illustrated lhasa apso

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TheAmerican Lhasa Apso Club

The Lhasa Apso

Illustrated Guide



Prepared by

The American Lhasa Apso Club

Breed Standard Committee



The American Lhasa Apso Club Illustrated Guide to the Standard

The Lhasa Apso standard is an attempt to defne an ideal specimen

and is a descriptive guide by which a Lhasa Apso should be judged. The

standard is not designed or the person who has never seen a Lhasa Apso

but is meant as a description or those who are amiliar with the breed and dogs in general. It is important, thereore, to oer this guide as a

more in-depth study o the unique qualities that set the Lhasa Apso apart

rom other breeds and, at the same time, emphasize the characteristics

that cause the Lhasa Apso to be representative o the breed.

CHARACTER - GAY AND ASSERTIVE, BUT CHARY OF STRANGERS.

Originatingin thelonelyandisolatedreachesotheHimalayanmountains,LhasaApsosreecttheirTibetanheritageinmany

characteristicways.Relativelyunchangedorhundredso years,thesesturdylittlemountaindogsareastidiousbynatureandareguardians,especiallywithintheirdomain.

Whenlookinghisbest,theLhasaApsoexhibitsaregalattitude.He isseldomapetbutratheracompanion,otenaclown,but

neveraool.

Lhasa exhibiting its regal attitude Lhasa playing in the snow

HistoricallyinTibet,hisprimaryunctionwasthatoaguardianinsideBuddhistmonasteriesandhomesoTibetannobility,where

hisintelligence,acutehearingandnaturalinstinctorbeingabletoidentiyriendromstrangermadehimwell-suitedorthisrole.

TheLhasaApsotemperamentisunique.Hisratherindependentandstubbornnaturerequirespatientunderstanding,andhe

resistsharshorstrictdiscipline.Heisrathercalmanddeliberate,althoughchary(suspicious)ostrangers,adirectreectionohis

long-standingheritageoseclusioninTibet.

TheLhasaApsodoesnotchangeloyaltieseasilyandislessprotectiveawayromhishomeenvironment.Slowtomature,hedoes

notreachhisprimeuntilwellintohisthirdorourthyear.Heagesgraceullyandkeepsayouthulappearanceandattitudewellinto

histeens.

1



SIZE - VARIABLE, BUT ABOUT 10 INCHES OR 11 INCHES AT SHOULDER FOR DOGS, BITCHESSLIGHTLY SMALLER.

TheheightotheLhasaApsoisvariable.Theuseotheword“about”allowsvariation,ideallybetween10and11inches.“Bitchesslightlysmaller”reersasmuchto thoseemininecharacteristicswhichdistinguishbitcheseasilyrommalesratherthansimplyto

height.

Thestandard’srequestoraLhasaApsoo10or11inchesattheshouldersuggestsadogwhoseboneisinproportiontohisheightandweight.Thereshouldbenohintocoarseness,massiveboneorbody.TheLhasaisagileandcapableomaneuvering,reecting

hisoriginasabreedaccustomedtothemountainousandruggedterrainoTibet.

Correct bone or the average size dog

Too heavy boned

TheLhasaApsoisadogomoderation.Notonlyisheightaactor,butconsiderationmustalsobegiventoweight,proportion

andlengthobody,ortheseallcontributetothefnalpictureooverallbalance.ALhasaApsoinproperweightandconditionwillbe

ogoodhardesh,wellmuscledandneithertooatnortoothin,althoughatendencytowardleannessisnotuncommonintheyoung

dogsincetheLhasaApsoisslowtomature.

2



COLOR - ALL COLORS EQUALLY ACCEPTABLE WITH OR WITHOUT DARK TIPS TO THE EARSAND BEARD.

The standard specifcally states

that no color prederence is to

be given.

3



BODY SHAPE - THE LENGTH FROM POINT OF SHOULDERS TO POINT OF BUTTOCKS LONGER

THAN HEIGHT AT WITHERS, WELL RIBBED UP, STRONG LOIN, WELL-DEVELOPED

QUARTERS AND THIGHS.

