LHASA APSO
BREED STANDARD
Pre 1987 Kennel Club, London
GENERAL APPEARANCE - The Lhasa Apso should give the appearance
of a well balanced, solid dog.
CHARACTERISTICS - Gay, assertive, but chary of strangers.
TEMPERAMENT - (Refer Characteristics)
HEAD AND SKULL - Heavy head furnishings with good fall over
the eyes, good whiskers and beard. Skull moderately narrow,
falling away behind the eyes in a marked degree; not quite
flat, but not domed or apple shaped. Straight foreface, with
medium stop. Nose black. Muzzle about 3.8 cm (1 1/2 ins)
long, but not square; the length from tip of nose to be
roughly one-third the total length from nose to back of skull.
EYES - Dark. Medium sized eyes to be frontally placed, not
large or full, or small and sunk. No white showing at base or
top of eye.
EARS - Pendant, heavily feathered. Dark tips an asset.
MOUTH - Upper incisors should close just inside the lower,
i.e. a reverse scissor bite. Incisors should be nearly in a
straight line. Full dentition is desirable.
NECK - Strong, well covered with a dense mane which is more
pronounced in dogs than in bitches.
FOREQUARTERS - Shoulder should be well laid back. Forelegs
straight, heavily furnished with hair.
BODY - The length from point of shoulders to point of
buttocks greater than height at withers. Well ribbed up.
Level topline. Strong loin. Well balanced and compact.
HINDQUARTERS - Well developed with good muscle. Good
angulation. Heavily furnished. The hocks when viewed from
behind should be parallel and not too close together.
FEET - Round and cat-like, with good pads. Well feathered.
TAIL - High set, carried well over back and not like a pot-hook.
There is often a kink at the end. Well feathered.
GAIT/MOVEMENT - Free and jaunty in movement.
COAT - Top coat heavy, straight and hard, not woolly or silky,
of good length. Dense undercoat.
COLOUR - Golden, sandy, honey, dark grizzle, slate, smoke,
parti-colour, black, white or brown.
SIZE - Ideal height: 25.4 cm (10ins) at shoulder for dogs;
bitches slightly smaller.
FAULTS - Any departure from the foregoing points should be
considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault
should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its
degree.
NOTE - Male animals should have two apparently normal
testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
Non-Sporting Group A.N.K.C. © January 1998
Last Updated: 8/8/01
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