OFFICIAL BREED STANDARD OF THE LHASA APSO
KENNEL UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA
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 eyes, good whiskers and beard. Skull moderately narrow, falling away behind eyes, not quite flat, but not domed or apple headed. Straight foreface with medium stop. Nose black. Muzzle about 4 cm (1.5ins), but not square; length from tip of nose roughly one thirdntotal length from nose to back of skull.
Eyes - Dark. Medium size, frontally placed, oval, neither large nor full, nor small or sunk. No white showing at base of top.
Ears - Pendant, heavily feathered.
Mouth - Upper incisors close just inside lower ie. reverse scissor bite. Incisors in a broad and as straight a line as possible. Full dentition desirable.
Neck - Strong and well arched.
Forequaters - 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.
Hindquaters - Well developed with good muscle. Good angulation. Heavily furnished with hair. Hocks, when viewed from behind, parallel and not to close together.
Feet - Round, cat-like with firm pads. Well feathered.
Gait / Movement - free and jaunty.
Tail - high set. Carried well over back but not like a pot hook. Often a kink at 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 : Dogs 25,4cm (10 ins) at shoulders; 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.