Tibetan Kyi Apso vs Schweizer Laufhund - Breed Comparison

The Tibetan Kyi Apso is an ancient rare breed. In fact, it is one of the rarest breeds on earth. Coming from Tibet, the Kyi Apso guarded livestock and homes for the nomads of the “rooftop of the world”. Apso means bearded and Kyi meand dog thus the Kyi Apso is a bearded dog.

This breed is very intelligent with a great personality and charm. In Western countries the breed is called Apso Do-Kyi or the Tibetan Collie. The first time these dogs are mentioned in any kind of documents was the late 19th and early 20th centuries in writings about Central Asian dogs. The Kyi Apso is related to the Tibetan Mastiff.

The breed is known to have been imported by Captain George Augustus Graham as a Tibetan wolf dog. The dog was also known to be owned by the 13th Dali Lama. There have not been many exported to Europe or North America, with the first coming to North America in the 1970’s.

There have been no registered litters since 2000 and the Tibetan Kyi Apso Club closed in 1999.

The Schweizer Laufhund is a breed born in Switzerland and sought after by the French and the Italians for their skill at hunting small mammals, especially hare. Mercenaries brought scent hounds from France to Switzerland and cross bred them with the Schweizer Laufhund, thereby influencing and changing the native breed.

In 1882 it was established that within the breed of “Swiss Hound” (Schweizer Laufhund) there were five different varieties. At this time a standard was written for each of these five different types. By 1909 the standards were revisited and revised, eliminating the hound of Thurgovie. Then in 1933 it was decided that one standard would cover all the varieties of the Schweizer Laufhund.

The Schweizer Laufhund was a line used to develop many different scent hounds. They are used almost exclusively as hunting dogs and not as family companion dogs. St. Hubert Jura Hound, the rare ancient variety, is still in the hunting parties of Canada and France. The breed existed before any dog breeding written records were kept. In Switzerland from the middle ages on, the Schweizer Laufhund was the only hunting dog in the country until recent times.

Even though they didn’t have any popularity until the European nobility became enamored of them in the middle ages, it is thought by some that they date back to the Roman Empire. In actuality most of their pre- Swiss history has been lost. We do know that through the years the breed has been influenced by cross breeding with Austrian, German and French scent hounds.

He is not recognized by the larger kennel clubs such as AKC or UKC, but by some rare breed associations. The dogs that remain today in the United States, Canada and Europe are still mainly owned by either active or retired hunters. Despite their great personalities, they are still not numerous among family pets.

Description

The Tibetan Kyi Apso is a large dog with a bearded face, full coat and curled tail. They have longer hair than the Mastiff and of course the shaggy, bearded muzzle. It is not as hefty as the Mastiff of course, and he is more athletic. Like many primitive dogs before them, the Kyi Apso comes into heat only one time a year, contributing to the rareness of the breed.

With their bearded face, the breed’s head appears bigger than it is. The ears are shaped as a V and skull is flat with the eyes on the outside of it. Their muzzle looks larger than it is due to the beard. Nose and lips are black, eyes are amber and almond shaped.

The coat is double, sheds odors and molts once a year. The coat can be black and tan, shades of red, blue-gray with white and solid black.

A medium sized dog with good endurance and strength. Its head is lean, and its muzzle is long making this a very noble looking breed. Each of the 5 varieties has some of its own characteristics. They all have short, fine hairs on their ears and heads and longer hairs on their legs and back.

Each variety can be identified by its colors as they are unique.

• Bernese – White with a black saddle or black patches and tan on the ears and face.

• Schwyz – A white dog with marking of orange.
• Bruno Jura – Black with tan markings and Tan with black saddle marks.

• Lucernese – Because they have white and black hair mixed across their bodies, they appear to be “blue”.

• St. Hubert Jura – Tan with a black saddle.

The Schweizer Laufhund come in miniature and standard sizes fitting into the same standard. Weight has a lot to do with the gender and height of the individual dog, they are longer than they are tall. As a scent hound, the breed is muscular and sturdy. They carry their long tails in a slight curve with a taper at the end.

Despite the different colors in the different varieties all of the breed have black noses, long droopy ears, and oval, brown eyes. They have a soft, calm and gentle facial expression.

1Children friendliness - under the right circumstances never sneak up on them

2.Special talents - exceptional agility and fast starts

3.Adaptability – large dog not good for apartment life. Need large yard

4.Learning ability – intelligent and trainable but stubborn.

1Children friendliness - they can be very gentle and loving with children. Toddlers might remind them of prey, however.

2.Special talents – they have great stamina.

3.Adaptability – adapts well if he gets enough exercise.

4.Learning ability -their learning ability is high, but they can be very stubborn.

Hip dysplasia: Can cause lameness and arthritis.

Bloat: Fatal unless treated immediately by a vet. Common to this size dog and can be controlled by eating habits.

Elbow dysplasia: Just like hip dysplasia can cause lameness and arthritis.

Other than these the Tibetan Kyi Apso is an ancient dog and very healthy as they were mostly isolated and did not interbreed. No genetic predetermined health problems.

There are a few health issues that the Schweizer Laufhund is prone to. As an ancient breed there is not a lot of genetic evidence of breed health issues but there is more recent reporting.

• Hip Dysplasia – can result in lameness, arthritis and inability to hunt.
• Cataracts – can result in blindness.
• Elbow Dysplasia – can result in lameness, arthritis and inability to hunt.

• PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) – hereditary – can result in blindness.

• Ear Infections – due to long droopy ears. Keep them clean.

• Ectropion and Entropion – eyelid misalignments either inward or outward. Can be corrected with surgery.

1Feeding the puppy – grow quickly don’t overfeed. High quality large breed puppy food and feed 4 small meals a day.

2.Feeding the adult – don’t over feed and don’t feed right before or after exercise due to the possibility of bloat. Feed high quality adult large breed dog food 2 x day in smaller meals.

3.Points for Good Health – ancient breed generally healthy

4. Games and Exercises - enjoys running, luer chasing,

. Feeding the puppy – as an active working breed they should be fed a high quality active or working breed kibble formula.

2.Feeding the adult - the adult should be fed the same active or working breed formula, only in an adult formulation.

3.Points for Good Health – stamina

4. Games and Exercises – this active breed does require a lot of daily exercise. Take them on at least one good, quick walk per day and give them a fenced yard to play in. They love hunting training and field trials along with activities like barn hunt. They love to run alongside as you bike or jog.