Tan

 Overview

Is a fancy breed by show class. Small in size. Short coated and mainly bred for pets.

Standards

Ring Size B

Faults

Brindle white or grey hairs amongst body colour (except on sides of body, where long tan hairs should be plentiful). White ear edges, badly covered ears, white or brindled hairs on outside of ears. Smudgy nose point. Brindled front legs. Black or blue bars, pencilling or spots on tan or hind legs and indistinct line of division along same.

• Black and Tan - No other colour but black and tan. No white or foreign colour amongst either black or tan. The colour both in the black and tan should reach well to the skin.
• Distribution of black (body colour) and tan (markings) - The head and cheeks to be black, that same colour reaching right up to nose point, but with a ring of tan round eye (eye circles). The shoulders (except immediately behind the ears), saddle, back, rump, sides and upper part of tail black. All should be free from brindling, except sides and sides of rump, which should be thickly laced with long tan hairs (side ticking). The nostrils, jowl, chest, belly, flanks and under part of tail should be one solid mass of deep golden tan, inclining to red or mahogany tint, brightness of tan to be of greater importance than the actual tint.

The tan should be quite clear from any mixture of soot or body colour. The shoulders or neck immediately behind the ears should be tan, wide near the ears and tapering to a fine point towards back, thus forming a triangle. This should be large enough to be partly seen, even when the rabbit's head is up. From the base of the triangle near the ears, the tan should descend and if possible meet the tan on the chest, thus forming a kind of band or collar around the neck. At the root of the ears, viewed from the front, two tan spots, known as “Pea Spots” should be seen, the larger these are the better.

Hind Legs - Rather short and of medium thickness. The outer part of leg reaching from foot to rump, black, inner part rich tan. The division between the black and tan should form an unbroken line right up the leg, free from raggedness. The tan on the inner side to be quite free from spots, pencilling, bars, or black. Toes wholly tan.

Front Legs - The lower front part, black as free from brindle as possible. The hind part and toes wholly tan.

• Ears- Short, fine but not papery, carried erect and close together. Outside jet-black, well covered with fur. Inside laced with tan all round (if the whole of the insides are tan, so much the better). Ears free from white tips, white hairs or brindling.
• Shape- The shorter and more cobby in build the better. Viewed from the side, the body top line should gracefully and moderately arch from the nape of the neck to the base of the tail.
• Coat - Fairly short, lying well to the body with a silky feel to the hand.

Blue and tan - With the difference in colour the above description answers for the blue and tan. It may be taken that the medium tint of blue is preferable, but soundness of colour is to be considered of greater importance than the actual tint.

Chocolate and tan - With the difference in colour the above description answers for the chocolate and tan. The chocolate colour to be uniform, deep, rich chocolate brown.

Lilac and Tan - With the difference in colour this answers to the above description answers for the lilac and tan. The lilac to be of a medium dove grey with a pink tint veiling the surface.

For a full run down on points for judging please purchase a copy of the standards from RCNZ via contact us or from the order form in the Bulletin.