Lhasa Apso

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aishia.jpg
OriginTibet (China)
hideTraits
Height Dogs
approximately 25 cm (10 in)[1]
Coat long, hard
Colour black, brownish, dark grizzle, golden, honey, parti-colour, sandy, slate, smoke or white[1]
hideKennel club standards
FCI standard
NotesFCI patronage: United Kingdom[2]
Dog (domestic dog)

The Lhasa Apso (/ˈlɑːsə ˈæpsoʊ/ LAH-sə AP-soh) is a non-sporting dog breed originating in Tibet.[3] It has traditionally been used as an interior sentinel.

Etymology[]

A Lhasa Apso head
A young Lhasa Apso, not yet fully coated
A young Lhasa Apso
A Lhasa Apso with a long, dense coat

Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, and apso is a word from the Tibetan language. There is some debate over the exact origin of the name; some claim that the word "apso" is an anglicized form of the Tibetan word for goatee ("ag-tshom", ཨག་ཚོམ་) or perhaps "ra-pho" (ར་ཕོ་) meaning "billy goat".[4] It may also be a compound noun meaning "bark-guard" (lit. "ap" [ཨཔ], to bark, and "so" [སོ་], to guard).[5][6][dead link][unreliable source]

History[]

The Lhasa Apso originated in Tibet. In the early twentieth century some Tibetan dogs were brought to the United Kingdom by military men returning from the Indian subcontinent. These were of mixed types, similar either to what would become the Lhasa Apso or to what would become Tibetan Terrier; they were collectively known "Lhasa Terrier".[7]: 294 

The original American pair of Lhasas was a gift from Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama to C. Suydam Cutting, arriving in the United States in 1933. Mr. Cutting had traveled to Tibet and met the Dalai Lama.[8] At the time, there was only one Lhasa Apso registered in England.[9] The American Kennel Club officially accepted the breed in 1935 in the Terrier Group, and in 1959 transferred the breed to the Non-Sporting Group.[10] In the UK, they are placed in the Utility Group.

The breed was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1960.[2]

Characteristics[]

Dogs stand about 25 cm at the withers, bitches slightly less.[1]

The breed standard requires dark brown eyes and a black nose, although liver-colored Lhasas have a brown nose. The texture of the coat is heavy, straight, hard, neither woolly nor silky, and dense. They come in a wide variety of colors including black, white, red, and gold with various shadings.

Lhasas can be with or without dark tips at the ends of ears and beard. The tail should be carried well over the dog's back. The breed standard currently used by the American Kennel Club was approved on July 11, 1978.[11]

It ranks 126th (out of 138) in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, having fair working-obedience intelligence.[12][13] The Lhasa Apso is a long-lived breed, with many living in good health into their early 20s.[14]

A red Lhasa Apso

A 2004 Kennel Club survey puts the median lifespan of the breed at 14 years 4 months.[15] UK vet clinic data puts the median at 13.0 years.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c FCI-Standard N° 227: Lhasa Apso. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed August 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b FCI breeds nomenclature: Lhasa Apso. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed August 2021.
  3. ^ Definition of Lhasa apso, EtymologyOnline.com
  4. ^ Wehrmann, Stephen (2002). Lhasa Apsos: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Behavior, and Training. Barron's Educational Series. ISBN 0-7641-1958-3.
  5. ^ Definition of "ab-pa", Rangjung Yeshe Tibetan Dictionary
  6. ^ Definition of "so-ba", Rangjung Yeshe Tibetan Dictionary
  7. ^ Anne Rogers Clark, Andrew H. Brace (1995). The International Encyclopedia of Dogs. New York: Howell Book House. ISBN 0876056249.
  8. ^ Wehrmann, Stephen (2002). Lhasa Apsos. Barrons Educational Service Publisher. ISBN 0-7641-1958-3.
  9. ^ Aldige, Leslie (22 July 1968), "Dog of the Year", New York, pp. 32–34
  10. ^ "Lhasa Apso History", American Kennel Club
  11. ^ Club, American Kennel. "Lhasa Apso Dog Breed Information". Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  12. ^ "Dog intelligence rankings". 6abc.com. WPVI-TV. November 12, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  13. ^ "Ranking of Dogs for Obedience/Working Intelligence by Breed". Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  14. ^ "Border Collie, Chinese Crested, English Mastiff, Italian Greyhound, Lhasa Apso". Dogs 101. Season 2. Episode 5. October 31, 2009. Event occurs at 3:01. Animal Planet. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  15. ^ "Individual Breed Results for Purebred Dog Health Survey". Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  16. ^ O’Neill, D. G.; Church, D. B.; McGreevy, P. D.; Thomson, P. C.; Brodbelt, D. C. (2013). "Longevity and mortality of owned dogs in England" (PDF). The Veterinary Journal. 198 (3): 638–43. doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.09.020. PMID 24206631.
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