Tibetan Lhassa Apso

History of the "Tibetan Line" (TL)
in Germany

I have always felt a particular sympathy for all those who made the effort to question themselves, who dared to go against the stream, in one word, those who were looking for the truth. This is what has been my sentiment towards Mrs Bracksieck, Lhasa judge and breeder since 1969, because she had the courage to undertake a return to basics, feeling that the dog’s type was not merely confined to the length of its fur or its number of teeth. In close cooperation with Kerstin Handrich, she started a breeding programme in order to introduce pure Tibetan dogs blood into the best American blood lines.

Supported and helped in their efforts by KTR and by a team of fanciers, in the noble sense of the word, the positive results we admire today, eight years later, seem to speak for themselves as an example to follow.
I would have wished to see similar work being done here in France, where, not so long ago, we had a type of Lhasa, which fashion had not yet polluted and which looked so much similar to these TL little dogs.

I warmly thank Kerstin Handrich for having authorised me to present here all the history of their breeding programme.

Tibetan Line (TL)

Lhasa Apso Breeding Programme

Chu Chu Princess of Tongsa

The following article by Kerstin Handrich represents the first comprehensive document of the eight year history (1995-2003), of the “Tibetan Line” Lhasa Apso breeding programme which was incited by the German Traschi Deleg kennel (Gerti Bracksieck & Kerston Handrich), then officially registered by the KTR and jointly conducted by a group of dedicated breeders.
The “Tibetan Line” (TL) project stands for the ambitious undertaking of systematically identifying, introducing and integrating authentic-type Apsos from the Himalaya region into old authentic-type Apdo bloodlines from the USA. After the KTR board, being in charge of running the KTR stud book policies (officially recognized by both, the German Kennel Club/VDH and the Federation Cynologique Internationale / FCI) has approved the project in September 1995, an exciting experiment began and – thanks to the devotion of its supporters – could be successfully accomplished.

Focus of the programme was the re-connection of the modern Lhasa Apso with its authentic type, its native fitness and its original mindset. The “Tibetan Line” project in Apsos zxemplifies the mission of the KTR (as the world’s oldest breed club for all Tibetan breeds) to actively promote the understanding & preservation of true type and true confirmation.

Based on the breeding regulations, the KTR board is open to officially evaluate and sanction “Tibetan Line” activities in all Tibetan breeds.

Christopher HABIG
KTR President

Tibetan Line (TL)

Lhasa Apso: "The Tibetan Line"
or the remarkable work of some German breeders.

Since about 10 years I observe with a great interest the remarkable work started at the beginning by two German breeders, Mrs Gerti Bracsieck and Mrs Kerstin Handrich to establish what it have been call the “TIBETAN LINE” in the Lhassa Apso.
The “Tibetan Line” project consist in the reconnection of the “modern” Lhasa Apso with its authentic type. Like Mr. Ch. Habig, the president of the German Club for Tibetans (K.T.R.) said the “project stands for the ambitious undertaking of systematically identifying, introducing and intergrating authentic type Apso bloodlines from the Himalaya regions”.
So a breeding programme was engaged with the intruduction of recently imported Tibetan lines, “Hamilton” lines from the U.S. and some dogs coming from Mr. d’Aoust, from Canada. Those d’Aoust’s dogs were coming initially from the Drepung monastery.
The result of this very selective breeding programme are very, very positive. At present the “Tibetan Line” can offer to our pleasure beautiful Apsos of the “authentic” type, the right size, beautiful head and expression, good mouth, good construction and a coat we can describe as “confortable” with the right goat-like texture. This come back to the “authentic” is a real miracle.
An enormous Thank you to all those devoted supporters who help during this past decade. Without them this remarkable come back to the true Lhassa Apso type can’t be accomplished.

André Cuny
International Judge

Tibetan Line (TL) Lhasa Apso

Breeding program

In 1992 at the KTR Club Winner Show, Gerti Bracksieck and I came to meet Inge Panitz, her husband and their little Lhasa Apso bitch Chu Chu, whom they had brought back from Bhutan. Chu Chu was of exquisite breed type and awoke our interest in the possibility of incorporating additional dogs from the Himalayan regions, to support the preservation of correct Apso type in the breed. Our ideas were supported by the KTR board and we proceeded to develop the TL breeding programme.

TL (Tibetan Line) is a pure line of Tibetan Apsos consisting of imports from Himalayan regions bred exclusively to dogs of Tibetan heritage.

