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Standards

Overarching Standards Guide

1 – Function is the most important guide with the NLDR. If you have a great Lacy dog that is proven at any task, the NLDR would like to honor your dog’s accomplishments and record them in their registry file. The NLDR will help you find a mate with the “Form” that balances and complements them.

2 – Form is important too! Breeding correct physical and mental characteristics should factor into all breeding decisions.

3 – Temperament for hunting and livestock is critical in achieving function. Temperament faults generally interfere with performance. Dogs with temperaments that are too shy or too aggressive can lead to issues in performance. Mate selection is important to avoid doubling up on unproductive temperaments.

Regarding Standards and Registry Records

The NLDR is a records-keeping entity. We deliver services to you, the public. We are here to support the advancement of all Blue Lacy dogs, of all colors. We deliver our services to all owners of Lacys.

We ask for more detailed information when registering dogs because the function of the NLDR is to record information about Lacys and provide it to the owners in a way that is useful, credible, and memorable.

The NLDR Standard is broad. There is breadth in Lacy genetics, and there are narrow genetic pockets. The NLDR is here in support of all. The best Lacy dogs may not fall perfectly within physical standards. To supplement the basic physical standards, the NLDR has added a video library to store videos of any Lacy in action as part of their registry file. The NLDR uses these videos to make specific, working Endorsements in the registry file and on pedigrees.

No dog is perfect! Evaluating each dog independently to identify strengths and weaknesses is important when breeding dogs. A dog with areas of genetic strength can be matched with another that has the same strengths to carry that strength forward, while keeping the closeness of the relationship in mind. These dogs will all have some less desirable traits. Caution should be taken to match genetic weak points with corresponding genetic strong points on a path towards eliminating or minimizing faults.

The National Lacy Dog Registry Standards

General Appearance

The Lacy is a medium-sized dog with a light, balanced yet powerful build. Correct Lacy movement alludes to great speed, strength, and dexterity. The body is square with a level back and deep chest that extends into well-sprung ribs. The front shoulders should be well laid back and muscular, while the haunches have a tight, slightly rounded croup. Their legs are straight and medium in length with firm, cat-like feet. Dogs should appear more masculine than bitches. The coat is short and close-fitting. Lacys should be evaluated as a working dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog’s ability to work. Scars should neither be penalized nor regarded as proof of a dog’s working abilities.

Hunting & Working Ability

Proof of hunting and working ability is the overarching standard. Proven hunting and working Lacys should receive breeding priority. The NLDR maintains a database of video proof with our registry database and provides pedigree endorsements for specific proof points. Those proof points are currently, but not limited to: Gun-dog, Water-dog, Retrieving-dog, Retriever, Tracking-dog, Cattle-dog, Hog-dog, and Tree-dog.

Faults – Gun-shyness. Water-shyness. Too much catch versus agility and bay drive to control game and stock. Inability to use ground as well as air scenting with the proficiency required to track game.

​Temperament

Range of temperaments from stable and outgoing to standoffish to somewhat defensive. Socialization can improve temperament. The role of genetics must be considered when breeding Lacys for registration with the NLDR.

Temperament Faults – Excessive timidity. Excessively shy. Overly dog or human aggressive. Submissive or excited peeing. Uncontrollable guarding. Inability to tolerate any other dogs. Inability to take commands and direction from a handler. Inability to work around gunfire or in water to a depth that requires swimming without touching the bottom.

Considerations for Temperament Evaluation

  • Bladder Control – Submissive or excited peeing are faults leading to significant frustrations. Two dogs with bladder control issues should not be bred together. Uncontrolled urination is not necessarily tied to a dog’s timidity or submissiveness. Bladder control is an important consideration for working dogs. This often fixes itself as a puppy grows and gains confidence. Dogs that are extremely timid by nature and have bladder control issues should not be bred. Confident dogs that become confident and gain bladder control after puppyhood should be matched with dogs that balance this genetic tendency with secure urinary control.
  • Gun-Shyness – Inability to recover quickly and confidently following loud noises can be a limiting trait across the Lacy breed. Two gun-shy dogs should not be bred together. Prejudice towards gun-stable dogs that are more confident is healthy for the breed.
  • Water-Shyness – Water is commonly encountered in the performance of most work and hunting. NLDR does provide pedigree endorsements for proven swimmers.
  • Dog Aggression – Excessive aggression towards other dogs leads to issues when working dogs are expected to perform in the presence of or in coordination with other dogs. Lacys are commonly dog-aggressive. Dog fights need to be minimized, and dog aggression needs to be manageable and trainable into a functional level of camaraderie.
  • Standoffish, cautious social behavior is common, even normal in Lacys. Excessive timidity and debilitating lack of confidence can interfere with a dog’s ability to perform under pressure.