Whenviewedromtheside,theLhasaApsosilhouetteisthatoawell-balanceddog,possessingalevelbacklinewithoutexag-

gerationobodyparts.Bodylengthismeasuredspecifcallyrompointoshoulderstopointobuttocksandshouldbelongerthanthe

heightatwithers.Theoverallpictureshouldberectangularinprofle.

Point o shoulders to point o

buttocks longer than the height

at withers.

s ss

s

A properly balanced rectangular profle

The overall picture

should be rectangular

in profle.

Excessive back length is undesirable The Lhasa is not a square dog

4



Thestandard'srequestor"well-ribbedup"isotenmisconstruedasarequestoraull,roundedorbarrel-shapedribcage.

Thisisnotthecorrectmeaningowell-ribbedup.Rather,thisexpressionisusedtodescribealongribthatextendswellbacktoward

theloinarea.Thislongribtendstolesscurvaturethanashorterrib,creatingasomewhatattersidetothebodyandallowingora

gooddepthobrisket.

Astrongwell-muscledloinomoderatelength,alongribcageandalevelbacklineareessentialorefcientmovement.

Good depth o The long rib cage

brisket, level extends well back

with or toward the strong loin

slightly below

the elbow

Viewedromtheront,theribcageisovalinshape.

Correct oval-shape Slab-sided Barrel-shaped

5



Atthetrotthegaitissmoothandree-owing.Thelegsmoveparallel,coming

andgoing,withatendencytoconvergeasthedogincreasesspeed.

Therontootcontactstheground

wellorwardwithnotendencyto- wardhackneyorexaggeratedlit.

Strong, well developed rear

quarters with a moderately

angled croup provide good

drive

Therearlegsshouldreachunderthebodyandpush

outwellbehind,carryingthebodyorwardinbalance withthe ront;goingaway,thepadso therear eet

giveevidenceogoodollowthrough,withoutexag-

geratedkickup.

AlthoughnotmentionedintheStandard,alevel

backlineisdesirable,bothstandingandmoving.

6



Theneckisstrongandwell-proportioned,risingsmoothlyromtheshouldersandcarryingtheheadwithanairoassertiveness.

AstheLhasaApsomovesandincreasesspeed,thereisatendencyortheheadtobeextendedslightlytowardthelineotravel.

Side gait without coat, showing good reach and drive Side gate with coat

Balance can be aected by both coat length and the surace on which the dog stands.

In the two photos below, note how the balance appears to change.

These two pictures are actually o the same dog, taken on a concrete surace and in the grass.

7



COAT - HEAVY, STRAIGHT, HARD, NOT WOOLY NOR SILKY, OF GOOD LENGTH, AND VERY DENSE.

OneothemostdistinguishingeaturesotheLhasaApsoisthebeautiulcloakohair,partedinthemiddleanddrapingtoeach

sideromheadtotail.“Heavy,”“straight,”and“hard”arewordsthatbringtomindadefnitevisualaswellastactileconnotation.Heavy

impliesnotlightorfneoryaway;strongresilienthairwithamoderateamountoundercoatisdesirable.Whenlitedoutromthe

body,itwillallimmediatelybackandblendinwiththerestothecoat.Heavyhairmustbehardintexture,sothatwhenitisrubbed

betweenthefngers,individualhairswillbeelt.Straightness(orlackoit)isapparentataglance.Toassessheavinessandhardnessocoat,onemusttouchit.Althoughhard,thecoatshouldnotbewiryorroughtothetouch.

Theadjectives“wooly”or“silky”areselexplanatoryandarenottypicalothebreed.“Ogoodlength”denotesamplelength,

substantialbutnotexaggerated.Lengthmustbeadequateorthepurposeoprotection,notwithstandingeaseomaintenance,yetgive

theappearanceoluxuriousbeautyintheshowring.

