Lhasa Apso E-Book

Juliette Cunliffe

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Comprehensive Owner's Guide
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 195

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

The experts at Kennel Club Books present the world's largest series of breed-specific canine care books. Each critically acclaimed Comprehensive Owner's Guide covers everything from breed standards to behavior, from training to health and nutrition. With nearly 200 titles in print, this series is sure to please the fancier of even the rarest breed.

Leseprobe

Physical Characteristics of the Lhasa Apso

(from the American Kennel Club breed standard)

Head: Heavy head furnishings with good fall over eyes, good whiskers and beard; skull narrow, falling away behind the eyes in a marked degree; straight foreface of fair length.

Ears: Pendant, heavily feathered.

Eyes: Dark brown, neither very large and full, nor very small and sunk.

Nose: Black, the length from tip of nose to eye to be roughly about one-third of the total length from nose to back of skull.

Mouth and Muzzle: The preferred bite is either level or slightly undershot. Muzzle of medium length.

Legs: Forelegs straight; both forelegs and hind legs heavily furnished with hair.

Body Shape: The length from point of shoulders to point of buttocks longer than height at withers, well ribbed up, strong loin, well-developed quarters and thighs.

Tail and Carriage: Well feathered, should be carried well over back in a screw; there may be a kink at the end.

Size: Variable, but about 10 inches or 11 inches at shoulder for dogs, bitches slightly smaller.

Color: All colors equally acceptable with or without dark tips to ears and beard.

Coat: Heavy, straight, hard, not woolly nor silky, of good length, and very dense.

Feet: Well feathered, should be round and catlike, with good pads.

Contents

History of the Lhasa Apso

Explore the ancient beginnings of the mystical Tibetan lion dog, the Lhasa Apso, and discover how this rarity from “The Roof of the World” rose to conquer the dog world. The author’s experience and straightforward approach clarify many common misgivings about the Lhasa’s origin.

Characteristics of the Lhasa Apso

Part the long, luxurious strands of the Lhasa’s coat to reveal the true breed personality: gay and assertive, with an apparent aloofness and dignity. Become better acquainted with the Lhasa’s physical characteristics and temperament as well as potential hereditary health concerns.

Breed Standard for the Lhasa Apso

Learn the requirements of a well-bred Lhasa Apso by studying the description of the breed set forth in the American Kennel Club standard. Both show dogs and pets must possess key characteristics as outlined in the breed standard.

Your Puppy Lhasa Apso

Be advised about choosing a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, typical puppy. Understand the responsibilities of ownership, including home preparation, acclimatization, the vet and prevention of common puppy problems.

Everyday Care of Your Lhasa Apso

Enter into a sensible discussion of dietary and feeding considerations, exercise, traveling and identification of your dog—plus a special step-by-step section on grooming, trimming and bathing the Lhasa. This chapter discusses Lhasa Apso care for all stages of development.

Training Your Lhasa Apso

By Charlotte SchwartzBe informed about the importance of training your Lhasa Apso from the basics of house-training and understanding the development of a young dog to executing obedience commands (sit, stay, down, etc.).

Health Care of Your Lhasa Apso

Learn how to select a qualified veterinarian and care for your dog at all stages of life. Topics include vaccination scheduling, skin problems and dealing with external and internal parasites, eliminating them from your dog and his whole environment.

Showing Your Lhasa Apso

Experience the dog show world, including different types of shows and the making of a champion. Go beyond the conformation ring to obedience trials and agility trials, etc., and see how exceptional a well-trained Lhasa Apso can be.

KENNEL CLUB BOOKS®LHASA APSOISBN 13: 978-1-59378-218-4eISBN 13: 978-1-59378-978-7

Copyright © 1999 • Kennel Club Books® A Division of BowTie, Inc.40 Broad Street, Freehold, NJ 07728 USACover Design Patented: US 6,435,559 B2 • Printed in South Korea

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, scanner, microfilm, xerography or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Photography by Carol Ann Johnson, with additional photographs by:

Norvia Behling, Liza Clancy, Juliette Cunliffe, Doskocil, Isabelle Fran-cais, Mikki Pet Products, Antonio Phillipe and Samsung.

