Comte Henri De Bylandt 1894/1904 |
Back not too short and with a slight arch at the loin. |
Lionel Jacob 1901 |
There is a tendency in England to look for a level top and a short back. All the best specimens have a slight arch at the loin, and the back should not be too short |
Standard 1935 |
Strong loin. |
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Standard 1960 |
Strong loin |
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Dr Guy LESCURE 1961 |
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Standard 1972 |
Level top-line. Strong loin |
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A.K.C. Standard 1978 |
Strong loin |
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C.K.C. Standard 1982 (Canada) |
Topline level |
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A.N.K.C. Standard 1987 (Australie) |
Level top-line along back and strong loins. |
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F.C.I. Standard 1987 |
Level topline. Strong loin |
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F.C.I.. Standard 1998 |
Back : Level topline. Loin : Strong. |
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Level topline. Strong loin |
Jigme TARING |
"amongst the characteristics of a pure breed Apso, one can note that their body is rather lengthened and their fore paws a little bit shorter than the after paws." (notes on the Tibétains Dogswritten by J. Taring and found in the Dalai Lama’s Blibliotheque by Nicole Mukholy) |
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"Mr Jigme TaringTaring House, was recommended by the fourteenth Dalai Lama bo be an authority on Lhasa Apsos... Mr Taring was taken as a special breed judge of Tibetan breeds on the panel of FCI judges and judged at leats three ILAA dog shows." (page 255-256 – " The New Complete LHASAAPSO " - Norman et Carolyn Herbel. All this for me is a sufficient proof of the expertise of Mr Taring in Lhasa Apsos |
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| Lady Freda VALENTINE | Lady Frieda Valentine, who acquired her first Lhasa in the early 30's and judged many of early dogs, felt that this was an important aspect of Lhasa type. In her judging in the last few years of her life, she often complained that the dogs had lost their "poops". (referring to the raised poop of a boat). |
Dr C. MARLEY |
In her wonderful analysis of Tibetan-Lhasa "Made in Tibet " writes : |
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| But before we make the level topline a sine qua non of quality, we ought to ask what use this would be to the animal. A general consideration of the construction needs of jumping animals would suggest that efficient conformation for a Lhasa would include being a little high in the rear. Do you suppose that is why we see this "fault" so often ? "The History of Lhasa Apso Standards ": ....”In fact, no animal should have a “level” topline - only a very small part os the vertebral column should be “level”. |
Dr S.D. SHAMA |
Moreover this characteristic gives the Lhasas "The slightly hoppy Apso Action" |
Lhasa is not the only dog to have this characteristic. Already Ronsard when the huntsmen of its time sought to produce the best dogs of pack wrote: "et la jambe derrière plus longuette un petit que la jambe première " |
The authentic type has a straight topline but not parallele to the ground. As Lady Freda Valentine says, the "poop" should be slightly higher than the "bow" (frontarms) . This is a characteristic of the genuin type. For me if it is not so, the dog is not pure breed. Now of course everybody is free to like it or not but the authentic dog is so. As Docteur Marley, very rightly points out , this poop is often considered by the Judges as a "fault". Nevertheless it remains a characteristic of the breed, made and moulded by the seroundings, and in my opinion, it is an error of our western way of conceiving things to get rid of it in particular if we also read Gigme Taring. The first Hamiltons had this characteristic as well as the French Lhasas whose origine came from Xeres (Tibet import) and Hamilton Kangmar. The SHOWS have changed the dog to such an extent that today Lhasas walk like American Cokers. |
Comments: |
Before studying this point, we must take into consideration two very important things :.
As to the “strong loin”, well muscled, it is normal it be slightly arched. - Comte Henri de Bylandt (1894-1904): with a slight arch at the loin - Lionel Jacob(1901) : All the best specimens have a slight arch at the loin. Any other interpretation would seem wrong. Here are examples concerning " topline", iin some other breed standards . TIBETAN TERRIER Top line : level. - Type n° 1. Loin : short, slightly arched. Croup: level. SHI TZU Back: level - Type n° 1. Loin: Well coupled and sturdy. BLACK RUSSIAN TERRIER Back: level, broad and strong. - Type n° 1. Serious Faults: roach back Faults: narrow back, weak back. Loin: short, well developed and muscular. Serious faults: extremely long loin Croup: broad, muscular, slightly sloping Faults: too flat, too steepor too narrow. In mature dogs, the croup as high or higher than the withers. DOBERMANN Withers: protrude in height and width – especially in males – and thereby determine the rise of the topline. Back: short and hard, of good width and well-muscled. Loins: of good width and well-muscled. The bitch can be slightly longer in the loin area, as this would be conducive to carrying puppies. Croup: should slope slightly, but hardly visibly from the hipbone to the base of the tail. It thereby appears well rounded, is neither straight, nor extremely sloping. Good width and well muscled. RETRIEVER (Chesapeake Bay) Topline not roached, but rather approaching hollowness. Type n° 3. POODLE Back short, strong, slightly hollowed; loins broad and muscular. - Type n° 3. SPANISH GALGO Dorsal-lumbar line: with a slight concavity of the back and a convexity of the loin. Type n° 3 on the back and type n° 2 on the loins It is interesting, to note that reference to the "topline" only appears in the 1972 standard, whereas "strong loin" is mentioned in the 1935 standard and even earlierby De Bylandt and Jacob.
SHAR-PEÏ Shar-peï also belongs to this “plunging back” type of dogs. Topline: Dips slightly behind the withers; then it rises slightly over loin. Back: Short, strong. Loin: Short, broad, slightly arched. Croup: Rather flat |
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| Topline being formed by the withers, back, loin and croup, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WOULD IT NOT BE MORE CORRECT TO SAY : “TYPE OF BACK”INSTEAD OF “TOPLINE” ? |
