ORIGIN AND PURPOSE:
Beyond the northern boundary of India, where Mt. Everest stands like a guardian
sentinel, is the land of Tibet. A country of huge mountains, deep valleys, windswept
plateaus, warm summers and cold winters, it is the home of the Lhasa Apso. It is an
ancient breed and genealogical studies show them to be in existence as far back as 800 BC
having been bred centuries as special indoor sentinel, the Lhasa Apso has never lost this
characteristic of keen watchfulness.
GENERAL APPEARANCE:
The Lhasa Apso is a medium small, exotic, very hardy breed with a well-developed body,
strong loins, good quarters and thighs. The long, straight, hard, dense coat enhances the
beauty of the breed and completely covers the dog.
TEMPERAMENT:
Gay and assertive but chary of strangers.
SIZE:
Ideal size for the dogs is between 10-11 inches (25.4-27.9 cm) with up to 11 ½ inches
(29.2cm) permissible. Bitches should be slightly smaller. Lhasa Apsos over 11 ½ inches
(29.2cm) are to be disqualified. Body length from the point of the shoulder to the point
of the buttocks should be slightly longer than the height at the withers. A well balanced
type is to be preferred.
COAT AND COLOR:
The adult coat is heavy, straight, hard, not woolly or silky, of good length and dense.
The coat should be parted from the nose to the root of the tail. The head should have
heavy furnishings with a good fall over the eyes. Good whiskers and beard. In obedience
the hair may be tied back from the eyes. Ears should be heavily furnished. Tail should be
heavily furnished. Feet should be surrounded with hair, the pads have hair between
them which may be trimmed. Forequarters, hindquarters and neck should be heavily
furnished. All colors and mixtures of colors considered equal.
HEAD:
Skull narrow, falling away from behind the eyebrow ridges to a marked degree. Cranium
almost flat, not domed or apple-shaped. Viewed from the front, the top of the cranium is
narrower than the width at the level of the eyes. The foreface is straight. Muzzle: The
length from the tip of the nose to the inside corner of the eye to roughly 1 ½ inches or
the length from the tip of the nose to the co9rner of the eye to roughly 1/3 of the total
length from the tip of the nose to the back of the skull. A square muzzle is
objectionable. Nose: Black. The tip of the nose is level with or very slightly below the
eye rim when viewed from the front. Mouth: Bite- reverse scissors (upper incisors just
touching the inner face of the lower incisors). Full dentition. Incisors (6) to be in a
straight line. Acceptable bite- level (the front incisors of the upper and lower jaw edge
to edge). Undesirable bite- overshot. Excessively undershot (more than 1/8 in.-.32 cm).
The teeth must not show when the mouth is closed. Lip: Black. Eyes: Dark Brown. Not large
and full or small or sunken. The iris should be of reasonable size, no white showing at
the base or top of the eye. The eyes are frontally placed in an oval-shaped black rim.
Ears: pendant. The ears should be well set back on the skull at eye level (not level with
the top line of the skull). The leather should hang close to the head and in an adult dog
should reach the level of the lower jaw.
NECK:
Well set on to the shoulders. Long enough to carry the head well creating an impression
of elegance. Slightly arched.
FOREQUARTERS:
Shoulders strong, muscular, well laid back. The upper arm should not be "terrier
straight" allowing for the desired width and depth of the chest. Lower Arm: the
forelegs should not be bowed. From the front when the dog is standing, they should be
straight parallel, elbow well under the body. The forelimbs support a good share of the
body weight when the dog is standing or when moving at a slow pace. The pasterns should be
straight and firm when viewed from the front. Slight deviation from the perpendicular when
viewed from the side. Feet: short round and compact with good pads turning neither in nor
out. Ideally, nails are black. In parti-colored or light colored coats, light nails and
pads are permitted. Dewslaws permissible.
BODY:
Topline level. Chest well ribbed up, i.e. the ribs should extend well back along the
body. The slight curved ribs should not extend below the elbows. Loin: too long a loin
adds excess length to the back and results in a loss of strength to the forepart of the
body. If the loin is too short there will be a loss of flexibility. The loin should be
firmly muscled. Croup: The angle formed by the pelvis and the backbone should not be more
than 30 degrees from the horizontal. This angulation gives power for the forward
propulsion. Abdomen: tucked up to a shallower depth at the loin.
HINDQUARTERS:
Strongly muscled and in balance with the forequarters. Hocks when viewed from the rear
at a stance, should be strong, straight, and parallel, turning neither in nor out. When
viewed from the side, they should be perpendicular to the ground and not stretched out
beyond the rump of the dog. Stifle bend: the stifle is moderately bent. Feet: same as in
forequarters.
TAIL:
Set high. Carried forward close to the back with the tip draped on either side of the
body. The tail should not rise vertically. A kink at the end is permissible. A low
carriage of the tail is a serious fault.
GAIT:
An easy moving, free flowing trot is the normal pace of the Lhasa Apso. This trot shows
the character of his movement at its best is what should be aimed for. The pads should be
seen as the dog moves away indicating a strong hind drive that is balanced by a good reach
of the forelegs. Moving too quickly in the ring throws the dogs gait off and should be
avoided.
DISQUALIFICATION:
Lhasa Apsos over 11 ½ inches (29.2 cm) are to be disqualified.
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