Illustrations by Patricia Peters

The publisher wishes to thank all of the owners of the dogs featured in this book, including Madame Annie Bondier, Wendy Cain, Juliette Cunliffe, Lynne Horton, Carol Ann Johnson, Anne Lyttle, Jean Stropko and RoseAnn Tilton.

The author and one of her Apsos, posing as the noble snow lion.

The enchanting little Lhasa Apso, considered by his admirers to be a big dog in a small body, hails from Tibet, the land known as “The Roof of the World.” This mystical country with its barren landscape lies at a high altitude. Inhabitants, both human and canine, have to be able to deal with extremes of temperature and fiercely bright light. The Tibetans are a stalwart race, and truly typical Apsos carry many traits similar to those of their original owners.

The Lhasa Apso is said to have existed since 800 B.C., but there is no tangible evidence of this as written historical records in Tibet were not kept until around A.D. 639. Buddhism spread from India into Tibet during the seventh century. In this faith, the lion, in its various mythological forms, plays an important part. Indeed the Buddha Manjusri, the god of learning, is believed to travel around as a simple priest with a small dog. This dog, although not an Apso, can instantly be transformed into a lion so that the Buddha can ride on its back.

It is the snow lion, though, that is considered the king of animals and it is with this white mythological beast that the Lhasa Apso is most closely connected. The snow lion is believed to be so powerful that when it roars seven dragons fall out of the sky.

Conjuring images of the mythical lion, today’s Lhasa Apso possesses all the nobility and pride of the great cat of the jungle, though he is considerably easier to live with.

Lhasa Apsos have sometimes been said to be sacred animals, but this is not so. They were certainly kept in monasteries, primarily to give a warning bark to the monks if ever intruders or uninvited guests managed to get past the enormous Tibetan Mastiffs tethered outside. Nonetheless, the breed was held in high esteem. The dogs historically never were sold, but only given as gifts, for Lhasa Apsos were believed to carry the souls of monks who erred in their previous lives. Such dogs were also given as tribute gifts for safe passage from Tibet to China, a long journey by caravan that took eight to ten months.

Although Tibetans have always drawn a distinction between the “true” lion and the “dog” lion, they have never been too clear about the naming of their breeds. Without doubt, some crossing took place between the various Tibetan breeds. Even today it is possible to breed together two full-coated Lhasa Apsos and to produce one or more puppies that look like pure-bred Tibetan Spaniels. This may come as something of a shock, but is clearly a throwback to earlier days. Interestingly, the Tibetans refer to all long-coated dogs as “Apsok,” which further complicates matters when trying to research the history of Tibetan breeds.

APSO SENG KYI

The breed has been known as “Apso Seng Kyi,” which has been translated as “Bark Sentinel Lion Dog.” However, the author considers a more accurate translation to be “hairy mustached lion dog.” Another possible translation, depending upon interpretation, could be “barking hairy lion dog.”

Tibetan Spaniels with their pet cat.

THE LHASA APSO’S RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER BREEDS

The term “Apsok,” or “Apso,” is also used to describe the Tibetan Terrier, a longer-legged cousin of the Lhasa Apso. We are the ones, in the West, who have had the temerity to add the word “Lhasa” to the breed’s name, although clearly it was necessary to draw some distinction between the various Tibetan breeds. When these breeds first arrived in the West, there was great confusion among them.

The Tibetan Mastiff, shown here, was once kept in monasteries to protect from intruders.

In the distant past, it appears that the Lhasa Apso descended from European and Asiatic herding dogs, including the Hungarian Puli and Pumi. Certainly the breed has very close connections with two of the Tibetan breeds, the Tibetan Terrier and the Tibetan Spaniel, a close relation of which is the little-known Damchi of neighboring Bhutan. Another breed closely related to the Apso is the Shih Tzu; because of the similar outward appearance, the two breeds are frequently confused even today. However, the Shih Tzu was actually developed in China, although its roots go back to the Lhasa Apso of Tibet.

TENZING AND THE APSO

Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who climbed Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, owned Lhasa Apsos. He was given two by a Tibetan monk and took both with him to his home in Darjeeling, where he founded a kennel. Tenzing took a keen interest in the breed and enjoyed watching the breed on his visits to the UK.