Each dog was checked before breeding by two KTR Tibetan Breeds Specialist Judges and, after their approval, were recommended for registration in the KTR studbook.

Foundation dogs:

1 – Bhutan imports
- Chu Chu Princess of Tongsa, golden bithch, breeder : the Bhutanese Royal family.
- Kunga Dendrup “Balu”, sable dog, breeder : Rinchen Om
- Rinzin, particolour bitch, litter sister to “Balu”, never used for breeding
- Tsering, white bitch, breeder unknown, never used for breeding.

2 – Imports from Canada
(pure line of dogs imported by Gerald D’Aoust in th 80’s from Tibetan refugees and descendants of Apsos bred in Drepung monastery, Tibet)
- Lungta, grey-silver bitch, breeder G.D’Aoust .
- Pato, grey dog, breeder: G. D’Aoust.

3 – Pure Tibetan lines from USA
- Kai-la-sha Kumquat, red bitch: breeder C. Marley.
- Fu-kao Ink Street, dark red sable male: breeder : K. Olesen.

4 – Straight Hamilton from USA
- Sharil Justifiable, light golden dog, breeder : C. Jazwick & A.Andrews
- Sharbo Senge, dark red sable dog, breeder : S. Rouse-Bryant.
- Taz Dakota Sunset, light golden dog, breeder : B. Smith.
- Sharil M.I.B., black and tan dog, breeder : C. Jazwick & A. Andrews.

In 1994 Chu Chu Pricess of Tongsa, who was a present of the Royal Bhutanese family to
Inge Panitz during her trip to Bhutan, had her first and only litter for her owners in Switzerland. The sire of the litter was Fu Kao Ink Street, bred by Karen Olsen of Denmark. two bitches from this litter were kept for breeding, although at least two more were of breeding quality; Ani-la went to Traschi Deleg kennel and Ashi-la was co-owned by Inge Panitz and Karin Acker and had her puppies in Karin’s v Trisong kennel.

In those days, only a few Apso breeders were interested in breeding with these imports, so it wasn’t easy to find homes for puppies with responsible breeders. Some German TT breeders became curious about this interesting project to built up a new Apso line, Ingrid Kuhl (Sin Padma) visited the Bracksieck’s house and fell in love with Ani-la. Gerti gave her to Ingrid a few weeks later.

The second TL litter was for Thaschi Deleg kennel. Kunga Dendrup, a male who was bred by Rinchen Om, an old Tibetan lady living in Bhutan, and imported by the Panitz family and Gerti Bracksieck after their third trip to Bhutan, was mated to Kai-la-sha Kumquat, a small, red very typey bitch. Their litter was very interesting; T.D. V Dochu-la went to Ro Witzler, a former TT breeder and now Apso breeder for several years (Bhotiya). Some KTR breeders, again, specially TT breeders, were interested in these very typey and refined puppies, and when Christel Hoppe of the well known v. Lu.Khang TT kennel saw them she just fell in love with Traschi Deleg V’Rintzin, off she went with Christel, who later on had some of the nicest TL litters out of her. Karin Acker kept the very typey litter brother “Tibet” for a while, though he was later placed in a pet home.

In 1995 Gerti and I visited some Hamilton breeder friends and the American Lhasa Apso Club Specialty. We chose Am. Ch. Sharil Justifiable to take home for our TL program, specially because his pedigree went back to predominantly old Everglo. He lived with Ralf Golzem and Markus Horn (Shanti’s) and was showed to his German and Austrian champion title by Ralf and myself. “Justin” sired several litters in Germany including two TL litters.

Gerti and I, always thinking of our continuing goal to preserve the true to type Tibetan Apso, knew that this gene pool needed some more input. We remembered Gerti’s contact with Mr.G. D’Aoust in the early 80’s, who had imported quite a number of Apsos from Tibetan refugees in Northern India and Nepal to his home in Canada.
I found his new address through some friends, contacted him, and in June 1996 Gerti and I travelled to Eastern Canada to see his dogs. His breeding stock was already very inbred and so we decided to take only one bitch and one male. We saw “Lungta” as an adult girl shaved to the skin and were fascinated by her. D’Aoust let her out of the kennel and you should have seen her sprinted running and jumping through the fresh grass: FREEDOM !

