Lhasa Apso Dog Breed Temperament, Health Issues, Grooming and History

Description: In this breed, the body length is longer than their height. We see a well-built little dog. The Lhasa Apso is in good proportion for its size with a muzzle that is medium in size. Their teeth meet in a level or slight undershot bite. The eyes are dark brown and deep set. With ears that are pendent and very feathered. It has straight front legs and the back legs are well coved in hair. This is the same for the feet and under the hair, we see cat like feet that are round. The tail is high set and curls over the back; in a screw shape, some have a kink at the tip. This dogs' height is 10 to 11 inches and weight is 13 to 15 pounds, with the bitches coming in slightly smaller in height and weight. The double coat is straight and is long, over the whole body, this also covers the head and eyes. If left to grow the hair can easily reach the ground. All colours are accepted but, as with all things, there are favoured colours, these are cream, honey and gold. There are also some lovely colours such as slate, multi-colours black, brown and white, grizzle, and smoke. Puppies often change colours as they grow. As this dog can have such long hair, it is common to have this breed as a pet rather than a show dog. Lhasa Apsos' are often cut into a puppy cut to keep it cool and easier to manage.

History: This pretty dog came from Tibet, in the Himalayan Mountains, hundreds of years ago. The Lhasa Apso was considered special to the holy men, and they thought that when the monk or holy man died his soul would live on in the dog. For many years, this breed was only bred and kept by Tibetan Nobles. As the nobles, of the time, were the only people allowed to keep this breed as well. This dog was considered to be good luck for its owner, and so to buy one was hard. In 1933 this breed was brought to the wider world of dogs, by a man called C. Suydam Cutting who had his dog as a gift from the then Dalai Lama the 13th. This breed was recognized by the AKC in 1935.

Temperament: Here we see a dog that is intelligent, friendly and well mannered. This dog is lively and loves their owner. This breed has good hearing abilities, and makes a natural watchdog. The Lhasa Apso will love motivational training. This dog is small but it still is a dog that likes to be a dog. Avoid small dog syndrome by training, and giving your dog rules in the home and keeping to them. This breed needs a leader that is consistent, and stable, in their leadership. Without good leadership this dog can have, an intolerance of children, on going barking, wilful behaviour, nervousness, even becoming aggressive, with guarding behaviour that is not desired. All this can be prevented. and give you a lovely balanced dog. Remember it is how you treat this dog. This dog needs mental and physical exercise daily. This dog will play well and this uses up some energy, but they still need daily walks.

Health issues: The Lhasa Apso can get skin problems, hip dysplasia, kidney problems, eye problems and bleeding ulcers.

Grooming: Their coat parts at the spine and falls straight either side. With a full coat they need brushing daily. Matting in the feet and joints can be a problem so needs to be checked often. Cleaning the eyes and ears needs to be done daily, as they can tear. If your Lhasa Apso is a family pet then you can get them clipped down, as this helps with the over all care of the coat. Dry shampoo as needed for this breed.

Living conditions: The Lhasa Apso can live in an apartment happily if their daily mental and physical exercise is met. This breed can live without a garden but will required daily walks.