The Tibetan Terrier, shown here with a pup, is the longer-legged cousin of the Lhasa Apso.

THE BREED’S INTRODUCTION TO BRITAIN

It has been erroneously quoted all too often that the Lhasa Apso first came to Britain in 1928, but it is essential to realize that the breed was there long before then. The first Lhasa Apso reported in Britain was in 1854, and certainly there were several representatives of the breed in Britain leading up the turn of the 20th century. There was, though, great confusion surrounding the naming of breeds at this time, and Lhasa Apsos and Tibetan Terriers founds themselves variously referred to as Thibetan, Kashmir, Bhuteer or Lhassa Terriers, and even as Thibet Poodles. In tracing back breed records, I have found different puppies from individual litters registered under a number of different breed names, which exacerbates the problem to no end.

The Tibetan Terrier, shown here, bears quite a resemblance to his cousin, the Lhasa Apso.

The Shih Tzu has a close tie to its Tibetan cousin, the Lhasa. Today the two breeds are most distinct in size and construction.

PRINCE HAJA

In 1933 it was reported that the Lhasa Apso Prince Haja of Tibet was actually bought as a mongrel for the sum of 15 shillings. He had been purchased from a monkey cage in Bedford. His owners had never heard of the breed but, having discovered what he was, registered the dog under his new name with The Kennel Club as “Pedigree and breeder unknown.”

Because there were both Lhasa Apsos and Tibetan Terriers in Britain at that time, some were described as being as small as Maltese Terriers, but others as large as Russian Poodles. Clearly the discrepancies arose because there was, indeed, more than one breed. Something that all the dogs had in common was that their tails curled over their backs, a highly Tibetan characteristic of several different breeds known today.

PRE-WORLD WAR I

There are some enchanting stories revolving around some of the earliest Apsos to leave Tibet. We hear of one that was carried on the saddle for miles and miles, with an attendant wreathed in turquoise. However, Apsos did not only belong to the very wealthy—one called Tuko was purchased from a market cart, the contents of which he was quite prepared to defend until grim death!

The Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison imported several foreign breeds to Britain. One of several Lhasa Apsos she owned was Bhutan, renowned for begging at dog shows to raise money for the war fund. Even Princess Alexandra, a regular and enthusiastic visitor to shows, was known to have remarked that the little dog looked as if he was begging to leave the show. Sadly Bhutan contracted distemper and, said his owner, “…died at his post, so to speak.”

The rare Pumi seems to be closely associated with the early development of the Lhasa Apso.

INITIAL CHAMPIONSHIP STATUS

The breed known today as the Lhasa Apso gained championship status in Britain in 1908, although at this time it was shown in different classes for two different sizes, thus accommodating the Tibetan Terrier as well. One of the earliest champions of the breed, Eng. Ch. Rupso, was imported from Shigatse in 1907. When he died, his body was stuffed and preserved in the British Museum at Tring. To this day, Rupso is still labeled in the museum as a “Tibetan Terrier,” although he was definitely a Lhasa Apso and measures slightly under 10 inches in height at withers.

BETWEEN WORLD WAR I AND WORLD WAR II

The war years took their toll on the breed and the Lhasa Apso was among several breeds that struggled to survive. In 1921 Colonel Bailey took over from Sir Charles Bell as Political Officer for Tibet, and Colonel Bailey and his wife brought back Apsos to Britain in 1928. This was the beginning of a traumatic time to follow, for soon after Shih Tzu were also imported to Britain from China and initially some thought them to be the same breed as the Lhasa Apso.

The elegant beauty of a champion-quality Lhasa Apso. Apsos can be admired in almost all colors, as the standard does not favor one color over another.

At first these dogs were shown together in the same classes, but differences were noted. The difference in length of forefaces was especially noted, leading to what was to become known as “the war of the noses.” The ladies and gentlemen of the day who enthused about the breeds from Tibet and China engaged in heated, but polite, debate. The English Kennel Club also became involved. Finally the differences were resolved and in 1934 breed standards were laid down for the Lhasa Apso, Tibetan Terrier, Tibetan Spaniel and Tibetan Mastiff. The Shih Tzu was classified as a separate breed and it was not represented by the newly formed Tibetan Breeds Association.