I will never forget this picture. Lungta was sent to Berlin a few weeks later in whelp of one of her kennel mates. In D’Aoust kennel we also saw a beautiful silver bitch, who has a litter just two weeks old at the time. Several months later a male out of that litter, “Pato”, came to Germany and Ro Witzler was very happy to have him in her house, joining her first TL bitch, Dochu-la.
Lungta soon became the “queen” in the Bracksieck’s household. She came to Germany very ill and had to be treated, so we feared for her puppies, but in the end she whelped two healthy pups of nice type, but not better quality than their mother, so they were placed in pet homes.

Pato sired one very nice litter with Rinzin for Christel Hoppe. The pick bitch Khadoma, came to Gerti and I and was to be the first German Youth Champion of the TL line; Her litter brother, Kushog, stays with Karin Acker and has produced some litters for the program and some with non TL bitches. One of his typey sons, Pokhara Balu, breed and owned by Claudia Tôdt has been successfully shown and when bred back to a TL bitch produced a high quality litter for Karin Acker in 2002.

Pato was a very lovely and typey dog, but he brought from Canada a very severe chronic skin infection, which could not be cured, and he had to be put to sleep at young age.

This was a severe step back for our program, non mentioning what it meant to Ro, who very much loved this special little guy.

Karin Acker bred her Chu-Chu daughter to Sharil Justifiable and kept a bitch, Sangha Chu-Chu; a little tall but very well balanced and great moving with a magnificent coat. Ro Witzler used him for Dachu-la and kept a lovely small, well built bitch from this breeding, which she later sold to a veterinarian couple who were interested in the program, but unfortunately they only had one litter with her.

Lungta the choose her own “husband”; she bred herself to “Balu” and had three puppies. The male, Chenrezi, was kept by Harriet Wassermeyer, a long time Apso lover, and was used for several bitches already. Chomolari is living with the Schroth family; but has never had a litter. Both are very original in type and temperament. Chenrezi has a strong body and Chomolari is a super mover.

Meanwhile, I got in touch with some breeders in California and tried to find out what had happened to the well-known Sharbo dogs. There was an in-bred litter on the ground, a video was sent, and I was captured by the exceptional type of the whole litter, which so far as I know was the last bred Sharbo litter. At about four months of age the little devil “Sharbo Senge” was sent to Germany, where he stayed most of the time with myself and later on in Ro Witzler’s house, and was used for several bitches. He proved to be a dominant sire of his own type, small size and deep red colouring. He had the strong personality and self-confidence of the Apsos of the early days and passed it on to his puppies.

Karin Acker kept Asanga-Chu, a daughter of Senge, to continue the line. Christel Hoppe produced Nyilam and gave her to her TT breeder friend Ilona Schönewolf. She has had great success with her in the show ring. Out of the Youngster class she went BISS at the KTR Club Winner Show in 2000. She is a German Youth Champion and German Champion and just had her first litter of five typey and consistent puppies. Ro Witzler had an even consistent litter out of Dochu-la and Senge. She kept the most lovely Valentin and his litter sister Vashti. Valentin has one of the most beautiful heads we’ve gotten from the TL line. Both are of perfect size, super type, excellent strong bites, correct coat texture and balance, and they have excellent temperaments.

Ani-la’s litter of six wasn’t as consistent. Ingrid kept an exceptional built bitch with a lovely head. Sin Padma Wang-mo.
In 1999, I travelled to an Oklahoma show circuit to meet some of the last straight Hamilton breeders in the States. I evaluated all of their quality males and in the end Cheryl Jazwick, Amy Andrew and Lynette Clooney entrusted me with Am.Ch. Taz Dakota Sunset, “Cody”. He came to live in Germany with Claudia Tödt. She successfully showed him to his German and International Champion title. Cody is a real character and he now lives the life of a couch potatoe and Apso boss of the household at Cheryl’s home.

Cody was bred to Dochu-la. The litter was very promising, but Ro couldn’t keep another dog, so all live in pet homes.

We also bred him to Khadoma, and her daughter Gyalmo now lives with Karin Acker and is co-owned with myself. She is difficult to show, but despite her size is a beautiful bitch. At two years of age Gyalmo has a wonderful coat of the best texture, a refined head and just floats when moving.

Christel bred Cody to Rizin and kept a lovely bitch named Shimtru and her small litter brother Simba. Both finished their Youth Champion title easily. Their tall, but very nice, litter sister Shimi is just now rearing a litter of eight really nice puppies.

So, Cody left his genetic stamp with lots of improvements to the TL program. He especially produced consistently good bites and healthy, strong rear ends, lovely correct textured coats, clean typey heads and good temperaments.

