What it says:
| What is does NOT say: |
Character:
Gay
and assertive, but
chary of strangers.
|
Pretty
straightforward. The dog should be an
assertive animal that is cautious or wary of strangers.
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Size:
Variable,
but
about 10 or 11 inches at shoulder for dogs, bitches slightly smaller.
|
Again
quite clear. A good amount of wiggle room is
allowed by the two modifiers , "variable" and "about".
| It
does not say that bitches look more feminine or ascribe any other sex
differences - only size. Any attempt to introduce
"interpretations" of this type are additions
to the Standard, not interpretations. You cannot interpret
what is not there.
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Color:
All
colors equally
acceptable with or without dark tips to ears and beard.
|
No
problems here -
anything goes. Elsewhere in
the Standard is specified black nose leather, so a valid interpretation
would exclude liver pigmented colors.
| |
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.
|
It
describes the proportions as longer from point of shoulder to
buttock than the height at the wither. It specifies a long
ribcage, and a well muscled lumbar area. It also requires a
well developed hindquarter. | 1.
It does
not request a long neck.
2. It does not ask for a level topline.
3. It does not describe the movement
4. It does not describe the layback or lay on of shoulders.
5. It does not specify a degree of angulation in the front or
rear.
6. It does not describe the desired depth of chest.
All of these characteristics, since they are left out, are assumed to
be the default "normal canine". To describe them any other
way is to inject opinion into the Standard.
|
Coat:
Heavy,
straight, hard, not woolly or silky, of good length, and very dense.
|
It
describes the natural coat texture and density, and asks for "good
length". Good length is historically taken to mean long
enough to identify the breed as long-haired, as opposed to the wild
type rough coat or the domestic smooth or wiry coats.
| It
does not ask for a coat to the ground. In fact, historically
standards of the past have specified that there be "daylight" under the
dog. It does not say that the dog has to be perfectly parted
in the middle.
|
Mouth
and Muzzle: The
preferred bite is either level or slightly undershot. Muzzle of medium
length; a square muzzle is objectionable.
|
The
Standard
defines the bite as level or
slightly undershot, and the muzzle as "medium" in length. It
also specifies that a "square" muzzle, (i.e. AKC
definition: "blunt", making a right angle with the top plane of the
muzzle), is undesirable.
| It
does not address the
nose leather or
nostrils, however we can deduce that these should be large and open
because of the biology/climate of the area of origin. It also
does not address the complement of teeth. This can be deduced
as the default normal canine. Also note it does not mention a
"chin", a "lip" or a "strong underjaw". In fact these are all
associated with a square muzzle which is stated to be objectionable.
|
Head:
Heavy head furnishings with good fall over eyes, good whiskers and
beard, skull narrow, falling away behind 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.
|
1. It covers head and
face hair. 2. Describes the cranium as "narrow"
(longer than wide), with no rise behind the level of the eyes, and
nearly flat on top. 3. It asks that the
foreface be "straight" (not dished nor down-faced), occupying one third
of the total head length. 4. The nose leather must be black.
| It
makes no mention of the zygomatic arches or facial bones
(other than the muzzle length and angle.) Therefore, the default normal
canine is assumed. No particular configuration of Zygomatic
arches is specific to origin or purpose, so any references to
these structures are additions to the Standard, not interpretations.
|
Eyes:
Dark brown,
neither very large and full, nor very small and sunk.
|
It
specifies eye color and size.
| It
does not specify eye shape. Lacking any reference to shape,
the default (normal canine) is assumed.
|
Ears:
Pendant, heavily feathered.
|
Ears
are covered with long hair and are not prick ears, but are hanging . | Ear
set is not specified. The normal canine is a prick ear, so we
cannot invoke the default. In the domestic canine group with
pendant ears, there is a wide variety of ear set, so we need to look to
the origin and purpose for interpretation. The purpose of the
breed as an indoor watchdog calls for good hearing, and does not
require the talents of a scent hound. Therefore an earset
rather higher than that of a hound or hunting spaniel is required.
|
Legs:
Forelegs straight; both forelegs and hind legs heavily furnished with
hair.
|
It
treats only the foreleg structure, indicating they should be straight.
Both hind and fore legs are heavily clothed with long hair.
| It
does not specify angulation or width, which can thus be taken as
default normal canine.
|
Feet:
Well-feathered; should be round and catlike, with good pads.
|
Only
that the feet should be catlike, (short round and compact), which means
they should be tight with arched toes. The pads need to be
thick and relatively large to absorb shock and increase endurance over
the stony terrain of the Himalayas.
| It
does not cover the hair or webbing of the feet. The default
canine does not have the hairy hobbit feet of our Lhasa Apso, so we
have to go to the origin and purpose to find the interpretation of the
breed: i.e. the hairy feet protect against snow, ice and sharp
rocks.
|
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.
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The
language, because it specifies the hair, the particular
architecture and the bony anomaly of a kink, it is obviously describing
the anatomy of the tail in its normal relationship to the rest of the
body. When, in that context, it then adds that an abnormal
(low) carriage of the tail is a serious fault, it is also describing an
anatomical characteristic and not a temperamental one.
| It
does not not say that the tail is fixed on the back, nor that that a
serious fault exists if it is not seen to be permanently fixed on the
back .
|