A Lhasa Apso puppy, already showing his heavy coat. The Apso’s coat was designed to protect him from the Tibetan weather.

The Puli is often thought of as being an early ancestor of the Apso. The Hungarian language derives from Mongolian, so perhaps there is proof of an ancient connection.

The breed had now finally arrived on a firm footing, but it did not compare with the popularity of the breed today. In 1935 only 12 Lhasa Apsos were entered at the famous Crufts dog show, which gives an indication of how little the breed was known in Britain at that time.

EFFECTS OF WORLD WAR IIINBRITAIN

There was severe curtailment of breeding programs during the World War II, and in Britain many people had their dogs destroyed. Thankfully, it was recognized that for lesser known breeds such drastic measures would spell disaster. Therefore, breeders of Lhasa Apsos were among those who were urged to make every effort to help their breeds survive through those difficult times, provided that their dogs were not eating food that would deprive humans.

A glamorous Lhasa Apso, groomed American style.

Between 1939 and 1944, only ten new puppies were registered in the breed, and late in the 1940s Miss Marjorie Wild’s important Cotsvale strain was wiped out by hardpad and distemper. Thankfully the breed did manage to survive through some Ladkok- and Lamleh-bred dogs, these descending from the Baileys’ imports from Tibet. It was clear, though, that bloodlines had dwindled and had once again to be built up. Just a handful of Lhasa Apsos, largely of unknown pedigree, was imported from Tibet before the Chinese banned all movement of dogs from the country.

THE 1950S

Numbers of Kennel Club registrations had risen gradually so that by 1956 it was felt that the breed was strong enough to break away from the Tibetan Breeds Association and form its own club. This saw the beginning of the Lhasa Apso Club, even though there were only 27 members at the club’s first Annual General Meeting and fewer than half of them owned Apsos.

WELCOME TO TIBET

The Lhasa Apsos homeland, Tibet, is a high table land; the plains around Lhasa are about 2 miles above sea level. In size Tibet is equal to France, Germany and Great Britain combined, and temperatures vary considerably. Within the space of a day, temperature may rise from below 32 to 100 degrees Farenheit.

In 1959 the name of the breed was changed to Tibetan Apso, as it felt that this was the only breed from Tibet that did not bear the country’s name. However, the change of name did not last long; by 1970 the name had once again reverted to Lhasa Apso.

CHAMPIONSHIP STATUS REGAINED

It was in May of 1964 that the English Kennel Club announced that Lhasa Apso registrations were sufficient in number for Challenge Certificate status to be restored. The first set of Challenge Certificates (CCs), required for a dog to become a champion in the UK, went on offer in 1965, a year in which nine sets were awarded. The first Apso to gain a post-war championship title, by dint of winning three CCs under different judges, was Brackenbury Gunga Din of Verles. Owned by Mrs. Daphne Hesketh Williams, Gunga Din won his third and crowning CC at the West of England Ladies Kennel Society (WELKS) under judge Miss Wild (Cotsvale), who had owned Lhasa Apsos since around the turn of the century.

A lovely Apso puppy is Modhish Mumbo Jumbo Millie at about one month of age. Her striking color pattern is evident even at a very young age.

The winner of the Bitch CC at that same show was Beryl Harding’s Brackenbury Chigi-Gyemo, who was the first bitch in the breed to gain her crown, an accolade that came later that same year.

Since then the breed has gone on from strength to strength in Britain, and is one of the most popular breeds in the Utility Group, ranking in the top 20 most popular breeds of all in terms of Kennel Club registrations.

The breed has certainly hit high spots with Eng. Ch. Saxon-springs Hackensack winning Best in Show at Crufts in 1984, and Eng. Ch. Saxonsprings Fresno and Eng. Ch. Saxonsprings Tradition winning Top Dog All Breeds in 1982 and in 1998, respectively.

THE LHASA APSO IN THE US

An American by the name of Suydam Cutting was a world traveler, and after World War I went on an expedition to Tibet with a brother of Theodore Roosevelt. Mr. Cutting went back to Tibet around 1930 when he met His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and subsequently sent him four dogs as a gift. As a result, a correspondence friendship developed between them and early in 1933, the first month of the Year of the Water Bird, HH the Dalai Lama sent to Mr. Cutting and his wife two Lhasa Apsos. Two more Apsos followed and then, in 1950, HH the 14th Dalai Lama sent another pair. These last two, Le and Phema, both became American champions. Sadly, Phema never had a litter, but Le sired several offspring.

