PATRONAGE : Great Britain.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 25.08.1988.

UTILIZATION : Companion dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 9 Companion and Toy Dogs.

Section 5 Tibetan breeds.

Without working trial.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Sturdy, medium-sized, long-haired, generally square outline; resolute expression.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Lively, good-natured. Loyal companion dog with many engaging ways. Outgoing, alert, intelligent and game; neither fierce nor pugnacious. Sparing of affection to strangers.

HEAD : Head well furnished with long hair, falling forward over eyes. Lower jaw carrying small, but not exaggerated amount of beard.

CRANIAL REGION :

Skull : Of medium length, neither broad nor coarse, narrowing slightly from ear to eye, neither domed nor absolutely flat between ears.

Stop : Marked in front of eyes, but not exaggerated.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose : Black.

Muzzle : Strong. Length from eye to tip of nose equal to length from eye to base of skull.

Jaw/Teeth : Lower jaw well developed. Incisors set in slight curve, evenly spaced and set perpendicular to jaw. Scissor or reversed scissor bite.

Cheeks : Zygomatic arch curved, but not overdeveloped so as to bulge.

Eyes : Large, round, neither prominent nor sunken; set fairly wide apart; dark brown. Eye rims black.

Ears : Pendant, carried not too close to head, V-shaped, not too large, heavily feathered.

BODY : Well muscled, compact and powerful. Length from point of shoulder to root of tail equal to height at withers.

Back : Level over ribs.

Loin : Short, slightly arched.

Croup : Level.

Chest : Well ribbed up.

TAIL : Medium length, set on fairly high and carried in a gay curl over back. Very well feathered. Kink near tip often occurring and permissible.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS : Heavily furnished. Legs straight and parallel.

Shoulders : Well laid.

Pasterns : Slightly sloping.

HINDQUARTERS : Heavily furnished.

Stifles : Well bent.

Hocks : Low set.

FEET : Large, round, heavily furnished with hair between toes and pads. Standing well down on pads; no arch in feet.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Smooth; good reach; powerful drive. When walking or trotting hind legs should track neither inside nor outside the front legs.

COAT

HAIR : Double coat. Undercoat fine and woolly. Top coat profuse, fine but not silky nor woolly; long; either straight or waved but not curled.

COLOUR : White, golden, cream, grey or smoke, black, parti-colour and tricolours; in fact any colour except chocolate or liver permissible.

SIZE :

Height at shoulder : Dogs 35.6 - 40.6 cm (14 - 16 ins);

bitches slightly smaller.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.