You might ask why it is important to consider the history of the
various
standards. No phenomenon can be understood without knowing it's
history and the changes that have occurred over time. This is
especially true of a document like a breed Standard. The most
authentic
descriptions of the breed were the earliest, because subsequent
alterations
in the breed have instigated a series of changes in the standard to
accommodate
the changes in breed type. If we want to find the original
authentic
type, we must examine the earliest standards. Likewise, to
understand
the changes in type, we need to look at the fragmentation of the single
standard into several regional standards, and the changes that have
been
made in the process.
The earliest standard we have is one written in 1901, by Mr.
Lionel
Jacobs M.I.C.E., Government Official in the Punjab, an organizer
of the Northern India Kennel Club. This standard was used to
judge
the breed as early as 1904 in India. In his remarks on the breed,
published in THE DOG OWNERS ANNUAL for 1901, he states ;
"The Tibetan,
Bhutan or Lhasa Terrier, is now usually allowed to be a distinct breed,
and perhaps of all others it merits the distinction. . . . There are
Tibetan
Terriers as large as Russian Poodles, and have others almost as small
as
Maltese. A few would appear to have Terrier instincts, but many have
the
habits of the large dog of Tibet. The Lhasa Terrier has now (i.e.:1900)
found a foothold in India and is bred there, though not in considerable
numbers. At one time it was only to be obtained in its purity at Lhasa,
and the breed was once, it is said, jealously guarded by the Bhuddist
priests.
But, traders finding a demand among the dog loving public of India,
contrived
to convey specimens to Leh and Kashmir, westward, and to Darjeeling,
eastward."
Mr. Jacobs' standard was the only one used to judge the breed in England and in India from 1907 to 1934. The first English champion of the breed was Ch. Rupso, imported from Shigatse (in Tibet) in 1907, gaining his English championship in 1908.
In 1934, Mr. Jacobs' standard was revised and the new standard
adopted
by the Kennel Club (Britain). The 1935 US standard was taken almost
word
for word from the British standard of the previous year and approved by
AKC in 1935. From 1935 into the 60's there was virtually only one
standard for the Lhasa Apso throughout the world. Then things
began
to change. . .
|
|
Character - Gay and assertive, but chary of strangers. | Character - Gay
and assertive, but chary of
strangers.
|
| Size. About 10 in. or 11 in. height at shoulder for dogs, and 9 in. or 10 in. for bitches." | Size - Variable but about 10 inches or 11 inches at shoulder for dogs, bitches slightly smaller. | Size - Variable, but about 10 or 11 inches at the shoulder for dogs, bitches slightly smaller. |
| Head. Distinctly Terrierlike. Skull narrow, falling away behind the eyes in a marked degree, not quite flat, but not domed or apple shaped. Fore face of fair length, strong in front of the eyes, the nose, large, prominent and pointed, not depressed; a square muzzle is objectionable. The stop, size for size, about that of a Skye Terrier. | 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, about 1 1/2 inches long, or the length from tip of nose to eye to be roughly about one-third of the total length from nose to back of skull. | 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. |
| Mouth. Quite level, but of the two a slightly overshot mouth is preferable to an undershot one. The teeth are somewhat smaller than would be expected in a Terrier of the size. In this respect, the breed seems to suffer to an extraordinary degree from cankered teeth. I have never yet seen an imported specimen with a sound mouth. | Mouth and Muzzle - Mouth level, otherwise slightly undershot preferable. Muzzle of medium length; a square muzzle is objectionable. | Mouth and Muzzle -The preferred bite is either level or slightly undershot. Muzzle of medium length; a square muzzle is objectionable. |
| Ears. Set on low, and carried close to the cheeks, similar to the ears of a dropeared Skye. Eyes. Neither very large and full nor very small and sunk, dark brown in colour. | Ears - Pendant, heavily feathered. Eyes - Dark brown, neither very large and full, nor very small and sunk. |
Ears - Pendant,
heavily feathered Eyes - Dark brown, neither very large and full, nor very small and sunk. |
| Legs and Feet. The fore legs should be straight. In all short legged breeds there is a tendency to crookedness, but the straighter the legs the better. There should be good bone. Owing to the heavy coat the legs look, and should look, very heavy in bone, but in reality, the bone is not heavy. It should be round and of good strength right down to the toes, the less ankle the better. The hocks should be particularly well let down. Feet should be round and catlike, with good pads. | Legs - Forelegs straight; both forelegs
and hind
legs heavily furnished with hair. Feet - well feathered, should be round and catlike, with good pads. |
Legs - Forelegs straight; both forelegs
and hindlegs heavily
furnished with hair. Feet: Well feathered; should be round and catlike with good pads. |
| Body. There is a tendency in England to look for a level top and a short back. All the best specimens have a slight arch at the loin and the back should not be too short; it should be considerably longer than the height at the withers. The dog should be well ribbed up, with a strong loin and well developed quarters and thighs. | 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. | Body Shape - The length from the point of shoulders to point of buttocks longer than height at withers, well ribbed up, strong loin well developed quarters and thighs. |
