Della Grifunera

The Lhasa Apso originated in the area of Malaysia over 4,000 years ago as a small breed of mountain wolf. They were domesticated and actively bred perhaps as long ago as 800 BC, which makes the Lhasa Apso one of the oldest recognized breeds in the world. Recent research has shown the Lhasa as one of the breeds most closely related to the ancestral wolf. (Others are Akita, Shiba Inu, Shar-Pei, Chow, Basenji, Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Husky, Saluki, Afghan, Pekingese, Shih Tzu, and Samoyed.)
Referred to in Tibet as Apso Seng Kyi, which can be translated as "Bearded Lion Dog", the Lhasa's primary function was that of a household sentinel, guarding the homes of Tibetan nobility and Buddhist monasteries, particularly in or near the sacred city of Lhasa. The large Tibetan Mastiffs guarded the monasteries' entrances, but the keen hearing and sharp bark of the Lhasa Apso served to warn residents by acting like a burglar alarm if an intruder happened to get past the exterior guards.
It was believed that the bodies of the Lhasa Apsos could be entered by souls of deceased lamas while they awaited rebirth into a new body. Lhasas in Tibet were never sold. The only way a person could get one was as a gift.
In the early 1900s, a few of the breed were brought by military men returning from the Indian subcontinent to England, where the breed was referred to as "Lhasa Terrier".

FCI-Standard N° 227

ORIGIN: Tibet
PATRONAGE: Great Britain.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL VALID STANDARD: 13.10.2010.
UTILIZATION: Toy Dog.
FCI-CLASSIFICATION: Group  9  Companion and Toy Dogs.
Section  5 Tibetan breeds.
Without working trial.

BEHAVIOUR AND TEMPERAMENT: Gay and assertive. Alert, steady but somewhat aloof with strangers.
HEAD: Head furnishings with fall over eyes; but not affecting the dog’s ability to see, good whiskers and beard.
CRANIAL REGION:
Skull: Moderately narrow, falling away behind eyes, not quite flat, but not domed or apple headed.
Stop: Medium.
FACIAL REGION:
Nose: Black.
Muzzle: About 4cms, but not square; length from tip of nose roughly one third of total length from nose to back of skull. Foreface straight.
Jaws / Teeth: Upper incisors close just inside lower i.e. reverse scissor bite. Incisors in a broad and as straight a line as possible. Full dentition desirable.
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.
NECK: Strong and well arched.
BODY: Balanced and compact.
Topline: Level.
Loin: Strong.
Chest: Ribs extending well back.
TAIL: High set, carried well over back but not like a pot-hook. Often a kink at end. Well feathered.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS:
Shoulder: Well laid back.
Forearm: Forelegs straight, heavily furnished with hair.
Forefeet: Round, cat-like with firm pads. Well feathered.
HINDQUARTERS:
General appearance: Well developed with good muscle. Good angulations. Heavily furnished with hair.
Metatarsus (Rear pasterns): Hocks when viewed from behind parallel and not too close together.
Hind feet: Round, cat-like with firm pads. Well feathered.
COAT:
Hair: Top coat long, heavy, straight, hard neither woolly nor silky. Moderate undercoat. Coat never impeding action.
Colour: Golden, sandy, honey, dark grizzle, slate, smoke, parti-colour, black, white or brownish. All equally acceptable.
SIZE:
Ideal height at the withers: Males: 25 cms, females 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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressive or overly shy.
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.