GENERAL APPEARANCE
Shoulder height: 25.4cm (l0”) for dogs - bitches smaller.
Colour: Golden, sandy, honey, dark grizzle, slate, smoke, particolour black, brown or white.
Coat: Straight hard outercoat - dense undercoat.
Gait: Jaunty and free. These sturdily built little dogs are well coated, with a good fall of hair from their skull, good whiskers and beard. The skull is moderately narrow and two thirds longer and than the 3.8cm (1‘½”) muzzle. The medium sized eyes
are frontally placed and the pendant ears are heavily feathered. A well arched neck runs into a compact body that is longer than the shoulder height. The high set tail is well feathered and carried over the back. The well angulated fore and hind quarters end with round, feathered feet.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CARE
Lhasa Apsos are a happy but assertive breed, and like many of their Eastern counterparts, are aloof with strangers. They make excellent members of a family household but do not always tolerate rough young children. Training should be done with a firm but kind hand. Regular grooming is required with a brush that reaches right through the coat to avoid knots and tangles.
HISTORY
Also known as the Tibetan Temple Dog, this breed takes its name from the capital Lhasa, while the word ‘apso’ is a derivation of ‘rapso’ meaning goat-like in Tibetan. They are acutely sensitive to sound and coupled with a characteristic piercing bark has earned this breed the Tibetan name of ‘Apso seng kye’ which means ‘the sentry dog with a bark like a lion’. It was the practice in Tibet, for the Tibetan Mastiff to be chained outside the building to act as a guard dog; while high on the walls, the duty of the Lhasa Apso was to sound the alarm when intruders approached. These little dogs incorporated crosses from the two other Tibetan breeds, the Tibetan Spaniel and the Tibetan Terrier. Favourites of both monks and nobility it was difficult to purchase them and due to the remoteness of Tibet, the breed was not ‘discovered’ by Westerners until the 20th century.

GENERAL APPEARANCE
Shoulder height: 25-33cm ( 10”-13”).
Colour: Any colour or combination of colours.
Coat: Being trimmed in a traditional lion clip, the fine coat is long and wavy.
Gait: Free flowing with plenty of drive and a proud head carriage.
This member of the toy group is well balanced and strongly built. The skull is relatively broad but overall the head is short. The pendant ears are long and well fringed, and the large dark eyes are round. A proudly carried arched neck runs into a short strong body and the gaily carried clipped tail carries a tuft of hair at its tip. The well angulated fore and hindquarters finish with small round feet.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CARE
Intelligent, lively and affectionate, the Lowchen is also active and alert.
They make excellent companions for people of all ages and nothing makes them happier than running in the park. Often known as the Little Lion Dog, this breed is not in the habit of showing aggression. Regular grooming is necessary and a brush with bristles that reach through the unclipped coat is necesssary. The ears should be regularly inspected and the nails must not be permitted to get too long.
HISTORY
‘Lowchen’ in German means little lion dog - a name they earned from their clipped appearance. Irrespective of the origin of their name, the breed is more popular in France where it was originally known under the title of ‘Petit Chien Lion’. While the ancestry of this breed is not well documented, from appearances and characteristics, it is believed their origins are not dissimilar from those of the Bichon Frise, Bichon Bolognese and the Maltese, and therefore of Mediterranean heritage.