Woe to the person who enters a show ring with their entry looking like this:

 

For the sake of discussion, we are assuming the dog is clean, albeit with a coat that is a bit untidy. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is that the dog in question is a Löwchen, and in every kennel club we checked (AKC, UKC, FCI, CKC), the Löwchen standard mandates that the Löwchen be presented in the traditional Lion Clip as seen below:

Entering a dog show with an unclipped Löwchen will most likely end with an immediate dismissal for failure to follow the standard. With a wink and a nod, we concede that most breeds allow presentation variation within limits, but the Löwchen is one of the rare exceptions where the trim is mandatory because removing it effectively erases a defining trait of the breed. Grooming in this breed is non-negotiable.

Here we pivot to a favorite question on these pages. Why?

Historically, the Löwchen’s “job” was as a companion/comfort dog, and this one was a particular favorite among European upper class women in France and Germany going back as far back as the Renaissance. 

It’s said that the dogs were often kept as lap warmers, its hair left longer on the chest and kidney areas so the dog could be held against their mistress’ body for warmth. There is also a persistent historical ‘factoid” that small companion dogs like the Löwchen may have acted as “flea traps,” drawing the nasty buggers away from their owners. Whether intentional or incidental, it shows how closely these dogs lived in physical contact with their people.

Over time, the lion clip distinguished these dogs from other hairy lap dogs.  Without it, the Löwchen becomes visually indistinct from related breeds, and its presentation in a show ring is historically intrinsic. And even though the clips is cosmetic, it does help judges evaluate the very structure that defines the breed.  The standard is quite specific about how the pelvic bone projects beyond the set of the tail and even spells at that it is at an approximate 30 degree angle from a perfectly horizontal line.The standard goes on to describe the upper and lower thighs, stifles, hocks, and hind feet, and this is considerably easier to evaluate without coat.

Remove the trim, and one don’t just change the look, one erases the visual language that has identified the breed for centuries. Though it didn’t start out that way, our sport has been tasked with preserving breeds, not reinventing them, and the Lion Clip isn’t a small detail—it’s kind of the whole point.

Click here to learn more about the trim.

Top photo by Robert Nieznanski