Bunnylady
Herd Master
According to the ARBA standard, the head of a Mini Lop is to be "Strongly developed and sturdy, without being too narrow. The crown of the head is to be boldly arched. There should be a slight curvature of the skull from the base of the crown toward the nose. The head should be bold and balance with the rest of the body. Faults - Long, narrow head, pointed nose."
Oddly, the wide, well-filled muzzle isn't mentioned, though it isn't with the French Lop either, and the Mini Lop has long been known as a sort of scaled-down French.
In other words, all those "Mini Lops" with long, narrow faces and ears are poor representatives of the breed, assuming they actually are being correctly identified as "Mini Lops" to begin with.(This is one of those things that drive me nutsy-cuckoo. A lot of people seem to call anything with ears that don't go up a Mini Lop; I can't tell you how many times I have been told, "we bought the kids a Mini Lop, and it grew up to be, like, 12 pounds." The good ones, the ones that are bred to the standard, have broad heads, thick, broad, sturdy bodies, a clearly defined crown, ears that don't hang much below the jaw, and don't weigh more than 6 1/2 pounds).
Oddly, the wide, well-filled muzzle isn't mentioned, though it isn't with the French Lop either, and the Mini Lop has long been known as a sort of scaled-down French.
In other words, all those "Mini Lops" with long, narrow faces and ears are poor representatives of the breed, assuming they actually are being correctly identified as "Mini Lops" to begin with.(This is one of those things that drive me nutsy-cuckoo. A lot of people seem to call anything with ears that don't go up a Mini Lop; I can't tell you how many times I have been told, "we bought the kids a Mini Lop, and it grew up to be, like, 12 pounds." The good ones, the ones that are bred to the standard, have broad heads, thick, broad, sturdy bodies, a clearly defined crown, ears that don't hang much below the jaw, and don't weigh more than 6 1/2 pounds).