Promoted to Full Standard, 1st January 2024
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| Head, Eyes & Ears | Head to be of good size, bold & broad, Muzzle of good width & rounded at the nostrils. | 15 |
| Eyes to be large, bright and bold and set with good width between. | ||
| Ears to be large and drooping, and set with good width between. | ||
| Body Shape | To have short, cobby body; thick-set, with good width across shoulders. | 15 |
| To be fit and of good substance, with plenty of firm flesh. | ||
| To have good size appropriate to age. | ||
| Coat Appearance | To stand erect from the head and body with its slightly forward natural lie, being thick and even in length to give a round and plush overall (‘puff-ball’) appearance, with sufficient density that the skin is not visible without parting the coat. | 30 |
| There should be no tendency for a visible parting in the coat. | ||
| The length of the coat should be at least 5 cm and be even across the shoulders, sides and back. | ||
| Chops should be strong, even, dense and well-furnished, with no gaps, to be known as facial furnishings. | ||
| Belly to be well-covered but with coat shorter in length than on the rest of the body. | ||
| Coat Feel | The coat to be dense, plush and springy against the body, coarse enough to support the hair standing erect but soft enough to create the required ‘puffball’ appearance. | 30 |
| Presentation | To be presented clean, and free from tangles or matting. | 10 |
| Hair to stand erect (with natural forward lie) all over the body to create a full and rounded appearance with no tendency of parting. | ||
| Coat to be free from grease. | ||
| 100 | ||
NB: Any Full Standard for this breed is likely to be based on those for the Rough Longhair breeds.
Swiss may be shown in any colour or combination of colours.
They must be shown on a board of appropriate size covered in natural-coloured hessian.
Longer hairs, known as ‘horns’, over the ears to be penalised according to the extent of the fault.
The Swiss is a rexoid, semi-longhaired cavy whose coat stands erect from the body to give a rounded shape of even (‘puff-ball’) appearance.
Coat to be as long as possible, but not at the expense of density, rounded coat shape and texture, with appropriate allowance for u/5 exhibits.
The Swiss is inclined to moult at regular intervals, from the shoulder backwards. Accordingly, those in ‘mid moult’ have longer coats around the rump than on the rest of the body. They should not be shown during the moulting stages.
Some Swiss possess a rosette on the forehead. This usually fills out and disappears by 5 months of age. However, Swiss should not be shown with any visible rosette.
Allowance should be made for softer coat texture in U/5 exhibits.
Wash 2: Designed by Simon Neesam for the British Cavy Council © 2020