Characteristics

Intelligent, intense, active, and always alert. Originally developed to be hog dogs for managing range hogs, the Lacy was developed into an all-around working breed for ranchers, cowboys, hunters,s and trappers. Accordingly, they display incredible drive and determination to work. Bold and tough with tremendous heart, they have enough grit to stop big game and control difficult livestock. They should be silent on track but loud and brave at the bay. They are easily handled and trained, should show great confidence in their owner, but are naturally territorial and may be wary of strangers. Though they make excellent companions, these dogs require a job for proper physical and mental stimulation.

​Head & Skull – The head is medium in size. Powerful, keen, and carried with pride. Skull is moderately long, medium in width, and well built. Slight median line extending back over the forehead with a moderate stop at the forehead.

  • Head form and shape do not affect performance except as passed with whatever genetic package passes with it. NLDR does not have
  • Blocky Heads – Males tend to have blockier heads in comparison to a genetically similar female. Blocky heads tend to be desirable from a style perspective, while blocky heads tend to have a higher incidence of underbites.
  • Bottle Heads – Females tend to have a more narrow head shape as compared to their genetic equivalent male. Narrow heads with longer snouts have a higher presence of overbites.
  • NLDR does allow for tracking of head shape as desired by the owners.
  • Bite Occlusion is a more important consideration with respect to standards. A scissor bite is the standard. Level and reverse scissor are acceptable variances, with the recommendation that any dogs with bite variances should be bred to dogs without a variance from the NLDR Standard. The long-term goal is scissor bites in all Lacys without losing other genetic strengths.

​​Muzzle – Of equal length or slightly shorter than skull when viewed in profile. Foreface should be moderately tapered but not dished, disproportionately short, or overly houndish or bully in appearance.

​Jaws – Strong with even white teeth meeting in a correct scissor bite. Lips cover the jaws completely but are neither loose nor drooping. Level, or sometimes referred to as even occlusion, is common in Lacys, especially with blockier heads. Scissor bites are the standard. Level bites are registerable with the NLDR, with the recommendation that such dogs be bred only to dog mates with scissor bites. Sometimes, a level bite will come together where one or more of the front teeth form a reverse scissor bite. Reverse scissor bites are treated the same as level bites by the NLDR. Dogs with overbites or underbites will be given a conditional-breeding designation. Careful selection of mates for these dogs is important to achieve the objective of scissor bites. Offspring of dogs with overbites or underbites can receive non-conditional NLDR registration upon submission of photos showing normal scissor-bite development at around 4 weeks of age.

​Ears – Drop and rose ears are acceptable ear types as long as they are medium in length, thin, generally triangular in shape with a slightly rounded tip, and hanging with a tight construction. While alert yet relaxed, the top of the ear should sit level with the top of the head. When held flat against the cheek parallel to the muzzle, the tip of the ear should align approximately with the inside corner of the eye. Excessively long ears measuring more than 1/4 inch past the inside corner of the eye are a fault. Ears should not be erect or cropped. Pricked ears and hound-type ears are a disqualifying fault.

  • Ear Faults are only in excessive cases.
  • Lacy ears are diverse across the breed. Seeing no way ears affect performance or health, other than the potential of strengths passed down that were passed with a specific form of ear, the NLDR will record different ear forms in our database as desired by the owners.
  • NLDR Lacy Ears standard is well described above. Ear type is generally a personal preference or simply inherited alongside other traits, most of which should take precedence over ears. For this reason, the NLDR will include a broad variance in ears within the standard. The NLDR will record per appearance in photos and by the description of your choosing – triangular flop, triangular rounded tip flop, umbrella, rose, handsome, goofy, where they don’t match, etc. The standard variance will be applied to ears that exceed the length described above, or are overall round. Fully pricked ears are an absolute variance from the NLDR Standard. Prejudice should be given towards a more “triangular” shaped ear, coming to a point, as described above.

