out in late puppy hood leaving a body pattern of dark hairs similar in shape to an English riding saddle. Asymmetry of markings carries no penalty and symmetry of markings no premium. Markings must not be made the object of selective breeding.

The average Height at the withers of mature males is 26 inches, with a normal range of from 24 to 28 inches; exceptionally an individual may be as tall as 34 inches. The average height at withers of a mature female is 25 inches, with a normal range of 23 to 27 inches.  Body length should be slightly longer then the height.

The average Weight of a mature male is around 90 pounds, with a normal range of from 68 to 105 pounds. Weight should be in proportion to height. The average weight of a mature female is about 70 pounds, with a normal range of from 48 to 85 pounds. Weight should be in proportion to height.

BREED STANDARD – TEMPERAMENT

The Chukchi Sled Dog is intelligent, affectionate and is sensitive to the moods of its owner. His disposition is active, merry and often quite inquisitive though sometimes showing great reserve with strangers. He is alert and observant to all of his surroundings. He is always gentle, tractable and docile; no tendency towards viciousness to humans should ever be tolerated by the breeder. Some aggression towards other same sex animals is tolerated, although undesirable. His desire to cooperate with his owner is noteworthy and his trainability is outstanding. Stable and serious temperament is characteristic; desirable specimens are neither nervous nor aggressive. He should display courage in the face of hazards and obstacles encountered without being foolhardy; awareness of danger without fearfulness is the ideal. They bond strongly to their owners for which they display a high degree of affection. His cooperative, intelligent and loving nature makes the Chukchi Sled Dog a very enjoyable choice for a companion or family dog.

BREED STANDARD - MOVEMENT/TROT/WALK

Soundness and fluid movement are extremely important in the Chukchi Sled Dog breed. When trotting the Chukchi Sled Dogs gait should be sound, yet fluid. The legs are straight and never out at the elbow when viewed from the front. As the Chukchi Sled Dog speeds up it exhibits smooth, flowing, elastic strides and single tracks, it should have a great reach and move in an even four-beat. At the trot the top line stays straight and near level.
The neck is extended forward so the head is carried nearly level to the shoulders. The Chukchi Sled Dog walk, as in the trot, is always fluid and elastic. The hind legs should swing in the same line as the front, and
the rear foot almost always falls in, or very close to, the spot the front foot has just left. The walk is also an even four-beat. Both forms of movement show great ground coverage with each stride and appear effortless.
Good rear end flexibility and full coordination of fore and hindquarters in action are essential. At all gaits the dog should move straight and true, never crabbing or kicking out to the side. The gait should never appear in any way clumsy.

Any deviations from these standards are considered "Pet Status" with NSDA registry