Historically,thegoodheadallandwell-eatheredeetandlegsrequestedinourstandardprotectedthissmalldogagainstextreme

temperaturesandtheroughterrainohisnativeland.Becauseotheirlate-bloomingmaturity,theLhasaApsomaybetwoorthree

yearsoagebeoretheadultcoatreachestheground.Excessivetrimming,and/orsculpturingistobediscouraged.

Hair, close-up. When rubbed

between the fngers, individual

hairs will be elt.

The coat must be adequate or the

purpose o protection.....

(young adult)

The luxurious beauty and

headall o this Lhasa marks him

as a very mature adult.

8



MOUTH AND MUZZLE - THE PREFERRED BITE IS EITHER LEVEL OR SLIGHTLY UNDERSHOT.

MUZZLE OF MEDIUM LENGTH; A SQUARE MUZZLE IS OBJECTIONABLE.

Thepreerredbiteiseitherlevelorslightlyundershot.Areversescissorsbiteistheidealundershotbite.Ascissorsbiteoran

undershotbitewithteethvisiblewhenthemouthisclosedisnotdesirable.Adequatewidthothelowerjaw,withaullcomplemento

incisorscontributestoproperexpression.

Level bite, side view CORRECT Level bite, ront view

Reverse scissor bite, side view CORRECT Reverse scissor bite, ront view

9



Themuzzleislevelandomediumlength,withadesiredonetotworatio(1:2)omuzzletoskull.Themuzzleisneitherturned

upnorisdown-aced.Theplanesothemuzzleandskullareparallelwhenviewedinprofle.

A correct muzzle length Same correct head An incorrect 1:3 ratio

HEAD - HEAVY HEAD FURNISHINGS WITH GOOD FALL OVER EYES, GOOD WHISKERS AND

BEARD; SKULL NARROW, FALLING AWAY BEHIND THE EYES IN A MARKED DEGREE,

NOT QUITE FLAT, BUT NOT DOMED OR APPLE-SHAPED; STRAIGHT FOREFACE OF FAIR

LENGTH. NOSE BLACK, THE LENGTH FROM TIP OF NOSE TO EYE TO BE ROUGHLY

ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE TOTAL LENGTH FROM NOSE TO BACK OF SKULL.

TheLhasaApsoheadisveryimportant.Thedistinctexpressionisenhancedbythestandard’srequestorheavyheadurnishings

whichincludesmuzzleurnishingsandbeard,withlengthanddensityinproportiontotheheadall.Whenbeingshown,thelongheadall

overtheeyesiscommonlybrushedtothesides,enablingthedogtoseebetter.Artifcialmeans,suchasbandsand/orbarrettestohold

backthehairarenotallowedintheconormationring.

Bands and/or barrettes are not

allowed in the conormation ring.

10



Theskullshapeisnarrowandalthoughnotquiteat,itisnotdomedorapple-shaped.Well-placedears,ateyelevel,willaccentuate

thenarrowhead.Anearsetthatishigherthaneyelevelcanmisleadoneintoassumingtheskullisbroad.

Tounderstandtheterm“allingawaybehindtheeyes”correctly,onemustbeabletoappraisethewidthoskullwithouttheillusion

obreadthcreatedbyheavyheadurnishings.Whenexaminingthehead,gentlypushthehairtowardthebackotheskullandeelthe

zygomaticarch(cheekbone).Itshouldbeonlyslightlycurved,notprominent.

The same dog, viewed rom the ront and above, showing correct skull Broad backskull and high set ear

Correct skull from

above, showing the

breakdown of the

1:2 ratio

TheLhasaisstraightooreace;neitherromannosednordishaced.Thelengthromtheoutertipothenosetoeyeisroughly

one-thirdthetotallengthromthetiponosetobackoskullorocciput,andcanbeexpressedasaonetotworatio(1:2).Themuzzle

meetsthebackskullatamoderateangleormingashallowstop.