| Coat. Should be heavy, of good length and very dense. There should be a strong growth on the skull, falling on both sides. The legs should be well clothed right down to the toes. On the body, the hair should not reach to the ground, as in a show Yorkshire; there should be a certain amount of daylight. In general appearance the hair should convey the idea of being much harder to the eye than it is to the touch. It should look hard, straight and strong, when to the touch it is soft, but not silky. The hair should be straight with no tendency to curl. | Coat - Heavy, straight, hard, not woolly nor silky, of good length, and very dense. | Coat - Heavy, straight, hard, not woolly nor silky, of good length and very dense. |
| Colour. Black, dark grizzle, slate, sandy, or an admixture of these colours with white. | Color - Golden, sandy, honey, dark grizzle, slate, smoke, particolour, black, white or brown. This being the true Tibetan Lion-dog, golden or lionlike colours are preferred. Other colours in order as above. Dark tips to ears and beard are an asset. | Color - All colors equally acceptable with or without dark tips to ears and beard. |
| Stern. Should be carried well over the back after the manner of the tail of the Chow. All Thibetan dogs carry their tails in this way, and a low carriage of stern is a sign of impure blood | Tail and Carriage - Well feathered, should be carried well over back in a screw; there may be a kink at the end. A Iow carriage of stern is a serious fault. | Tail and Carriage - Well feathered, should be carried well over the 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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| CHARACTER:
Gay and assertive,
but chary of
strangers. SIZE: Variable, but about 10 or 11 inches at the shoulder for dogs, bitches slightly smaller. COLORS: All colors equally acceptable with or without dark tips to ears and beard. BODY SHAPE: The length from the point of shoulders to point of buttocks longer than height at withers, well ribbed up, strong loin well developed quarters and thighs. COAT: Heavy, straight, hard, not woolly nor silky, of good length and very dense. MOUTH AND MUZZLE: The preferred bite is either level or slightly undershot. Muzzle of medium length; a square muzzle is objectionable. 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. EARS: Pendant, heavily feathered Eyes: Dark brown, neither very large and full, nor very small and sunk. LEGS: Forelegs straight; both forelegs and hindlegs heavily furnished with hair. FEET: Well feathered; should be round and catlike with good pads. TAIL AND CARRIAGE: Well feathered, should be carried well over the back in a screw; there may be a kink at the end. A low carriage of stern is a serious fault. |
GENERAL
APPEARANCE - Well
balanced, sturdy,
heavily coated. CHARACTERISTICS -
Gay
and assertive TEMPERAMENT - Alert, steady but somewhat aloof with strangers. HEAD & SKULL: Heavy head furnishings with good fall over the eyes, good whiskers and beard. Skull moderately narrow, falling away behind the eyes, not quite flat, but not domed or apple headed. Straight foreface with medium stop. Nose black. Muzzle about 4cm (11 /2 “) but not square: length from tip of nose roughly one third total length from nose to back of skull. EYES - Dark, Medium size, frontally placed, oval, neither large nor full, nor small and sunk. No white showing at base or top. EARS - Pendant, heavily feathered. MOUTH - Upper incisors close just inside lower, i.e. reverse scissor bite. Incisors in as broad and as straight a line as possible. Full dentition desirable. NECK - Strong and well arched FOREQUARTERS - Shoulders well laid back, forelegs straight, heavily furnished with hair. BODY - Length from point of shoulders to point of buttocks greater than height at withers. Well ribbed. Level topline. Strong loin, balanced and compact. HINDQUARTERS - Well developed, with good muscle, good angulation, heavily furnished with hair. Hocks when viewed from behind parallel and not too close. FEET - Round, cat-like, with firm pads. Well feathered. GAIT / MOVEMENT - Free and jaunty TAIL - High set, carried well over the back but not like a pot-hook, often a kink at the end, well feathered. COAT - Top coat long, heavy, straight, hard, neither woolly nor silky. Moderate undercoat. COLOUR - Golden, sandy, honey, dark grizzle, slate, smoke, parti-colour, black, white or brown. All equally acceptable. SIZE - Ideal height 25.4cm (10 inches) at shoulder for dogs; bitches slightly smaller. FAULTS - Any departure from the forgoing points should be regarded as a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. |
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, wind-swept
plateaus,
warm summers and cold winters, it is the home of the Lhasa Apso. It is
an ancient breed and genealogical tables show them to be in existence
as
far back as 800 B.C. Having been bred for centuries as a 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 dogs is between 10 - 11 in. (25 - 28cm) with up to 11 1/2 in. (30cm) permissible. Bitches should be slightly smaller. Lhasa Apsos over 11 1/2 in. (30cm) 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 COLOUR: 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 good fall over the eyes. Good whiskers and beard. In Obedience the hair may be tied back from the eyes. The ears should be heavily furnished. The legs should be well furnished. The tail should be well furnished. The feet should be surrounded with hair. The pads have hair between them which may be trimmed. The forequarters, hindquarters and neck are heavily furnished. All colours and mixtures of colours considered equal. HEAD: SKULL: The skull is 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 be roughly 1 1/2 in. (4cm) or the length from the tip of the nose to the inside corner of the eye to be