​Eyes – Sharp, alert, and bright. Similar to a wolf in appearance and intensity. Colors range from bright yellow to rich brown. Should be round and set well apart.

​Neck – The neck is slightly arched, strong, very well muscled, and of moderate length. Set well into the shoulders.

​Forequarters – The forequarters should be muscular without excessive bulkiness. Shoulders should be well laid back and muscular. Legs are straight and medium in length.

​Body – Strong, balanced, built for speed, agility, and endurance. The body should be square or just slightly longer than tall. The back should be well-muscled, level, and of moderate length. Deep, moderately broad chest extends approximately to the elbows. Combines with well-sprung ribs to provide plenty of lung space. Abdomen should be small, narrow, and moderately tucked-up at the loins.

​Hindquarters – Haunches should be balanced and muscular with a tight, slightly rounded croup. Proportionately angulated stifles lead to straight, low hocks.

​Feet – Cat-like feet are firm, compact, and arched with webbed toes and thick pads.

​Tail – Tail is medium set, reaching approximately to the hocks, and should be carried showing confidence. Tail irregularities, including hemivertebrae, curled, corkscrew, and bobbed tails, are registerable with a conditional breeding status. Because tail irregularities are generally genetic, pictures of pups with normal tails need to be submitted for non-conditional registration of the pups.

​Coat – Coat should be short, smooth, and tight with coarse guard hairs. Very little or no undercoat. An excessively long or rough coat is a disqualifying fault.

  • The coat should not be too thin where the skin shows, except on the belly and under the neck, where collars may rub the hair off. Hair should grow to the tip of the tail with no skin showing on the tail. Proper nutrition, insecticide treatments, and managing points of friction and wear should be able to maintain a full coat.
  • Lacys are a short-haired breed. Excessively long coats with documented lineage may be registered as non-breeding with the NLDR.
  • Lacy coat shedding is lighter due to the short length and thinner coat.

​Color – Though they are often called blue Lacys, there are three permissible color varieties. Blues are any shade of gray from light silver to dark charcoal. Reds range from light cream to rust. Tricolored Lacys are blue with red points. Red may appear above the eyes, on the sides of the muzzle extending to the cheeks, on the front of the chest, on the lower legs, and underneath the tail. A melanistic mask on otherwise acceptable colors is also acceptable but less desirable. White may appear on the brisket and may stretch from the chin to the groin. White may also be present on one or more paws. Excessive white is discouraged, and markings on the face or above mid-line are a disqualifying fault.

​Height and Weight – Lightly built but proportionally balanced within the height-to-weight ratio. Height at the withers should be between 17 and 22 inches. Dependent on height and working condition, weight should be approximately 30 to 55 pounds for females and 35 to 60 pounds for males.

  • NLDR Tolerances on both ends of the scale are 5 pounds on the lower end and 10 pounds on the upper end of standard.
  • NLDR recognizes that dog size preference may be associated with size requirements for performance. However, where size diminishes athleticism, care should be taken to maintain Lacy’s size at a level that maximizes performance by leveraging speed, agility, aggression, and intelligence over brawn and force. Lacys are bay dogs versus catch dogs in general, and there’s always a bigger bull or boar.
  • NLDR will register and track a Blue Lacy by an owner who has a stated purpose for the size variance that supports working tasks. In these cases, such dogs will be eligible for registration and will carry a size variance designation on their pedigree.
  • NLDR is more concerned with height in relation to length. Square or slightly longer bodies are preferred in general dog breeding practices for working dogs.

​Gait – Effortless, nimble, and quick. Their gait is light and free but still powerful. All movement should allude to reserves of strength and dexterity.

​Faults – Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Incorrect white markings. Colors besides blue, red, and tri. Dogs measuring under 17 inches or over 22 inches at the withers. Overshot or undershot bite. Pricked or hound ears. Extreme skin issues.

Athleticism, temperament, and health are the overarching guides for the NLDR Standard. Dogs with sound temperaments that perform and are healthy are prioritized by the NLDR.