Thestandard’srequestor"noseblack"eliminatesanypossibilityoselcolorliverpigmentbeingcorrect.Fulldepthopigmenta-

tionisessentialtogoodexpressionandrequiresdarkpigmentoneyerimsandlips.

Straight oreace and correct stop Domed skull, deep stop incorrect,

oten accompanied by too short a

muzzle as well 11



A comparison o the head o the Lhasa Apso and the Shih Tzu shows the obvious diversity in the two head styles.

Lhasa Apso head in profle Shih Tzu head in profle

showing correct shallow stop showing correct pronounced stop

Lhasa head in coat Shih Tzu head in coat

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LhasaApsoHead-Standard ShihTzuHead-Standard

SKULLNARROW, FALLING AWAYBEHIND THEEYES IN A MARKED DEGREE, NOT

QUITEFLAT,BUTNOTDOMEDORAP-

PLE-SHAPED; STRAIGHT FOREFACE

OF FAIR LENGTH. NOSE BLACK, THE

LENGTH FROM TIP OF NOSE TO EYE

TO BE ROUGHLY ABOUT ONE-THIRD

OF THE TOTAL LENGTH FROM NOSE

TO BACK OF SKULL.

Lhasa Apso head - rontal view

HEAD - ROUND, BROAD, WIDE BETWEEN

EYES, ITS SIZE IN BALANCE WITH

THE OVERALL SIZE OF THE DOG

BEING NEITHER TOO LARGE OR

TOO SMALL

Shih Tzu head - rontal view

Lhasa head in coat Shih Tzu head in coat

13



EYES - DARK BROWN, NEITHER VERY LARGE AND FULL, NOR VERY SMALL AND SUNK.

ThedarknessotheeyeanditsmediumsizehelpgivetheLhasaApsothedesiredsotnessoexpression.Theeyeisrontallyplaced,

ovalinshape,andshouldnotbeprominent.Ideally,theirisshouldflltheeyewithnowhiteshowingwhenthedogislookingstraight

ahead..

A round eye is

incorrect.

White showing

around the eye

or a “ringed” eye

is incorrect.

(Teeth showing

is undesirable)

The dark medium-sized eye is

oval in shape and frontally placed.

EARS - PENDANT, HEAVILY FEATHERED.

TheearsotheLhasaApsoarependant,hangingclosetothehead,andareheavilyeathered.Earsthatareplacedwellbackon

theskullandideallysetneareyelevel,willcomplementthestandard'srequestoranarrowskull.

Well-placed ears will complement a narrow skull

14



LEGS - FORELEGS STRAIGHT, BOTH FORELEGS AND HIND LEGS HEAVILY FURNISHED WITH

HAIR.

Thereshouldbenodiscussionotherontlegswithoutmentionotheshoulderassembly.Thelengths,romwitherstopointo

shoulderandpointoshouldertoelbowareequal.Propershoulderplacementisessentialorsupportandbalance,withsmoothtransi-

tionromnecktobackline.Theprosternumisprominent.Fromelbowtopasternthelegshouldappearstraightwhenviewedromthe

ront.Theeetmay,however,turnoutslightly.Thepasternsareslightlyletdown.

Prominent

prosternum

Measurements rom

withers to point o

shoulder, point o

shoulder to elbow,

should be equal

Correct straight

ront leg

Badly bowed ront

leg and toeing out

15



TherearconstructionotheLhasaApsoisthatoanormalcanine

structure,withadequateangulationandplacement,hocksperpendicu-

lartothegroundandslightlybehindthepointobuttocks.

Hocks slightly behind the

buttocks. Well developed

rear assembly.

Hocks perpendicular Cowhocked - very poor rear to the ground

The ront and rear angulation should

be in balance, providing well matched

reach and drive.

16



FEET - WELL-FEATHERED, SHOULD BE ROUND AND CATLIKE, WITH GOOD PADS.

