History
Country Of Origin
The Lhasa Apso originally come from the land of Tibet living in the Tibetan tempels. The breed can be tracked as far back as 800 B.C. They were apriciated as Companian- and watchdogs, and still are.
Originally, the dogs were kept as good luck talismans and were never sold but given away as gifts to those who the lamas held in high esteem.
Original use
As said, they were companian- and watchdogs. They would alert the owner and/or the big Tibetan Mastiff.
Today´s Lhasa
When the Lhasa first got recognized they got called "Lhasa Terriers" together with other alike breeds, like the Tibetan Terrier, Lhasa because it means hairy and Terrier because of their "cautious towards strangers" behavior. In 1933 they got their first club with their name Lhasa Apso in England. In the breed standard their charitaristics are described like following "The Lhasa Apso is gay and assertive, but cautious of strangers." The Last part isn´t what most would describe them as today. It´s rarely seeing a Lhasa who is cautios of strangers, but of course there is still some who are, but the general picture of Lhasa´s, this is a more outdated fact.
Breed Standard
General appearance:
The Lhasa Apso is a small, well balanced, sturdy and heavily coated breed. It is rectangular in outline, but remain compact.
Head:
The narrow skull falls away behind the eyes. It is not flat, but on the other hand is not domed nor apple-shaped. It joins the muzzle at a moderate stop.
Their muzzle must be 1/3 of their whole head, measured from the tip of their, well pigmented black nose, to the back of their skull. Their mouth should be able to close without their reversed scissor bite showing. Their eye´s placed forward in the skull, the eye´s should be oval in shape and dark in color, and there must be no white showing. Their expresion should end with pendant type ears that are heavily feathered. Their head should lead into a beautiful strong, and well-arched neck.
Fore- and hindquarters:
Their shoulders should be well laid back and their forelegs should be straight with a great amount of coat. Hindquarters should be muscular, and well-developed. Hindlegs should be muscular and well angulated. Viewed from behind, the rear pasterns are parallel and not too close to one another. Their feet should be round, cat-like feet with firm pads, and are well feathered.
Body:
The topline is level, and the ribs extend well back in the body to a strong loin, leading to a well-feathered high-set tail carried over the back. note there might be a kink at the end. The written hight in the standard for males 25 and females should be a bit smaller than the males, so they remain feminine.
Coat & Color:
The heavy, very dense, hard topcoat is straight and of good length. There is moderate undercoat. The head furnishings are very heavy, with a good fall over the eyes, good whiskers and a beard. almost human like hair texture. All natural colors are acceptable.
Gait:
should be easy, free, and jaunty, with the overall aperance giving the feeling of effortlessness.
Country Of Origin
The Tibetan Terrier is not a terrier at all, but is an ancient Tibetan herding breed, believed to be the progenitor of the Lhasa Apso and other Eastern European herding breeds. It was also used as a guard dog of the Tibetan monasteries and was often referred to as a "holy dog" and was thought to bring good luck. Together with the Lhasa Apso they got reconized as " Lhasa Terriers ". Lhasa because it means hairy and Terrier because of their "cautious towards strangers" behavior.
The Tibetan Terrier was recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1973.
Original use
As said, they were guarddogs, and like the Lhasa a companion dog.
Today´s TT
The TT is to this day still great companion- and guarddogs. They contain a lot of great qualities, they can enjoy a bed but still be very active. Some TT´s still have the "Cautious toward stragers" behavior, it very much depends on the lines and the indavidually dog, but that isn´t just for the TT´s that counts for every breed. They very much like company and enjoy their human.
Breed Standard
General appearance:
The Tibetan Terrier is a medium sized, powerfully built, square breed with a profuse coat that comes in a variety of colors. It has large, flat feet and a high set tail that curls over the back.
Head:
The head is well furnished with long hair that falls over the eyes and the foreface. The skull is of medium length and width, slightly wider at the ear than at the eye. It is slightly rounded in shape, and there should be a marked stop between skull and muzzle. The muzzle should be 1/2 of the whole head measured from the tip of their, well pigmented black nose, to the back of their skull. The muzzle is strong, with a well-developed lower jaw. The cheeks are well-developed, but not bulging. They are allowed to both have scissor and reversed scissor bite. They should have large, dark brown eyes which should be placed fairly wide apart. Eyelids must also be dark in color. Their expresion should end with pendant type V-shaped ears that are heavily feathered, and does not fall to close to the head. Their head should lead into a proportional, slightly arched, and carried erect neck.
Fore- and hindquarters:
Their shoulders are sloping, well laid back, and well muscled. Their forelegs should be straight and strong with a great amount of coat.The distance from the withers to the elbow equals the distance from the elbow to the ground. The pasterns slope slightly. Hindquarters should be fairly broad and well-musculed. Hindlegs are well bent at the stifle, with low set hocks. The feet are unique, being large, flat and round in shape, producing a snowshoe effect that provides traction. There is no arch in the toes. The feet are heavily furnished with hair between the toes and the pads.
Body:
The body is compact, square and strong. The chest is deep, and the ribs are well-sprung. The topline is level to the loin, which is short, strong and slightly arched. The croup is flat to the set on of the tail. The tail is set fairly high, and should be carried over the back. Note their might be a kink near the end. They should measure between 35 and 41Cm.
Coat & Color:
The TT has a profuse, double coat. The undercoat is soft and woolly. The outer coat is long and fine. It may be wavy or straight. All natural colors are acceptable.
Gait:
At a trot, the gait is smooth and free, with good reach and powerful drive. There should be a tendency to single track.