Ingrid bred Chenezi (100% import) to her Ani-la (50% import) and got a litter of eight black and tan puppies of very original type. The best bitch was kept for breeding and the rest of them are giving joy to their families.
In October 2001, I again travelled to the States to “steal” Am. Ch. Shoril M.I.B.; a black and tan male I watched since I got his first puppy picture in the summer of 2000. “Will” came over to live with me for one year and it was a great pleasure for me to have him with me. He enjoyed his life of daily walks and as my “pet” dog.

He is a highly intelligent, easy going and sensitive dog, who adapted himself easily to his new living situation. He was bred to Rinzin for her last litter and produced five very dark coloured puppies. Christel kept the pick of the litter “Sandur” and Claudia Tödt kept one of the bitches “Tara-lu”. A black and tan litter sister will be bred too. So far it seems that Will produced excellent bone and well muscled bodies, strong bites, very good coat textures and correct size.

Kirstin HANDRICH
With permission of the author

Lhasa Apso Litters of Tibetan Line Program (TL):
Overview

In 1994:
- Fu-Kao Ink Street - Chu-Chu Princess of Tongsa : 3/3
Kept for breeding : Tongsa Chu Ani-la (TL) b, Tongsa Chu Ashi-la (TL) b.

In 1995:
- Kunga Dendrup - Kai-la-sha Kumquat : 2/2
Kept for breeding : Traschi Deleg V Dochu-la (TI) b, Traschi Deleg V’Rezin (TL), b.

In 1996:
- Katu - Lungta : 1/1
Kept for breeding : none.
- Sharil Justifiable - Ashi-la Tongsa Chu (TL), : 2/2
Kept for breeding : Sangha Chu-Chu v. Trisong (TL), b.

In 1997:
- Sharil Justifiable - Traschi Deleg V’Dochu-la (TL) : 2/1
Kept for breeding : Bhotiya Uma (TL), b.
- Kunga Dendrup - Lungta : 1/2
Kept for breeding : Traschi Deleg Chenrezi (TL) d, Traschi Deleg Chomolari (TL), b.
- Pato - Traschi Deleg V’Rinzin (TL) : 3/3
Kept for breeding : Kushog Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khang (TL), d. Khadoma Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khand (TL), b.

In 1998:
- Sharbo Senge - Ani-la Tongsa Chu (TL) : 4/2
Kept for breeding : Sin Padma Wang Tsu (TL), d. Sin Padma Wang-mo (TL), b.
- Sharbo Senge - Traschi Deleg V’Dochu-la (TL) : 3/3
Kept for breeding : Bhotiya Valentin (TL), d. Bhotiya Vashti (TL), b.
- Sharbo Senge - Sangha Chu Chu (TL) v. trisong : 2/3
Kept for breeding : W’Asanga-Chu (TL) v. Trisong b.

In 1999:
- Sharbo Senge - Traschi Deleg V’Rinzin (TL) : 2/3
Kept for breeding : Njilam Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khang (TL), b.
- Kushog Traschi Deleg v.Lu-Khang - Ashi-la Tongsa Chu (TL) : 1/0
Kept for breeding : none

In 2000:
- Taz Dakota Sunset - Traschi Deleg V’Dochu-la (TL) : 2/1
Kept for breeding : none
- Taz Dakota Sunset - Khadoma Traschi Deleg v.Lu-Khang (TL) : 3/1
Kept for breeding : Traschi Deleg Gyalmo-la (TL) b.
Kushog Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khang (TL) - W’Asanga-Chu (TL) v. Trisong : 4/1
Kept for breeding : none
- Traschi Deleg Chenrezi (TL) - Ani-la Tongsa-Chu (TL) : 1/7
Kept for breeding : Sin Padma X’Bhara Chakra (TL), b.

In 2001:
- Bhotiya Valentin (TL) - Tongsa Chu-Ashi-la : 1/0
Kept for breeding : none
- Taz Dakota Sunset - Traschi Deleg V’Rinzin (TL) : 2/3
Kept for breeding : Simba Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khang (TL) d.; Shimi Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khang (TL) b.: Shim-tru Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khang (TL), b.

In 2002:
- Sharil M.I.B. - Traschi Deleg V’Rinzin (TL) : 2/3
Kept for breeding : V’Sandur Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khang (TL), d.; V’Metog Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khang (TL), b. : V’Tara-lu Traschi Deleg v. Lu-Khang (TL), b.

Of 19 litters with 80 puppies, 25 were kept for breeding.