Theeetarewell-roundedwiththickpads.Theyareheavilyurnishedwithhairbetweenthetoes.Thehairmaybetrimmedor

neatness.Dewclawsmayberemoved.

Good oot, (round, catlike Poor oot and

with frm pads), pastern weak pastern slightly let down

A study o what you "see" under the hair.

17



TAIL AND CARRIAGE - WELL-FEATHERED, SHOULD BE CARRIED WELL OVER BACK IN A SCREW;

THERE MAY BE A KINK AT THE END. A LOW CARRIAGE OF STERN IS A

SERIOUS FAULT.

TheLhasaApsohasatailsetsufcientlyhightoenablethetailtobecarried wellover theback, butcarriageotailmaybedependentonattitudeaswell

asstructure.Inthestandard,reerenceismadeto"alowcarriageosternisa

seriousault."Thismeansthatwhenthedogismoving,thetailshouldbeupand

carriedwellovertheback.WhenaLhasaApsoisstandingorotherwisebored,

heotendropshistail.Itshouldbenotedthatthetailisnotalwayscarriedina

screw,butisotencarriedwelloverthebackinacurl,lyingtotheside.Akink

isnotuncommonintheLhasaApso'stail.Thetailshouldbewell-eathered

withlonghair.

Tail carried well over the back in a screw

Tail carried well over the back in a curl,

lying to one side

The American Lhasa Apso Club wishes to thank the ollowing

or their photographic contributions to the Illustrated Guide:

John Ashbey Miguel Betancourt Barbara Raledge

The American Shih Tzu Club18



LHASA APSO BREED BOOKSBerndt,RobertJ.Your Lhasa Apso,Ed.WilliamW.DenlingerandAnnabelRathman,Fairax,VA:Denlingers,1974

Brearley,JoanM.This Is the Lhasa Apso,NeptuneCity,NJ:T.F.H.Publicaions,1977

Chenoweth,PatriciaandThomasChenoweth. How to Raise and Train a Lhasa Apso,Neptune,NJ:T.F.H.Publications,1965

Cunlie,Juliette, All about the Lhasa Apso,PelhamPress,StephenGreenePress,1990

Herbel,NormanandCarolynHerbel.The New Complete Lhasa Apso,NewYork:HowellBookHouse,1993

Legl-Jacobsson,Elizabeth. East Asiatic Breeds,Sweden:TryckProductions,1978

McCarty,Diane. Lhasa Apsos,NeptuneNJ:T.F.H.Publications,1979

Nicholas,AnnaK.The Lhasa Apso,NeptuneNJ:T.F.H.Publications

Pata,JanLinzyandVickieWells.(Compilers) Lhasa Apso Champions,1952-1980.Foresthill,CA:PataPublications,1982

Plunkett,Nancy. A New Owners Guide to Lhasa Apsos,T.F.H.Publication,1998Schneider,Earl,Ed. Know Your Lhasa Apso,Harrison,NJ:ThePetLibrary,Ltd.

Seton,Frances,The Lhasa Apso,Parramatta,Australia:MacarthurPress,Reprinted1975

Simsova,Sylva,Tibetan and Related Dog Breeds: A Guide to Their History,TibetanTerrierAssociation,1979

Vervaeke-Hel,SallyAnn, Lhasa Lore,Loveland,CO:AlpinePublications,1983

Wehrmann,Stephen, Lhasa Apsos,Barrons,1990,Revised2002,SharonL.Vanderlip,DVM

Wynward,AnnL. Dogs o Tibet and the History o the Tibetan Spaniel,LeicesterBookWorld,Rugby,1982

Magazine

The Lhasa Bulletin,PublishedquarterlybyTheAmericanLhasaApsoClub.Editor,BarbaraWood,[email protected]

For updated inormation, check our website at: www.lhasaapso.org. 19



NOTES

20



A woman rom the Tibetan Reugee Camp in Kathmandu with her very typey Lhasa Apso. Photo courtesy Barbara Ratledge, September 1975

21

illustrated lhasa apso

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