STANDARD
Harlequins are shown in 2 groups: Japanese and Magpies.
Each of the groups comes in four varieties: black, blue, chocolate, and lilac. Black Japanese should be dense black and golden orange with brown eyes. Blue Japanese should be lavender blue and golden fawn with brown or blue-grey eyes. Chocolate Japanese should be dark chocolate and golden orange with brown eyes with a ruby cast. Lilac Japanese should be dove grey, with a heavy pink tint on the surface, and golden fawn with blue-grey eyes with a ruby cast. Toe nails in the Japanese group can be light, dark, or mismatched. Black Magpies should be dense black and white with brown or blue-grey eyes. Blue Magpies should be lavender blue and white with blue or blue-grey eyes. Chocolate Magpies should be dark chocolate and white with brown or blue-grey eyes with a ruby cast. Lilac Magpies should be dove grey, with a heavy pink tint on the surface, and white with blue-grey eyes with a ruby cast. Toenails in the Magpie group can be white, dark, or mismatched.
Body type is commercial and fur should be fly-back.
Harlequins are judged mostly on their markings. The ideal is a 3-part frontal. The ears are two different colors. The face is split, divided down the middle, and the colors alternate with the ears. The chest and front leg are also split and alternate with the face, which means the colors are on the same sides as the ears. The colors of the back feet should alternate with the front feet. The pattern on the body may be banded (unbroken circle of color), barred (half circle of color that runs vertically down the side), or a combination of both, with 5-7 alternations of color on each side.
Disqualifications in both groups are a failure to show a clearly discernible face split and a dutch-type body marking. Disqualifications specific to the Japanese group are white toenails and white spots. The eye circles, underside of jowls, tail, and belly may be white/cream because of the agouti gene.
Each of the groups comes in four varieties: black, blue, chocolate, and lilac. Black Japanese should be dense black and golden orange with brown eyes. Blue Japanese should be lavender blue and golden fawn with brown or blue-grey eyes. Chocolate Japanese should be dark chocolate and golden orange with brown eyes with a ruby cast. Lilac Japanese should be dove grey, with a heavy pink tint on the surface, and golden fawn with blue-grey eyes with a ruby cast. Toe nails in the Japanese group can be light, dark, or mismatched. Black Magpies should be dense black and white with brown or blue-grey eyes. Blue Magpies should be lavender blue and white with blue or blue-grey eyes. Chocolate Magpies should be dark chocolate and white with brown or blue-grey eyes with a ruby cast. Lilac Magpies should be dove grey, with a heavy pink tint on the surface, and white with blue-grey eyes with a ruby cast. Toenails in the Magpie group can be white, dark, or mismatched.
Body type is commercial and fur should be fly-back.
Harlequins are judged mostly on their markings. The ideal is a 3-part frontal. The ears are two different colors. The face is split, divided down the middle, and the colors alternate with the ears. The chest and front leg are also split and alternate with the face, which means the colors are on the same sides as the ears. The colors of the back feet should alternate with the front feet. The pattern on the body may be banded (unbroken circle of color), barred (half circle of color that runs vertically down the side), or a combination of both, with 5-7 alternations of color on each side.
Disqualifications in both groups are a failure to show a clearly discernible face split and a dutch-type body marking. Disqualifications specific to the Japanese group are white toenails and white spots. The eye circles, underside of jowls, tail, and belly may be white/cream because of the agouti gene.