The Cuttings’ home was at Hamilton Farm in Gladstone, New Jersey, where the Apsos were supervised by Fred Huyler and James Anderson, who bred and showed Apsos under the Hamilton affix. Mr. Huyler was later to become the very first President of the American Lhasa Apso Club.

Although other people also played an important part in the Lhasa Apso’s early history in the US, it was largely through the Cuttings and their Hamilton Kennels that the breed initially found its place on the American show scene. Their endeavors played an important role leading up to the American Kennel Club’s recognition of the breed in 1935. The Cuttings were greatly interested in preserving the heritage of the Lhasa Apso and, with the help of their associates, they achieved their goal. Selection of breeding stock was rigorous and the Hamilton dogs became famous worldwide for their uniformity of type.

The American breed standard was also drawn up in 1935, but, during the breed’s early years in America, confusion raised its head in the breed once again. From 1937 some dogs were imported to the US, where they were registered in good faith as Lhasa Apsos. Unfortunately, they were actually Shih Tzu. Before their true identity was recognized, some of the dogs were bred from, but this practice was stopped in 1950. In consequence, many American Lhasa Apsos carry Shih Tzu blood in their pedigrees, although this does not apply to all, for some lines remained clear in those formative years.

To explain the breeding behind these imports is complex to say the least, but in their background were four of the Hutchins’ and Brownriggs’ Shih Tzu, Lung Fu Ssu, Tang, Hibou and Yangtze, who had been involved in the controversy between breeders in the early years in Britain.

In 1960 Mrs. Winifred Drake of the Drax kennels in Florida imported the dog, Ramblersholt Le Pon, and the bitch, Ramblersholt Shahnaz, from Mrs. Florence Dudman in England. The bitch became a champion and also won her American Lhasa Apso Club Register of Merit Award.

Another import to the US was Chumpa of Furzyhurst, who went to live in California with Mrs. Albertram McFadden of Lui Gi kennels. Not only did Chumpa become a champion but he also sired several champions himself. His grandson, Ch. Lui Gi’s Shigatzoo, went on to the San Saba kennel in Texas and later, in 1966, to the Cho Sen kennel in Kentucky.

Another of the early kennels in this breed that produced one of the bloodlines behind today’s stock is Mrs. Dorothy Sabine de Gray’s Las Sa Gre kennel in California. Mrs. de Gray imported from England Ch. Fardale Fu Ssi, who was registered in the US as a Lhasa Apso but was, in fact, a Shih Tzu. She also owned a bitch called Las Sa Gre, who was of uncertain background. She might possibly also have been a Shih Tzu, though without any AKC background information this cannot be confirmed, and she might indeed have been an Apso. Whatever she was, over the years to come, Las Sa Gre’s offspring, combined with Apsos from other lines, produced some very notable dogs in the breed’s history in the US.

A smartly coiffed Lhasa Apso is the product of dedicated breeding and proper care and rearing.

Another bloodline that came into America was from Chinese imports shortly before World War II. William Patch, a navy officer, bought littermates Ming Tai and Tai Ho from Mrs. Harvey Hall of Shanghai. While she was in quarantine in Hawaii, Tai Ho gave birth to three puppies, sired by her own father, Rags. Two other imports from China were Shanghai, of the same breeding as the first two, and Lhassa.

Apsos at home in the Himalayas. These dogs look much different than those in full show coat.

Early history of this breed in the US also goes back to dogs brought in from Canada in the early 1930s. The first two to come in from Canada here were the bitch, Dinkie, and the dog, Taikoo of Kokonor. Indeed the first two Lhasa Apsos registered after AKC recognition in 1935 were Tarzan of Kokonor and Empress of Kokonor, bred in 1933 by Miss Torrible and owned by Bruce Heathcote of Berkley, California.

When the Lhasa Apso was first classified in the AKC’s group system, the breed (once called the Lhassa Terrier) was included in the Terrier Group, but this categorization changed in 1959, when it was transferred to the Non-Sporting Group, where it has remained.