roughly one-third 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 slightly below the lower eye rim when viewed from the front. MOUTH: The bite is 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 meeting edge to edge). Undesirable bite: overshot, excessively undershot (more than 1/8 in. (.3cm). The teeth must not show when the mouth is closed. EYES: The eyes are dark brown. Not large or small or sunken. The iris should be of reasonable size, no white showing at the base or the top of the eye. The eyes are frontally placed in an oval-shaped black rim. EARS: The ears are pendant. They should be well set back on the skull at eye level (not level with the topline 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 legs should not be bowed. From the front when the dog is standing, the legs should be straight, parallel, elbows well under the body. The forelimbs support a good share of the body weight when the dog is standing or 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 should be short, round and compact with good pads turning neither in nor out. Nails: ideally black. In particoloured or light-coloured coats, light nails and pads are permitted. Dewclaws permissible. BODY: Topline level. Chest well-ribbed up, i.e., the ribs should extend well back along the body. The slightly curved ribs should not extend below the elbows. Loin: Too long a loin adds excess length to the back and results in a loss in 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, the hocks 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 in 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 and is what should be aimed for. The pads should be seen as the dog moves away indicating a strong hind drive which is balanced by a good reach of the forelegs. Moving too quickly in the ring throws the dog off gait and should be avoided. DISQUALIFICATIONS: Lhasa Apsos over 11 1/2 in. (30cm) are to be disqualified. |
As you can see the British and Canadian standards have set the breed on a new course. Instead of the rustic characteristics that fit the Apso for survival, we now see strictly SHOW characteristics being introduced: arched necks, high set tails, a more undershot bite. The Canadian standard goes so far as to call the trot the "normal pace for the Lhasa Apso". Not my apsos. They gallop, jump and climb a lot more than they trot, and I suspect they did the same in Tibet. The trot is the showring gait.
The English standard is accepted by FCI as the international standard. This standard has undergone several iterations since 1935. Each time the changes have been in the direction of fewer and fewer Tibetan features, and more and more toward a lowland "Oriental" type. Most notable are the elimination of "well ribbed up" (meaning a long rib cage) in favor of "well ribbed" (meaning barrel chested) as required by some Shih-tzu standards, and the description of a bite suitable for a bulldog, but not an Apso. For the first time we see an "oval" eye mentioned - a trend to the Shih-Tzu type eye.
The Canadian standard is greatly increased in verbosity, but otherwise (not unexpectedly) has paralleled the English Standard. One overall impression of the Canadian standard is that one is not simply reading the description of a dog, but of a SHOWDOG. The "impression of elegance" mentioned under neck, is a completely foreign element added to the little Tibetan Apso. Now, instead of a simple statement of "longer than tall", we see "slightly" longer than tall - not any more the real Tibetan Apso, but a generic showdog body. One wonders what the next versions of the English and Canadian standards will say: "very slightly" longer than tall? Or will they finally dispense altogether with the typical outline of the Tibetan Apso.
Both the British (FCI) standard and the Canadian standards have added some extra showring features not found in, and even contradicting, earlier standards. The Canadian standard insists on a straight front with no "toeing-out". The 1901 standard specifically states that the front legs of all short legged breeds have a tendency to bow, and there is ample evidence that toeing-out is a normal feature of all singletrackers. The British (FCI) standard asks, in effect, for a wide rear. This may be an invitation to all manner of orthopedic defects. Also removed (in all the modern standards) is any mention of a keystone arch in the loin. The Canadian standard asks for a "level topline". However, the word "topline" is never defined, and might be interpreted as any part, or the entire upper "skyline" of the dog. In fact, no animal should have a "level" topline - only a very small part of the vertebral column should be "level".
The American standard is still the most faithful to the original dog and to the original standards of 1901 and 1935. The change in the wording of "mouth" to "bite" was the only serious error. " Level mouth" means jaws of equal length. A mouth may be level with no teeth at all. A level mouth will contain teeth that meet in a scissor bite, a pincer bite or a reverse scissor bite. However a "level bite" describes only one thing - a pincer occlusion. The change of this one word has shifted the meaning 180 degrees from the original standard of 1901. The English (FCI) standard has taken it one step fiurther toward a puggy, ornamental, low altitude dwelling type.
What does this comparison show us? We think the answer is clear. The original rugged little Apso, who survived at 12,000 to 16,000 feet elevation in the Himalayas, is being transmogrified to an ornamental creature which could no longer survive in his country of origin. Why? Because the arch-necked, big-eyed, soft-coated, short-bodied, flashy-moving dog is what wins in the ring. The real Apso is being replaced, with the blessing of the breed standards, by a generic showdog.