Unlike height, there are no universal reference points for assessing length in every breed. Spira’s reference book on Canine Terminology defines body length as the distance from point of shoulder (the joint between the shoulder blade and upper arm) to point of buttocks (the rearmost projection of the upper thigh), unless otherwise specified in a breed’s standard. This is where the confusion comes frombecause different breeds assess body length from and to different places, but wouldn’t it be easy if Spira’s definition could be adopted as the official length by all breeds?

For Tibetan Terriers length is from point of shoulder to root of tail (where the tail emerges from the body). As these two points are at different levels, there is often debate as to whether length should be assessed diagonally, or whether it is the horizontal difference between two vertical lines dropped through the point of shoulder and root of tail. The latter, according to the breed note writer, is in his view, the common and correct interpretation.

As point of buttock is further back than root of tail, a Tibetan Terrier assessed using Spira’s universal definition, would in fact be slightly longer than height at the withers. So how do the other Tibetan Breeds compare?

The Lhasa Apso simply requires length from point of shoulder to point of buttock to be greater than height at withers, but the standard does not say if “greater” is slightly greater or a lot greater. Length in the Tibetan Spaniel is assessed from withers to root of tail, and it should be slightly longer there than height – so if it was assessed from point of shoulder ( further forward) to point of buttock (further back) it would be a lot longer than high. The Shih Tzu reference points are the same as the Spaniel’s, but it just says longer without specifying how much longer. For completeness the Tibetan Mastiff should have a body slightly longer than its height, and as no length reference points are specified then Spira’s universal definition from point of shoulder to point of buttocks must be assumed.

With length there is even more to deceive the eye than there is with height, and this is where hands-on assessment is an absolute necessity. For example, a lot of coat on the chest and the rear of the upper thigh will make a dog look long. A low set tail will add extra length when assessing length to root of tail, and for such a dog, the question is “is it really long or does it just have a low set tail?”, and this will need to be answered. Upright shoulders and a poorly angulated front will move the point of shoulder relatively backwards. We should be aware of these other influences that can appear to either shorten or lengthen a dog, but should be looking for the square body profile when the shoulders are well laid and the tail set on fairly high as required by the standard.