Lhasa Apso Breed Standard

The Australian National Kennel Council

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 3.8cm (1 1/2ins) 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 as 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, part-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.