Judging the Lowchen By Gini Denninger The Lowchen’s colorful history dates to the European middle ages. Abounding in Renaissance paintings and illustrations, they look remarkably like today’s dogs! AKC recognized in 1996, they are shown in the Non-sporting group. Judging this breed is not as simple as one might think. Only with intense study are breed subtleties understood. To the casual observer, an untrimmed Lowchen looks like a mongrel. It is breed type that defines them. A Lowchen with poor type, yet moderate in every way, well moving and groomed is still a poor representative of the breed. General Appearance Lowchen should possess no extremes, their movement id efficient and ground covering. They should be slightly off-square with moderate angulation. While small and elegant they are Cobby and athletic at the same time. Lowchen are very hardy dogs whose weight more than one would expect, when picking them up. They must be trimmed in the Lion clip to be shown. Size, Proportion, Substance Currently the breed is 12-14 “at the shoulders. This is larger than FCI and English Kennel Club standards. They state size must be between 9.9 - 12.6" at the shoulder, as did all the early breeders. American breeders believe larger Lowchen compete better in the Non-Sporting group. Die-hard purists prefer the breed standard return to the size favored world-wide. Lowchen should be slightly longer in length to height. Knowledgeable breeders measure proportions from the withers to the tail, then from withers to ground. The correct proportion is 11 parts long to 10 parts tall. The 11/10 proportion doesn't work if measured from the brisket to tail and withers to ground, as called for in the American standard, since the dog would be shorter than tall, especially if the dog has a prominent brisket. The American standard should call for 13 - 14 parts long to 10 parts tall. There is an elegance to the breed, but this does not mean the dogs are fragile. They should be muscular, sturdy and yet moderately boned. Coarse Lowchen are not elegant, while refined Lowchen can look elegant but be incorrect, due to lacking the right amount of bone and muscle. Judging The Lowchen - 1 - Ideally, if dropped, there should be no fear of injury. A well-built, athletic Lowchen will not be harmed but probably insulted! Head The head is important in identifying the breed. It should be sturdy and proportionate to the body, not too large ot too small. Sometimes this is hard to detect under the coat, thus hands-on examination is important. The back skull should be broad, never long and narrow. According to Frau Ostertag, of the famous pioneering Livland Kennel, it should be squarish in appearance when viewed from the top, with the widest portion between the ears and from occiput to stop. Past the ears, the head rounds slightly in a half circle. From the eyes to the muzzle the head begins to gently taper. If cradling the head between both hands, you could trace a rough likeness of a teardrop. The top of the skull is never rounded muchl like a Chihuahua. There should be a slight stop. Often, when the stop slopes too gently, the head is too long. Eye: The ideal eye is large, round and dark in color. It must be round. This is crucial, round eyes are a hallmark of the breed world-wide. A light round eye is preferred to a dark almond eye, giving an idea of how important the shape of the eye is. While large, they should not protrude. The eye must be rimmed with unbroken pigment. The breed standard does not call for a halo of pigment as seen in other breeds, but a Lowchen possessing this trait is not penalized, since this trait indicates strong pigment. Ears: are set slightly above the level of the eye. Profuse coat can hide this fault, so one must find where the ears are placed. If lacated too high, the expression is softer and pleasing but wrong, while a low ear set can give the illusion of surliness, also wrong. The degree of incorrect placement determines the degree of fault. If not too intruding on the dogs overall appearance, then consider this to be one of the lesser faults. All Lowchen standards call for pendant ears, hanging close and well fringed. There are two head types according to the American standard. The difference being in the length of muzzle; All breed standards world-wide, ask for a muzzle shorter than the back skull. In addition, the American standard allows for a muzzle of equal length to back skull. The muzzle should never be longer than the back skull. Ideal proportion is 2/3 of muzzle to the whole of the back skull. The muzzle must have depth and width, with a nose that appears slightly larger than the one would expect for the dogs size. The skin over the muzzle is tight, with no dewlaps or loose skin extending to the neck. Teeth: Lowchen teeth are large, in a scissors bite with complete dentition. It is common to find missing teeth. One or two seem to be accepted, more are frowned on. Wry bites are also found, but not tolerated. Crooked teeth generally occur when baby teeth are not pulled. Lowchen are prone to retaining baby teeth long after the adult tooth has come in, creating this problem. Penalize accordingly. A well groomed coat will emphasize and frame the Lowchen face. The coat softens the angles and planes, giving the dog a pleasing appearance. There should be enough coat to create the illusion of a mane around the head. Some Lowchen have an interesting genetic trait that can Judging The Lowchen - 2 - express to varying degrees. They have what are known as open-faces. The coat on the face itself is less profuse, blending gradually into the surrounding more abundant coat. The face really pops out, especially eyes and nose. Sometimes it appears that a dog was trimmed this way. But if the coat is genuinely uneven, it is likely this is natural. The debate being; should these dogs be penalized? This may be genetically connected to smooth coats. This trait is becoming more rare, especially now, with the emphasis on coat. Neck, Topline and Body: Because of the Lowchens profuse coat, the right length of neck is crucial! Too short, the head sits right on the chest, too long and the dog becomes a caricature of itself, Balance is key. It is more common to find Lowchen with too short a neck than too long. When too short, the illusion is created of too long a back, when in actuality, the dog may be just right. If the dog has too long a neck, the back can appear too short in contrast. The neck should be strong and muscled, fitting smoothly into the shoulders and top line. The Lowchen top line should be level, no exceptions. A level ruler should be able to sit from withers to tail. Any deviation is incorrect. A variety of faults can be found, such as low tail sets, low shoulders and roached top lines. Physical examination is necessary since coat can hide or even create a bad top line! A common problem occurs when the coat is thin around the shoulders and bushy in the midsection, making the dog look roached when in actuality it isn't. Lowchen bodies are muscular and sturdy. Reedy Lowchen are not uncommon, but should not be rewarded. Compact is the key word here. Ribs are well sprung and large enough to hold lungs of an athlete. Barrel chests or slab-sided Lowchen are to be greatly faulted! Signs of these traits are easily revealed by the dog’s movement. Barrel chested dogs are often out at the elbows, whereas slab-sided Lowchen have loose fronts, or cross over when moving. The Lowchen should have a moderate tuck-up. The line from the chest to the loin is gradual, not pronounced or extreme. They should appear a little thick wasted. The early Lowchen had barely pronounced tuck-ups. Exaggerated tuck-ups may make the dog look more elegant, but are wrong and could become a problem if allowed by judges and breeders. A Lowchen with greyhound tuck-ups is very incorrect! Tail-sets: are crucial in this breed as well as the shape of the tail. The correct tail is another hallmark of the breed . It should come off the back with no break in the level line until the point where the tail lifts off. There should not be any rolls or indentations at the point of joining. A correctly set tail with the right amount of curve resembles a teacup handle. The tail should curve over the back with coat hanging on one side or the other. A tight-to-the-back tail is as incorrect as a straight or flag tail. Flag tails are common in the breed. Since the natural tedency is toward ever looser tails as generations pass, it is important that breeders and judges select for correct tails, preferably erring on the side of too tight a tail, even a piglet style curl but never straighter or flag tail. To pick straight or flag tails ensures the eventual loss of the teacup handle tail. Another issue seen less commonly are too short or kinky tails. Penalize these faults to the degree of severity. The Lowchen tail is carried happily over the back when gaiting. But, dropped tails should not be penalized when the dog is not gaiting.